USS Liberty Records and Reports
| Submitted | Jan. 24, 2012 |
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Communications
From: Joe Meadors
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:
All documents in any form to include but not be limited to audio recordings, reports, memos, diary entries, telephone conversation transcripts that are either prepared by or provided to the White House about the June 8, 1967 attack on the USS Liberty.
I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.
In the event that fees cannot be waived, 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
USS Liberty Survivor
President, USS Liberty Veterans Association
From: MuckRock.com
From: White House
From: White House
From: "Regina Greenwell" <regina.greenwell@nara.gov>
Dear Mr. Meadors:
The White House Office of Administration has forwarded your FOIA request for materials prepared by or forwarded to the White House concerning the June 8, 1967, attack on the USS Liberty to the LBJ Library for response.
The Papers of Lyndon B. Johnson, which include the records of the White House during the Johnson administration, did not originate as federal records but were donated to the United States by President Johnson in accordance with the provisions of the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955 (44 U.S.C., Sections 2101, 2107-2108). It is the position of the National Archives and Records Administration, of which the LBJ Library is a part, that donated historical materials are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
However, these papers are available under the provisions of the instrument of gift governing President Johnson's donation. Declassification review of material in our holdings that is still security classified may be requested under the Mandatory Review (MR) Program, which operates under the authority of Executive Order 13526.
We have a fair amount of material on the USS Liberty and considerably more on the Six Day War in general. You can find two relevant guides to our holdings on our website at http://www.lbjlibrary.org/collections/subject-guides/foreign.html. There you will find one guide specifically on the Liberty and another more general guide on the Middle East.
It would, of course, be best if you could make a research visit to the Library to examine this material or hire an independent researcher to examine it on your behalf. You can find information about planning a research visit on our website at http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/archives-main.shtm under the "Onsite Research" tab. There you will find a list of independent researchers as well as information about the Library's grant program.
If you cannot make a research visit, you can purchase copies of entire folders of documents by mail at a cost of $.30 per page plus shipping and handling. We can provide page counts of folders listed on the guides if you want to pursue this option. Researchers can copy material free of charge in our Reading Room by using a digital camera.
Documents that are still security classified, either in full or in part, are listed on document withdrawal sheets placed in each folder. You can also get photocopies of those sheets by mail and then submit a Mandatory Review request for closed items An information sheet on the MR program is attached.
As I am sure you are aware, there have been many books published on the Liberty in recent years, including the Department of State's Foreign Relations of the United States. You might use any footnotes in these publications as a tool to request copies of individual documents if you cannot come here yourself.
I hope you find this information helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions. You can reach me at (512) 721-0214 or by email at this address.
Sincerely,
Regina Greenwell
Senior Archivist
LBJ Library