Austrian Anarchy's Journal: The FBI is a PITA

Yes, government as a whole is too but the FBI is especially a pain. For a book project, I did a few FOIA requests that I've mentioned various places. They will not even supply information that they have released in the past, but is no longer available through their regular publications, and they use "the person in question is still alive" as their catch-all denial mechanism. Including denying requests for FBI wanted posters of a guy who is still at large.

After you have watched and read the information from various places on how to do a FOIA, let me add this - it is much easier to start with a dead person in your information excavation than it is to start with a live person.

Being dead is not enough either, the FBI must KNOW they are dead and they will not take your word for it either. They might not even take your proof of death.

When I requested information on a series of bombs in banks, I was denied all information, even public statements made by the director, on the basis of the bomber still being alive.

Finally a light came on, I asked for all of the public statements and briefings by director J. Edgar Hoover (they KNOW he is dead) for the time period in question, and they accepted that one. They haven't provided anything yet, but they did not flat out deny it.

AG John Mitchell, someone else they know is dead, made joint statements with the FBI director about the bomb plot too. I've submitted a FOIA request to DOJ for his statements and am awaiting a response.

Another interesting aspect, my bomber did a false enlistment with the US Army for a few months and he was declared AWOL around the time of his bombs being discovered. There was no mention in the press of any charges being brought against him for the false enlistment, or his conduct, etc. So I emailed off a FOIA to them at the email address they provided. The email to the DAG1 office bounced! Found another and tried it. Still waiting for a response there too.