NARA IRS 11.17.23
| Tracking # |
RD 78106 RD 78107 |
| Submitted | Nov. 17, 2023 |
| Est. Completion | Feb. 20, 2027 |
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Communications
From: Robert Skvarla, Jr.
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 access to the following records:
1. RG 460, Entry A1 103, Container 12, NAID 7541102: "Operation Leprechaun";
2. RG 460, Entry A1 103, Container 12, NAID 7541104: "Operation Sunshine";
3. RG 460, Entry A1 103, Container 12, NAID 7541047: "Independent Church of God";
4. RG 58, Entry UD-UP 13, Container 6, NAID 6338845: "Operation Leprechaun".
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 advise of which tier of processing queue this request falls under and an estimated time frame for processing.
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.
If any potentially responsive records have been destroyed and/or transferred, then I request copies of the destruction or transfer slips as well as any other documentation relating to, mentioning or describing said destruction or transfer, to include but not be limited to confirmation that the the National Archives and Records Administration has no other copies of said records.
Sincerely,
Robert Skvarla, Jr.
From:
This is an automated reply to inform you that the National Archives and Records Administration received your email.
We have received your request and you will receive a response within 20 working days. Please note that submitting duplicate requests will increase wait times.
If you have any questions, you can call our office at 301-837-3190. You can also visit our web page at www.archives.gov/research/foia.
Thank you.
From: National Archives And Records Administration – Archival Or Special Access
Dear Robert Skvarla, Jr.:
I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request
of November 17, 2023, for records in the custody of the National Archives
and Records Administration. Your request was received in this office on
November 20, 2023, and assigned FOIA tracking number *RD 78107*.
You requested access file Internal Revenue Service file “Operation
Leprechaun” in box 6 of entry UD-UP 13. My assessment is that “Operation
Leprechaun” is the subject of the records, created from January 7, 1977, to
April 6, 1977, and consisting of fourteen pages.
I completed a line-by-line review of the fourteen pages comprising the file
requested. There are no restrictions on access and the records are open and
available for research.
Attached is a complimentary reproduction of the records for your use.
If you are not satisfied with my action on this request, you have the right
to file an administrative appeal within ninety (90) calendar days from the
date of this letter. Appeals must be in writing and may be delivered by
regular U.S. mail or by email. By filing an appeal, you preserve your
rights under the Freedom of Information Act and present the deciding agency
with an opportunity to review your request and reconsider its decision. If
you submit your appeal by regular mail, it should be addressed to the
Deputy Archivist of the United States (ND), National Archives and Records
Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, Room 4200, College Park, Maryland
20740-6001. Both the letter and envelope should be clearly marked “FOIA
Appeal.” If you submit your appeal by email, please send it to foia@nara.gov,
addressed to the Deputy Archivist, with the words “FOIA Appeal” in the
subject line. If you exercise your right to appeal, please explain why you
believe this response does not meet the requirements of the Freedom of
Information Act. All communications concerning this request should
reference your FOIA tracking number.
If you would like the opportunity to discuss my response and attempt to
resolve your dispute without initiating the appeals process, you may
contact our FOIA Public Liaison for assistance:
Accessioned Executive Branch Records – Washington, DC Area
FOIA Requester Service Center: 301-837-3190
FOIA Public Liaison: Rebecca Calcagno
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500
College Park, MD 20740-6001
301-837-3190
You may also contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS),
the Federal FOIA Ombudsman’s office, for assistance. OGIS offers mediation
services to help resolve disputes between FOIA requesters and Federal
agencies. The contact information for OGIS is:
Office of Government Information Services
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road–OGIS
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Email: ogis@nara.gov
Phone: 202-741-5770 or 1-877-684-6448
This concludes the processing of your request. If you have questions
concerning my review, please contact me directly.
Sincerely,
--
Cheyenne Flotree
Archivist
Special Access and FOIA Program (RF)
(pronouns: he/him/his)
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 3400
College Park, MD 20740-6001
301-837-3551
From: Robert Skvarla, Jr.
Dear Mr. Flotree:
I am following up on FOIA tracking number RD 78107. This request was sent to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Special Access on November 17, 2023, and I received an acknowledgment and response on November 28, 2023.
