USN Spanish Flu reports

Dear Chris von Csefalvay:

Thank you for submitting your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to
the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) via email to
foia@nara.gov. We received your request on December 22, 2022. Your
request concerns United States Naval Records.

Our office handles FOIA and Privacy Act requests for NARA’s operational records
(records created by this agency). Because your FOIA request is for
records that may be archival records (records created by or originated in a
different agency but that may have been transferred to the legal custody of
NARA), we are forwarding it by this email to our Office of Research
Services, Textual Reference (RR2RR) staff who handle FOIA requests for
textual archival records.

That office will assign your request a tracking number and respond directly
to you. In the future, if you need to follow up with that office directly,
please contact them at the address below, or electronically via email
(email is preferred).

National Archives and Records Administration
Research Services, Textual Reference Branch (RR2RR)
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 2400
College Park, MD 20740

Phone: 301-837-3091
Fax: 301-837-1752
Email: archives2reference@nara.gov

For your reference, a copy of your request is below.

Please visit our website at www.archives.gov/foia for further information
about making a FOIA request to NARA. On our main website,
www.archives.gov, you
can learn more about the resources we offer to the public, and you can
access our online catalog.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and pursuant to guidance received from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA had adjusted its normal
operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work
while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of
our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may
experience a delay in receiving a substantive response to your FOIA
request. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your
understanding and patience.

Sincerely,

Jodi L. Foor

Deputy Freedom of Information Act Officer/Archivist

National Archives and Records Administration

Office of General Counsel

College Park, MD

301-837-2099

Jodi.Foor@nara.gov

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <requests@muckrock.com>
Date: Wed, Dec 21, 2022 at 8:39 PM
Subject: Freedom of Information Act Request: USN Spanish Flu reports
To: <foia@nara.gov>

Nat'l Archives & Records Admin
FOIA Office
Room 3110
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740

December 21, 2022

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following
records:

Any reports from any officers of the United States Navy dated between
01JAN1918 and 01JAN1920 referring to any respiratory outbreak in Europe.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and
this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform
me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer
the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or
CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I
look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business
days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Chris von Csefalvay

View request history, upload responsive documents, and report problems here:
https://www.muckrock.com/

If prompted for a passcode, please enter:
••••••••

Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com

PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS
For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 138133
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115

PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is
being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share,
and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed
(i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the
department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.

Dear Chris von Csefalvay:

Thank you for submitting your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to
the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) via email to
foia@nara.gov. We received your request on December 22, 2022. Your
request concerns United States Naval Records.

Our office handles FOIA and Privacy Act requests for NARA’s operational records
(records created by this agency). Because your FOIA request is for
records that may be archival records (records created by or originated in a
different agency but that may have been transferred to the legal custody of
NARA), we are forwarding it by this email to our Office of Research
Services, Textual Reference (RR2RR) staff who handle FOIA requests for
textual archival records.

That office will assign your request a tracking number and respond directly
to you. In the future, if you need to follow up with that office directly,
please contact them at the address below, or electronically via email
(email is preferred).

National Archives and Records Administration
Research Services, Textual Reference Branch (RR2RR)
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 2400
College Park, MD 20740

Phone: 301-837-3091
Fax: 301-837-1752
Email: archives2reference@nara.gov

For your reference, a copy of your request is below.

Please visit our website at www.archives.gov/foia for further information
about making a FOIA request to NARA. On our main website,
www.archives.gov, you
can learn more about the resources we offer to the public, and you can
access our online catalog.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and pursuant to guidance received from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA had adjusted its normal
operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work
while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of
our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may
experience a delay in receiving a substantive response to your FOIA
request. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your
understanding and patience.

Sincerely,

Jodi L. Foor

Deputy Freedom of Information Act Officer/Archivist

National Archives and Records Administration

Office of General Counsel

College Park, MD

301-837-2099

Jodi.Foor@nara.gov

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <requests@muckrock.com>
Date: Wed, Dec 21, 2022 at 8:39 PM
Subject: Freedom of Information Act Request: USN Spanish Flu reports
To: <foia@nara.gov>

Nat'l Archives & Records Admin
FOIA Office
Room 3110
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740

December 21, 2022

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following
records:

Any reports from any officers of the United States Navy dated between
01JAN1918 and 01JAN1920 referring to any respiratory outbreak in Europe.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and
this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform
me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer
the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or
CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I
look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business
days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Chris von Csefalvay

View request history, upload responsive documents, and report problems here:
https://www.muckrock.com/

If prompted for a passcode, please enter:
••••••••

Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com

PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS
For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 138133
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115

PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is
being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share,
and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed
(i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the
department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.

