SecDef Instructions to US Navy Court of Inquiry–”Don’t Embarrass Israel”
It is a clone of this request.
| Submitted | Sept. 23, 2022 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Joe Meadors
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
According to the comments made by the Chief of Naval Operations at the funeral of ADM Isaac Kidd, when ADM Kidd served as President of the US Navy Court of Inquiry into the June 8, 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty he was ordered by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara “not to release anything critical of the Israeli government so as not to erode any political support for President Johnson in the coming year’s election.”
We are requesting the release of all correspondence between the Secretary of Defense and the US Navy Court of Inquiry referring to this instruction, as well as all correspondence between the Secretary of Defense and any organization under his control regarding this instruction.
https://ussliberty.com/files/public/CNO%20Remarks%20at%20Ike%20Kidd%20Funeral.pdf
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,
Joe Meadors
From: National Archives and Records Administration
Dear Mr. Meadors :
Thank you for submitting your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to
the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) via email to
foia@nara.gov. We received your request on September 26, 2022. Your
request concerns:
*According to the comments made by the Chief of Naval Operations at the
funeral of ADM Isaac Kidd, when ADM Kidd served as President of the US Navy
Court of Inquiry into the June 8, 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty he
was ordered by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara “not to release
anything critical of the Israeli government so as not to erode any
political support for President Johnson in the coming year’s election.” We
are requesting the release of all correspondence between the Secretary of
Defense and the US Navy Court of Inquiry referring to this instruction, as
well as all correspondence between the Secretary of Defense and any
organization under his control regarding this instruction.*
Our office uses the foia@nara.gov email address for FOIA and Privacy Act
requests for the NARA's operational records (records created by this
agency). Because you are requesting presidential records from the
administration of President Gerald R. Ford, we are forwarding your request
to the Ford Presidential Library. Please note that the FOIA statute does
not apply to presidential records prior to the Reagan Administration, so
your request is being forwarded to the library as a reference request.
The staff at the Ford Library will assign your request a tracking number
and respond directly to you. In the future, if you need to contact the
library, you may do so at the address below, or electronically via email
(email is preferred).
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
1000 Beal Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2114.
Phone: (734) 205-0555
Fax: (734) 205-0571
Email: ford.library@nara.gov
Website: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/
For your reference, a copy of your request is below.
Please visit our website at www.archives.gov/foia for further information
about submitting a FOIA request to NARA. On our main website,
www.archives.gov, you can learn more about the resources we offer to the
public, and you can access our online catalog.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and pursuant to guidance received from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal
operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work
while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of
our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may
experience a delay in receiving a substantive response to your request. We
apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and
patience.
Sincerely,
Ashley A. Bryan
Government Information Specialist
Office of General Counsel (NGC)
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, Maryland, 20740-6001
301-837-3642
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <requests@muckrock.com>
Date: Mon, Sep 26, 2022 at 4:54 AM
Subject: Freedom of Information Act Request: SecDef Instructions to US Navy
Court of Inquiry–”Don’t Embarrass Israel”
To: <foia@nara.gov>
Nat'l Archives & Records Admin
FOIA Office
Room 3110
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740
September 26, 2022
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following
records:
According to the comments made by the Chief of Naval Operations at the
funeral of ADM Isaac Kidd, when ADM Kidd served as President of the US Navy
Court of Inquiry into the June 8, 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty he
was ordered by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara “not to release
anything critical of the Israeli government so as not to erode any
political support for President Johnson in the coming year’s election.”
We are requesting the release of all correspondence between the Secretary
of Defense and the US Navy Court of Inquiry referring to this instruction,
as well as all correspondence between the Secretary of Defense and any
organization under his control regarding this instruction.
https://ussliberty.com/files/public/CNO%20Remarks%20at%20Ike%20Kidd%20Funeral.pdf
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,
Joe Meadors
View request history, upload responsive documents, and report problems here:
https://www.muckrock.com/
If prompted for a passcode, please enter:
••••••••
Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com
PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS
For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 134315
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is
being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share,
and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed
(i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the
department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.
From: National Archives and Records Administration
Dear Mr. Meadors:
Thank you for submitting your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to
the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) via email to
FOIA@nara.gov. We received your request on September 26, 2022. Your
request concern:
*According to the comments made by the Chief of Naval Operations at the
funeral of ADM Isaac Kidd, when ADM Kidd served as President of the US Navy
Court of Inquiry into the June 8, 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty he
was ordered by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara “not to release
anything critical of the Israeli government so as not to erode any
political support for President Johnson in the coming year’s election.”*
*We are requesting the release of all correspondence between the Secretary
of Defense and the US Navy Court of Inquiry referring to this instruction,
as well as all correspondence between the Secretary of Defense and any
organization under his control regarding this instruction.*
Our office uses the foia@nara.gov email address for [or Our office
handles] FOIA
and Privacy Act requests for the NARA's operational records (records
created by this agency). Because you are requesting presidential records
of the Johnson Administration, we are forwarding your request by this email
to the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library.
