A
SFGate.com Special Report
posted F.B.I.
documents from the 1950\’s and 1960\’s released after lengthy
F.O.I.A. lawsuits.
Starting
as a FOIA request by journalism student Seth Rosenfeld in 1981 concerning
\”\”any and all\” records on more than 100 people, events and groups involved
in controversies at UC [University of California] over academic freedom,
civil rights and national policy,\” the 17 year legal battle culminated
in a paper boon for historians.
Still, \”the
FBI has yet to finish turning over the last of the records, said James
Wheaton, the Oakland lawyer now handling the case,\” writes Rosenfeld, now
a SFGate reporter, who points out
Ashcroft\’s new ~withhold for any reason~ FOIA policy.
Included
for comparison are some of the initially released censored
documents and the eventually released uncensored
documents ordered by the courts.
While \”the
FBI claimed it had censored the records to protect law enforcement operations,
personal privacy and national security,\” a comparison of the censored/uncensored
documents shows how the court concluded the F.B.I.\’s activities \”\”came
to focus on political rather than law enforcement aims.\”\”
Apparently
F.B.I. director Hoover\’s concern ignited after learning of \”an optional
essay
question on the University of California\’s 1959 English aptitude test
… that asked, \”What are the dangers to a democracy of a national police
organization like the FBI which operates secretly and is unresponsive to
public criticism.\”\”
A
SFGate.com Special Report
posted F.B.I.
documents from the 1950\’s and 1960\’s released after lengthy
F.O.I.A. lawsuits.
Starting
as a FOIA request by journalism student Seth Rosenfeld in 1981 concerning
\”\”any and all\” records on more than 100 people, events and groups involved
in controversies at UC [University of California] over academic freedom,
civil rights and national policy,\” the 17 year legal battle culminated
in a paper boon for historians.
Still, \”the
FBI has yet to finish turning over the last of the records, said James
Wheaton, the Oakland lawyer now handling the case,\” writes Rosenfeld, now
a SFGate reporter, who points out
Ashcroft\’s new ~withhold for any reason~ FOIA policy.
Included
for comparison are some of the initially released censored
documents and the eventually released uncensored
documents ordered by the courts.
While \”the
FBI claimed it had censored the records to protect law enforcement operations,
personal privacy and national security,\” a comparison of the censored/uncensored
documents shows how the court concluded the F.B.I.\’s activities \”\”came
to focus on political rather than law enforcement aims.\”\”
Apparently
F.B.I. director Hoover\’s concern ignited after learning of \”an optional
essay
question on the University of California\’s 1959 English aptitude test
… that asked, \”What are the dangers to a democracy of a national police
organization like the FBI which operates secretly and is unresponsive to
public criticism.\”\”
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