*Reply to: RR1R-23-15593-LR*

Chris von Csefalvay
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 138133
263 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

via EMAIL: requests@muckrock.com

Dear Mr. Von Csefalvay:

This is in response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for
any reports from any officers of the United States Navy dated between
January 1, 1918 and January 1, 1920, that refer to any respiratory outbreak
in Europe. You would also like to know how much the total charge for any
reproductions. Your request was received by the Archives 1 Reference Branch
on January 5, 2022, and was assigned a temporary case number 23-15593.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the repository
of the permanent, historical, and non-current records of the United States
Government, which includes the records of the U.S. Congress, the U.S.
Supreme Court and federal court system, and Executive Branch agencies. For
the most part, our holdings are primarily arranged by the federal agency or
court that created and maintained the records (record group), and
thereafter by various filing schemes depending on the type of record
(series and subseries). NARA does not have a master name and subject index
that identifies all documents and files pertaining to a specific
individual, organization, topic, or geographic location.

Your request for "any reports from any officers of the United States Navy
01JAN1918 and 01JAN1920 referring to any respiratory outbreak in Europe" is
too broad and does not provide enough specificity for us to identify all of
the potentially relevant records that might exist among our holdings.
Please note that the FOIA does not obligate a federal agency to conduct
in-depth research on behalf of a requester. Moreover, the FOIA does require
a requester to provide enough exact information (names, specific dates,
specific types of records, etc.) to allow a federal agency to conduct a
reasonable search of its records. As a matter of policy, NARA is staffed
to provide information about the records in our legal custody as well as
guidance on how an individual can research our holdings. We simply do not
have the staff to perform substantive research.

That said, we can provide you with some suggestions about record groups and
series that may be relevant to your topic. The Archives 1 Reference Branch
(RR1R) in Washington, DC, has custody of U.S. Navy records from 1775 until
1940. Based on the information you provided, the first we would recommend
is Record Group 52, Records of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. Our more
commonly utilized records will be found in the following record series:

- Medical Journals of Shore Stations, 1812–89 (Entry 21)
- Medical Journals of Ships, 1813–1910 (Entry 22).

However, as you will notice these records pre-date your search parameters,
but another series in Record Group 52 might be of interest: Registers of
Patients, 1812–1929 (Entry 51; NAID 2745846
<https://catalog.archives.gov/id/2745846>). It appears that these records
have been partially digitized. You can use the blue "Search within this
Series" button to conduct a search.

Our other suggestion is Record Group 80, General Records of the Department
of the Navy. The General Correspondence, also known as the General File, of
the Office of the Secretary is one of the most commonly used resources
in Record
Group 80. The correspondence is divided into three separate time periods.
There are indexes for each time period, although there is some overlap.
Researchers may need to check more than one index. Listed below are the
series that fall within our indicated time frame:

- Entry PC-31 19A, 19B, 19C, General Files, 1/1897–8/1926 (NAID 921968
<https://catalog.archives.gov/id/921968>).
- Arranged numerically by subject.
- Entry PC-31 29, Index to the General Files, 7/1897–8/1926 (NAID 2255750
<https://catalog.archives.gov/id/2255750>).
- Arranged alphabetically by subject, agency, or personal name.
Available on National Archives Microfilm Publication M1052.
- Entry PC-31 28, History Cards of the General Files, 7/1897–8/1926
(NAID 2254330 <https://catalog.archives.gov/id/2255750>).
- Arranged numerically.
- This series contains abstracts of correspondence and provides the
date, writer or addressee, and substance of the letter.
- Entry PC-31 30, Special Indexes to Parts of the General Files,
7/1897–8/1926 (NAID 2262719 <https://catalog.archives.gov/id/2262719>).
- Available on National Archives Microfilm Publication M1052.
- Arranged in six parts:
- Bureaus and offices of the Navy Department, arranged in general
alphabetical order and thereunder alphabetically by unit
- Executive departments, in general alphabetical order and
thereunder alphabetically by unit
- Fleets, squadrons, patrols, and stations, in one alphabetical
group by squadron
- Officers’ records, arranged alphabetically by officers’ names
under (a) line officers and (b) staff officers
- Ships, arranged (a) alphabetically for motor boats, yachts, and
other vessels taken over for Government use, October
1917–April 1920; (b)
by type and number for submarines; and (c) alphabetically by
name for other
vessels
- Yards and stations, arranged alphabetically.
- Entry UD 3, Special Subject Index to the General Files, 1916–1926
(NAID 28267926 <https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28267926>). Arranged
alphabetically by subject.

Finally, there is also Record Group 38, Records of the Office of the Chief
of Naval Operations, since it contains information relating to foreign
correspondence. The most utilized series among these records is our
"Attache Records" found in record series: Naval Attache Reports, 1882–1945.
The finding aid to this series has been digitized and can be found on the
National Archives Catalog at: catalog.archives.gov/id/1104923.

