Lou Conde

To Whom It May Concern:

You are receiving this correspondence as a request under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. subsection 552. I am requesting the following:

Copies of all records, documents, and communications responsive to Bureau file number 100-14296, for one Mr. Louis Conde (January 8, 1927 – July 6, 2012). Mr. Conde was a San Diego County Supervisor between the years 1973 and 1977, and founder of an anti-Internal Revenue Service protest group, Taxpayers Concerned. Records releases by the Federal Bureau of Investigation indicate Mr. Conde was a member or associate of right-wing paramilitary groups the Minutemen and Secret Army Organization (SAO), providing material and financial support to one or both from 1967 to 1972. Mr. Conde later admitted to San Diego press that he participated in a 1967 plot, along with members of the Minutemen, to assassinate college professor and activist Herbert Marcuse. Given that Mr. Conde was a public official for a period of time in San Diego County, any information on investigations into Mr. Conde's connections to extremist groups is of immense public importance, so that it might reflect on decisions he made while working as a County Supervisor.

There is no expectation of a violation of Mr. Conde's privacy, as he passed away in 2012. Privacy rights are not extended to deceased persons. I have attached a reproduction of Mr. Conde's obituary, taken from the The San Diego Union-Tribune, as verification. Additionally, Mr. Conde's name has appeared unredacted in prior releases issued by the Bureau. Please see FBI-HQ file 157-23577, of which serials 1 through 105 were released to a requestor and made public in 2018. The fact that there have been prior Freedom of Information Act requests on the SAO would also demonstrate a compelling public interest in the subject, warranting the release of further documents on its members.

I am asking you waive any fees associated with this request. I am a member of the news media, with bylines including Covert Action Magazine, Janata Weekly, and Philly Voice. Please take note of the Office of Management and Budget guidelines published March 27, 1987 (52 FR 10012) that include electronic publications and other nontraditional publishers as representatives of the news media.

This request is not being made for commercial purposes. All documents will be provided to the general public without charge.

In the event that there are fees, I am willing to pay up to $100. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

I look forward to your response within 20 working days, as the statute requires. If access to the records I am requesting will take longer, please contact me with information about when I might expect copies or the ability to inspect the requested records.

If you deny any or all of this request, please cite each specific exemption you feel justifies the refusal to release the information and notify me of the appeal procedures available to me under the law.

Sincerely,

Robert Skvarla, Jr.