First, I would like to thank NARA for its prompt review and response. I am grateful for the work that you and others do in fulfilling Freedom of Information Act requests.
Second, in my original request I asked for access to the following items:
1. RG 460, Entry A1 103, Container 12, NAID 7541102: "Operation Leprechaun";
2. RG 460, Entry A1 103, Container 12, NAID 7541104: "Operation Sunshine";
3. RG 460, Entry A1 103, Container 12, NAID 7541047: "Independent Church of God";
4. RG 58, Entry UD-UP 13, Container 6, NAID 6338845: "Operation Leprechaun".
However, in the response received on November 28, 2023, I noticed that you had only reviewed for item 4 (RG 58, Entry UD-UP 13, Container 6, NAID 6338845) on the list. The first three items were not acknowledged. The acknowledgement ends with the following statement: “This concludes the processing of your request. If you have questions concerning my review, please contact me directly.”
For clarification’s sake, are the first three items still pending review by you or a different archivist, are they being separated into individual requests, or are they not eligible for access by researchers?
Sincerely,
Robert Skvarla, Jr.
From: National Archives And Records Administration – Archival Or Special Access
Hello Mr. Skvarla,
Yes, other archivists have been assigned to the other portions of your
request. You should be hearing from them as they assess any responsive
records. Sorry for any confusion.
Kind regards,
Cheyenne Flotree
Archivist
Special Access and FOIA Program (RF)
(pronouns: he/him/his)
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 3400
College Park, MD 20740-6001
301-837-3551
https://www.archives.gov/research/foia
--
Cheyenne Flotree
Archivist
Special Access and FOIA Program (RF)
(pronouns: he/him/his)
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 3400
College Park, MD 20740-6001
301-837-3551
From: National Archives And Records Administration – Archival Or Special Access
Dear Robert Skvarla, Jr.:
I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request
of November 17, 2023 for records in the custody of the National Archives
and Records Administration. Your request was received in this office on
November 20, 2023 and assigned FOIA tracking number RD 78106.
FOIA Review Required
You requested access to the I.R.S Other Matters Operation Sunshine file
within the Watergate Collection. My initial assessment is that I.R.S Other
Matters Operation Sunshine is the subject of the records, created between
March 1975 and April 1975, and consisting of an estimated 75 pages.
These records require review for information protected from release under
the FOIA: https://www.archives.gov/foia/foia-guide#determine.
Your request does not exceed 700 pages, so it is assigned to our first-tier
processing queue. Taking into consideration our existing backlog, we
estimate it will take 39 months to complete processing.
Once we notify you that processing is complete, you may either visit our
College Park, MD facility to view the file at no cost, or order a
reproduction. Our current fee for reproductions is 80 cents per page, so we
estimate the total cost will be $60.
Files Open in Full
You requested access to the Independent Church of God file within the
Watergate Collection. My initial assessment is that Independent Church of
God- tax exempt status of phony church headed by Frank Sturgis is the
subject of the records, created between May 1972 and March 1974, and
consisting of an estimated 31 pages. There are no restrictions on access
and this file is open and available for research.
You requested access to the I.R.S Other Matters Operation Leprechaun file
within the Watergate Collection.My initial assessment is that I.R.S Other
Matters Operation Leprechaun is the subject of the records, created between
March 18, 1975 and March 271975, and consisting of an estimated 7 pages.
There are no restrictions on access and this file is open and available for
research.
You or your designated representative may view the file(s) at the National
Archives at College Park, Maryland. Please email specialaccess_foia@nara.gov
with your FOIA tracking number (RD 78106) to schedule an appointment. We
require at least one week advance notice to prepare for your visit. Research
visits are by appointment only and can be scheduled no more than three
months in advance as we are closely monitoring local public health metrics
due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you cannot visit our College Park facility, you may order a reproduction
copy of the file(s) at the cost of 80 cents per page. To place a
reproduction order, please contact our office at specialaccess_foia@nara.gov or
301-837-3190. A mailing/billing address is required to generate a price
quote, so please include that information with your reproduction request.
Please monitor our web page https://www.archives.gov/college-park for
details and updates, as the situation can change quickly. Thank you for
your patience and understanding during this time.