As you can see, there are numerous series where records pertinent to your
topic may potentially be found. However, because of the scope of your
request, a page-by-page examination of tens of thousands of files would be
required. And as we noted earlier, the FOIA does not obligate an agency to
conduct intensive research for a requester. While we cannot perform this
in-depth research on your behalf, we would be happy to make our finding
aids and the records available to you in our research room. These records
are open and available to the public and do not require a FOIA request to
access them.

You are welcome to visit the National Archives in Washington, DC, to view
the above-referenced series. If you would like to visit our facility, our
research room is open *by appointment only*, Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00
p.m. We are now using Eventbrite to schedule research appointments.
Researchers should book new appointments on Eventbrite for their desired
dates. To schedule an appointment:

- Visit the National Archives in Washington, DC (Research) page on
Eventbrite
- Navigate to Upcoming Events and click on desired date
- Click Register
- Complete the registration form and click Register

Each researcher must have a ticket in their name. The same email address
can be used to register more than one researcher, but these will be
separate transactions (tickets). If you have any questions about scheduling
an appointment, you can email us directly at: a1consultation@nara.gov.

This completes the processing of your request. If you have any questions
you may reach me at lyn.rowe@nara.gov.

We do not consider this a denial of your Freedom of Information Act
request because
it is too broad and does not provide enough specificity to allow our staff
to conduct a reasonable search of our records. We have provided you
with information
about where the relevant documents could possibly be located. However,
identifying any pertinent records would require extensive and in-depth
research, which the FOIA does not obligate a federal agency to do for a
requester. We are happy to make the records cited above available to you
in our research room, and have provided you with information on scheduling
an appointment to view them in person at our facility in Washington,
DC. However,
if you are not satisfied with our action on this request, your options for
appeal and dispute resolution are outlined in the attached enclosure.

This concludes the processing of your request.

Sincerely,

LYN ROWE
Archivist, A1 Reference Branch
Archival Operations - Washington, DC
National Archives and Records Administration

**********

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Archives2Reference <archives2reference@nara.gov>
Date: Wednesday, January 4, 2023 at 7:57:28 AM UTC-5
Subject: Fwd: Freedom of Information Act Request: USN Spanish Flu reports
To: archives1reference <archives1reference@nara.gov>

requests@muckrock.com

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Jodi Foor <jodi.foor@nara.gov>
Date: Thu, Dec 22, 2022 at 6:40 AM
Subject: Fwd: Freedom of Information Act Request: USN Spanish Flu reports
To: <requests@muckrock.com>
Cc: Archives2reference <archives2reference@nara.gov>, FOIA <FOIA@nara.gov>

Dear Chris von Csefalvay:

Thank you for submitting your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to
the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) via email to
foia@nara.gov. We received your request on December 22, 2022. Your
request concerns United States Naval Records.

Our office handles FOIA and Privacy Act requests for NARA’s operational records
(records created by this agency). Because your FOIA request is for
records that may be archival records (records created by or originated in a
different agency but that may have been transferred to the legal custody of
NARA), we are forwarding it by this email to our Office of Research
Services, Textual Reference (RR2RR) staff who handle FOIA requests for
textual archival records.

That office will assign your request a tracking number and respond directly
to you. In the future, if you need to follow up with that office directly,
please contact them at the address below, or electronically via email
(email is preferred).

National Archives and Records Administration
Research Services, Textual Reference Branch (RR2RR)
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 2400
College Park, MD 20740

Phone: 301-837-3091 <(301)%20837-3091>
Fax: 301-837-1752 <(301)%20837-1752>
Email: archives2reference@nara.gov

For your reference, a copy of your request is below.

Please visit our website at www.archives.gov/foia for further information
about making a FOIA request to NARA. On our main website,
www.archives.gov, you
can learn more about the resources we offer to the public, and you can
access our online catalog.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and pursuant to guidance received from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA had adjusted its normal
operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work
while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of
our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may
experience a delay in receiving a substantive response to your FOIA
request. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your
understanding and patience.

Sincerely,

Jodi L. Foor

Deputy Freedom of Information Act Officer/Archivist

National Archives and Records Administration

Office of General Counsel

College Park, MD

301-837-2099 <(301)%20837-2099>

Jodi.Foor@nara.gov

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <requests@muckrock.com>
Date: Wed, Dec 21, 2022 at 8:39 PM
Subject: Freedom of Information Act Request: USN Spanish Flu reports
To: <foia@nara.gov>

Nat'l Archives & Records Admin
FOIA Office
Room 3110
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740

December 21, 2022

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following
records:

Any reports from any officers of the United States Navy dated between
01JAN1918 and 01JAN1920 referring to any respiratory outbreak in Europe.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and
this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform
me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer
the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or
CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I
look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business
days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Chris von Csefalvay

View request history, upload responsive documents, and report problems here:
https://www.muckrock.com/

If prompted for a passcode, please enter:
••••••••

Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com

PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS
For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 138133
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115

PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is
being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share,
and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed
(i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the
department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.