My friend, investigative reporter Tisha Thompson at WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C., sent me an interesting story about how to access the FBI’s files. She found files on all sorts of people, from legendary football coach Vince Lombardi to Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham.
She also explains how you can look up somebody’s FBI file and how you can find out if there is an FBI file on you.
I asked her about the project.
Why did you become interested in this story?
Thompson: I started wondering if my grandfather had an FBI file. He was part of the Manhattan Project and later worked for NASA from its inception to the Apollo moon launches. It’s taken more than six months to get his file � which in turn led me to start asking questions about the way the FBI handles its files. A spokesman for the FBI estimates a single case file can now contain upwards of four to five million pages — so he’s pretty sure the FBI has more paperwork than any other government agency.
When we hear about FBI files, I think we assume the FBI is gathering dirt on us. But in Vince Lombardi’s case, the file is very complimentary — in fact, it mostly contains copies of personal letters from J. Edgar Hoover to the coach. In the case of Katharine Graham, the file describes an investigation into a threat against her. Are these typical? What is in most of these files?
Thompson: Some of the people I interviewed told me J. Edgar Hoover loved to write letters to celebrities. In Lombardi’s case, Hoover wrote letters to Lombardi as he was dying from cancer and later to Lombardi’s widow. I was really surprised to see how the FBI marked up those files just like they would mark up a “suspect’s” file.
Katharine Graham seems to be more prototypical for celebrities. Celebrities are the most likely to receive death threats or blackmail letters, which the FBI classifies as extortion. Since it’s a federal crime, the FBI has to investigate.
The “famous” files were fairly easy to get because many had been requested before. I’m still waiting on most of my “infamous” files — or the files of people who were rabble-rousers or hell-raisers. People like Mitch Snyder, who held numerous protests to help the homeless in the 1980s. I’ve been told some of these files have hundreds of pages and are currently being declassified for the first time. I plan to do television packages on what I receive throughout the summer. The Web page, as a result, becomes a “living” page that will be perpetually updated.
If I could do it over again, I would request a lot more second-tier famous people who received notoriety for being rabble-rousers rather than basic celebrities.
You found it difficult to get your hands on files. What are the problems?
Thompson: First of all, you can’t write one letter. You have to write at least 56 letters to all of the FBI field offices that MIGHT have what you’re looking for. And even then, you probably won’t get what you’re looking for because the FBI organizes its files using an indexing system created by J. Edgar Hoover in the 1930s. To put that in perspective, my grandfather was still driving a Model T in those days. They haven’t computerized the vast majority of their records, so they don�t have a way to “Google” for names. Instead, they only search for “master files” on victims and suspects. They do not keep master files on witnesses or other people mentioned in the file.
The FBI says it has “no records” for 60 to 70 percent of the requests it receives. But critics, like the National Security Archive, say many of those files exist — the FBI just doesn’t want to work very hard to find them.
How do I find out if there is a file on me (or anybody)?
Thompson: First of all, the FBI says 80 percent of people do NOT have an FBI file. We had about a dozen people request their files at WTTG; we all received a “no records” response. But for the reasons above, I am somewhat dubious about that result.
If you want your file, you need to file a Privacy Act Request using the FBI’s form. You should put as much info that you feel comfortable giving out as you can to help them search for you: every name you’ve ever used (including maiden and nicknames), date of birth, Social Security number and any event you think the FBI would have interviewed or investigated you for.
If you want someone else’s file, you need to file a Freedom of Information Act request using the FBI’s form. Once again, put as much as you can on the form. If it isn’t someone super-famous (and I mean REALLY famous), you might want to include a copy of their obituary to save you about a month’s worth of time. Otherwise, they will automatically send you a letter asking you for the obituary.
Remember, you have to send about 56 letters, to every field office that might have the file.
Whose file would you still like to see? Why?
Thompson: I am really excited to see the files for Walter Washington and Daniel Berrigan. Berrigan was the ultimate antiwar activist and was on the FBI’s top 10 most-wanted list at one point — but no one’s ever asked for his file before. It’s being declassified for us for the first time.
Same goes for Walter Washington, who was D.C.’s first mayor. He apparently ignored J. Edgar Hoover’s suggestion to shoot rioters during the city’s MLK riots in 1968. I would love to see if Hoover made any comments in his file. Once again, that file is being declassified for the first time.
And of course, I’m dying to know what is in my grandfather’s file. I’m told it too is being declassified for the first time. It may be filled with really boring federal employee “top security clearance” stuff � but it might not. I hope not.
More on FBI files