Please note that the FOIA statute does not apply to presidential records of
administrations prior to President Ronald Reagan, so your request is being
forwarded to the library as a reference request. The staff at the
library will assign your request a tracking number and respond directly to
you.
In the future, if you need to contact the library, you may do so at the
address below, or electronically via email (email is preferred).
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library
2313 Red River St.
Austin, TX 78705
Phone: 512-721-0200
Email: info@lbjlibrary.org
Website: https://www.lbjlibrary.org/
For your reference, a copy of your request is below.
Please visit our website at www.archives.gov/foia for information about
submitting a FOIA request to NARA. On our main website, www.archives.gov, you
can learn more about the resources we offer to the public, and you can
access our online catalog.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and pursuant to guidance received from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal
operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work
while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of
our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may
experience a delay in receiving a substantive response to your FOIA
request. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your
understanding and patience.
Sincerely,
Ashley A. Bryan
Government Information Specialist
Office of General Counsel (NGC)
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, Maryland, 20740-6001
301-837-3642
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <requests@muckrock.com>
Date: Mon, Sep 26, 2022 at 4:54 AM
Subject: Freedom of Information Act Request: SecDef Instructions to US Navy
Court of Inquiry–”Don’t Embarrass Israel”
To: <foia@nara.gov>
Nat'l Archives & Records Admin
FOIA Office
Room 3110
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740
September 26, 2022
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following
records:
According to the comments made by the Chief of Naval Operations at the
funeral of ADM Isaac Kidd, when ADM Kidd served as President of the US Navy
Court of Inquiry into the June 8, 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty he
was ordered by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara “not to release
anything critical of the Israeli government so as not to erode any
political support for President Johnson in the coming year’s election.”
We are requesting the release of all correspondence between the Secretary
of Defense and the US Navy Court of Inquiry referring to this instruction,
as well as all correspondence between the Secretary of Defense and any
organization under his control regarding this instruction.
https://ussliberty.com/files/public/CNO%20Remarks%20at%20Ike%20Kidd%20Funeral.pdf
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,
Joe Meadors
View request history, upload responsive documents, and report problems here:
https://www.muckrock.com/
If prompted for a passcode, please enter:
••••••••
Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com
PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS
For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 134315
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is
being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share,
and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed
(i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the
department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.
From: National Archives and Records Administration
Dear Mr. Meadors :
Thank you for submitting your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to
the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) via email to
foia@nara.gov. We received your request on September 26, 2022. Your
request concerns:
*According to the comments made by the Chief of Naval Operations at the
funeral of ADM Isaac Kidd, when ADM Kidd served as President of the US Navy
Court of Inquiry into the June 8, 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty he
was ordered by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara “not to release
anything critical of the Israeli government so as not to erode any
political support for President Johnson in the coming year’s election.” We
are requesting the release of all correspondence between the Secretary of
Defense and the US Navy Court of Inquiry referring to this instruction, as
well as all correspondence between the Secretary of Defense and any
organization under his control regarding this instruction.*
Our office handles FOIA and Privacy Act requests for NARA’s operational records
(records created by this agency). Because your FOIA request is for
records that may be archival records (records created by or originated in a
different agency but that may have been transferred to the legal custody of
NARA), we are forwarding it by this email to our Office of Research
Services, Textual Reference (RR2RR) staff who handle FOIA requests for
textual archival records.
That office will assign your request a tracking number and respond directly
to you. In the future, if you need to follow up with that office directly,
please contact them at the address below, or electronically via email
(email is preferred).
National Archives and Records Administration
Research Services, Textual Reference Branch (RR2RR)
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 2400
College Park, MD 20740
Phone: 301-837-3091
Fax: 301-837-1752
Email: archives2reference@nara.gov
For your reference, a copy of your request is below.
Please visit our website at www.archives.gov/foia for further information
about making a FOIA request to NARA. On our main website,
www.archives.gov, you
can learn more about the resources we offer to the public, and you can
access our online catalog.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and pursuant to guidance received from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA had adjusted its normal
operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work
while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of
our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may
experience a delay in receiving a substantive response to your FOIA
request. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your
understanding and patience.
