Federation of American Scientists John H. Wright
307 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E.
Washington, DC 20002May 11, 1995
Information and Privacy Coordinator
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, D.C. 20505Dear Mr. Wright:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
We request a copy of historical U.S. intelligence budget data from 1947 through 1970.
We request all releasable budget data, including aggregate annual budgets, national and tactical intelligence budget totals (or comparable categories), as well as the annual budgets of the individual intelligence agencies.
We suggest that all such information should now be declassified and released in view of the fact that it is 25 years old or older. Its disclosure could pose no conceivable threat to national security.
* * * We further request a fee waiver of search and copying costs, on the following grounds:
1) Historical budget data are an essential reference point for a proper and complete understanding of the history of U.S. intelligence.
2) The requested material is not available in the public domain.
3) The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is well qualified to analyze and disseminate the requested material. FAS is a forty-nine year old research organization concerned with national security policy and related issues. We have published our work in this area, and we routinely serve as a resource to the media, to other national organizations, and to interested members of the public on national security policy matters.
Our research based on the requested material will be widely disseminated in the form of articles, reports, and press briefings, and will be provided to all interested parties without charge.
4) No personal or commercial interests will benefit from the release of this material, which will be analyzed and disseminated at FAS' expense.
We therefore request a waiver on production costs. In the event that fee waiver is denied, I hereby agree to pay assessable fees up to $100.00.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Steven Aftergood
Senior Research Analyst