This concludes the processing of your request. If you have additional
questions, please contact me directly.
Sincerely,
Brittanie Sadler
--
Brittanie Sadler
Archives Specialist
Special Access and FOIA Program
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road. Room 3400
College Park, MD 20740-6001
301-837-3270
brittanie.sadler@nara.gov
https://www.archives.gov/research/foia
From: National Archives And Records Administration – Archival Or Special Access
Robert Skvarla Jr.:
I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request
of November 17,2023 for records in the custody of the National Archives and
Records Administration. Your request was received in this office on
November 20, 2023 and assigned FOIA tracking number RD 78106.
You requested access to the I.R.S. Other Matters Operation Sunshine file
within the Watergate Collection.
I completed a line-by-line review of the records you requested. Please be
advised, we have considered the foreseeable harm standard when reviewing
records and applying FOIA exemptions for this request. Information was
released to the greatest extent possible. Below is a summary of our review:
Records Requested
Total Pages
Pages Released in Full
Pages Released in Part
Pages Withheld in Full
I.R.S. Other Matters Operation Sunshine
63
45
18
0
I withheld information protected under section (b) of the FOIA (5 U.S.C.
552). The specific reasons for the denials are:
TYPE OF INFORMATION WITHHELD
FOIA EXEMPTION
Information exempted from disclosure by statute is
(b)(3) withholding is 26 USC 6103 6105 tax return information, which
protects confidentiality and disclosure of returns and return information.
(b)(3)
personal privacy of living individuals
(b)(6)
personal privacy of living individuals in law enforcement records
(b)(7)(C)
You or your designated representative may view the file(s) at the National
Archives at College Park, Maryland. We require at least one week advance
notice to prepare for your visit and ask that you email
specialaccess_foia@nara.gov with your FOIA tracking number (RD 78106) and
the date you plan to visit. Please also let us know if you would like us to
book an appointment on your behalf. Please monitor our web page
https://www.archives.gov/college-park for details and updates, as the
operating status for the facility could change, affecting opening hours for
the research rooms.
If you cannot visit our College Park facility, you may order a reproduction
copy of the files at the cost of 80 cents per page. To place a reproduction
order, please contact our office at specialaccess_foia@nara.gov or
301-837-3190. A mailing/billing address is required to generate a price
quote, so please include that information with your reproduction request.
If you are not satisfied with my action on this request, you have the right
to file an administrative appeal within ninety (90) calendar days from the
date of this letter. Appeals must be in writing and may be delivered by
regular U.S. mail or by email. By filing an appeal, you preserve your
rights under the Freedom of Information Act and present the deciding agency
with an opportunity to review your request and reconsider its decision. If
you submit your appeal by regular mail, it should be addressed to the
Deputy Archivist of the United States (ND), National Archives and Records
Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, Room 4200, College Park, Maryland
20740-6001. Both the letter and envelope should be clearly marked “FOIA
Appeal.” If you submit your appeal by email, please send it to foia@nara.gov,
addressed to the Deputy Archivist, with the words “FOIA Appeal” in the
subject line. If you exercise your right to appeal, please explain why you
believe this response does not meet the requirements of the Freedom of
Information Act. All communications concerning this request should
reference your FOIA tracking number.
If you would like the opportunity to discuss my response and attempt to
resolve your dispute without initiating the appeals process, you may
contact our FOIA Public Liaison for assistance:
Accessioned Executive Branch Records – Washington, DC Area
FOIA Requester Service Center: 301-837-3190
FOIA Public Liaison: Rebecca Calcagno
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500
College Park, MD 20740-6001
301-837-3190
You may also contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS),
the Federal FOIA Ombudsman’s office, for assistance. OGIS offers mediation
services to help resolve disputes between FOIA requesters and Federal
agencies. The contact information for OGIS is:
Office of Government Information Services
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road–OGIS
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Email: ogis@nara.gov
Phone: 202-741-5770 or 1-877-684-6448
This concludes the processing of your request. If you have questions
concerning my review, please contact me directly.
Sincerely,
Francis R. Alexander
Archivist
Special Access and FOIA Program (RF)