David Kahn (February 7, 1930 – January 23, 2024)

To Whom It May Concern:

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

Records mentioning, relating to, or generated as a result of investigation or inquiry into historian David Kahn (February 7, 1930 – January 23, 2024). His death is widely-known and widely reported; as such, privacy concerns under FOIA Exemptions 6 and 7 are voided, as are any concerns under the Privacy Act. For example, you may find his New York Times obituary at the following link: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/09/us/david-kahn-dead.html

Kahn's 1967 book on the history of cryptology, The Codebreakers, attracted the attention of the National Security Agency, which attempted to stop publication of the book, and was eventually allowed to review a manuscript. Later, Kahn gave a speech at the opening ceremony of the National Cryptologic Museum in 1995, and presided over another ceremony in which he donated his personal library to the museum on October 26, 2010. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that the agency has records on Kahn.

If any part of these documents are exempt from disclosure, please be sure to review and release all reasonably segregable nonexempt portions of responsive documents, as the FOIA requires.

I request that I be properly classified as a media requester. I am an investigative journalist who has written numerous articles on topics of public interest for the Daily Beast, the Asia Times, Responsible Statecraft, the National Interest, Reason Magazine, America Magazine and the Armenian Weekly, and I am requesting these documents in an editorial capacity. Please contact me if you have any questions about my media status.

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,

Matthew Petti

Dear Chief Nicholson,

My name is Matthew Petti and I am writing in regards to my FOIA request, case number 118066. Thank you so much for your prompt response, and for the opportunity to clarify my request.

I can verify that I am seeking investigative records including, but not limited to; tasked surveillance of Mr. Kahn including the basis for the tasking, interviews with NSA employees or affiliates made at the request of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or any other individual personnel files that NSA may have on this individual or any possible investigations performed in coordination with other agencies. See previously fulfilled request 105850, sent in December 2018 by Emily Crose, as a model.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I am happy to tailor the parameters of this request to make things easier for everyone.

Best regards,
Matthew