Sincerely,
Ashley A. Bryan
Government Information Specialist
Office of General Counsel (NGC)
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, Maryland, 20740-6001
301-837-3642
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <requests@muckrock.com>
Date: Mon, Sep 26, 2022 at 4:54 AM
Subject: Freedom of Information Act Request: SecDef Instructions to US Navy
Court of Inquiry–”Don’t Embarrass Israel”
To: <foia@nara.gov>
Nat'l Archives & Records Admin
FOIA Office
Room 3110
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740
September 26, 2022
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following
records:
According to the comments made by the Chief of Naval Operations at the
funeral of ADM Isaac Kidd, when ADM Kidd served as President of the US Navy
Court of Inquiry into the June 8, 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty he
was ordered by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara “not to release
anything critical of the Israeli government so as not to erode any
political support for President Johnson in the coming year’s election.”
We are requesting the release of all correspondence between the Secretary
of Defense and the US Navy Court of Inquiry referring to this instruction,
as well as all correspondence between the Secretary of Defense and any
organization under his control regarding this instruction.
https://ussliberty.com/files/public/CNO%20Remarks%20at%20Ike%20Kidd%20Funeral.pdf
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,
Joe Meadors
View request history, upload responsive documents, and report problems here:
https://www.muckrock.com/
If prompted for a passcode, please enter:
••••••••
Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com
PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS
For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 134315
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is
being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share,
and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed
(i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the
department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.
From: National Archives and Records Administration
Joe Meadows
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 134315
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
Dear Mr. Meadows,
This is in response to your Freedom of Information Act request dated
September 26, 2022, where you have requested copies of correspondence
between the Office of the Secretary of Defense (McNarama) and the president
of the court of inquiry (Admiral Isaac Kim showing that instructions
stating the court of inquiry into the Attack on the USS *Liberty *(AGTR 5)
could not be critical of Israel because it was an election year (1968).
Your request was received by the Reference Branch (RR2RR) on October 3,
2022 with the assigned tracking number 22-67429.
We have searched our holdings in Record Group 125: Records of the Judge
Advocate General and Record Group 330: Records of the Department of
Defense, and we were unable to locate the records you have requested
without more information.
In our search in RG 125, we did not have general correspondence or
correspondence specific to case files from that time period. We would
recommend contact the Office of the Judge Advocate General or the Navy’s
Records Manager.
Judge Advocate General’s Corps
1322 Patterson Ave., Suite 3000
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5066
Maurice King
Department of Defense
Department of the Navy
1000 Navy Pentagon, 5E170
Washington DC 22350
703-693-9930
In RG 330, there are several non-office specific series of correspondence,
but without a proper citation for this communication between the Secretary
of Defense and Admiral Kidd, your topic is too broad.
If you can provide us with more information, preferably a citation of this
instruction, then we can make another search.
We do not consider this a denial of your FOIA request. However, if you are
not satisfied with our action on this request, your options for appeal and
dispute resolution are outlined in the attached enclosure. If you have any
questions, you may reach us at archives2reference@nara.gov. This completes
the processing of your request.
Sincerely,
NATHANIEL PATCH
Archivist, Archives II Reference Section (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD
*FOIA Appeal and Dispute Resolution Options*
You have the right to file an administrative appeal in writing via regular
U.S. mail or email. Your appeal should be received within ninety (90)
calendar days from the date of this letter and it should explain why you
believe this response does not meet the requirements of the Freedom of
Information Act. Please address it to the Deputy Archivist of the United
States (ND), National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi
Road, College Park, Maryland 20740. Both the letter and the envelope
should be clearly marked “Freedom of Information Act Appeal.” You may also
submit your appeal to FOIA@nara.gov also addressed to the Deputy Archivist.
All correspondence should reference your internal case tracking
number 22-67429.
In addition to your right to file an administrative appeal with the Deputy
Archivist, you may seek assistance from our FOIA Public Liaison, Rebecca
Calcagno. Contact information for the FOIA Public Liaison at the National
Archives, Washington DC area is as follows:
Accessioned Executive Branch Agency Records - Washington, DC Area
FOIA Public Liaison: Rebecca Calcagno
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Email: DC.foia.liaison@nara.gov
Telephone: 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
https://www.archives.gov/ogis
<https://www.archives.gov/ogis>
Phone: 202-741-5770 or 1-877-684-6448
NATHANIEL PATCH
Archivist, Archives II Reference Branch (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD
"Pax per scientiam"
Original Request: