October 22, 2002
The United States Department of the Air Force
11CS/SCSR (FOIA)
1000 Air Force Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20330-1000
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST
Dear Sir or Madam:
This letter is a request under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552
(FOIA). As set out in more detail below, I am a journalist with published experience
in the subject matter of my request.
BACKGROUND
On December 9, 1965, the Air Force and Army were involved with the investigation
and recovery of an object of unknown origin, which crashed near Kecksburg, Pennsylvania.
The retrieval of this object was likely carried out under Project Moondust and
Operation Blue Fly, the Air Force units responsible for the recovery and field
exploitation of unidentified flying objects and Soviet aerospace vehicles. Prior
to the crash, witnesses in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Canada reported seeing
an object moving in the sky. Available information suggests that unidentified
foil-like chaff/debris was collected in these other regions on or around the
date of the Kecksburg incident, which was sent to the Air Force (presumably
the Wright Patterson Base) for testing.
The Kecksburg incident is one of the hundreds of UFO incidents from the Project
Blue Book period (1948 to 1969) that remain unexplained. As you know, Project
Blue Book was only one of the Air Force operations initiated to investigate
UFO incidents. Because of the number of civilian witnesses, the geographic reach
of the sightings, the description and size of the object and the government
secrecy, the Kecksburg crash is one of the most significant incidents to have
occurred within the United States. However, even after over 35 years, no effort
has been made by the Air Force to disclose its involvement or to permit outside
experts to review the evidence. It should go without saying that what seemed
inexplicable in the 1960s may be explainable today.
On December 17, 1969, the Secretary of the Air Force announced the termination
of Project Blue Book, concluding: "[n] o UFO reported, investigated or evaluated
by the Air Force has ever given any indication of a threat to our national security."
Yet, according to many authors and investigators, access to data on pre-1969
UFO incidents has continued to be denied on grounds of "national security."
Moreover, the Air Force has added to the confusion and mystery about UFOs by
providing contradictory responses to public and Congressional inquiries. See
e.g., Attachments A-I.
As you are aware, under Executive Order 12958 (April 17, 1995), all government
information, which is more than 25 years old, was required to be automatically
declassified within 5 years of the date of the order. Unless the Air Force made
a specific finding under 3.4(b) of Order 12958, the data relating the Kecksburg
incident should be deemed publicly available. Documents may not be classified
in order to "conceal violation of law, inefficiency, or administrative errors,
prevent embarrassment to a person, organization or agency; restrain competition;
or prevent or delay the release of information that does not require protection
in the interest of national security." Executive Order, Sec. 1.8.
DOCUMENT REQUEST
Pursuant to FOIA Sec. 552, I request access to all data of whatever form (e.g.,
correspondence, telegraphic, electronic, photographs) relating or referring
to the December 9, 1965 UFO incident in or around Kecksburg, Pennsylvania, which
is in the possession and control of the Department of the Air Force. For purposes
of this request, references to "Kecksburg" or "Kecksburg incident" include all
sightings or incidents reported to have occurred in the United States on or
about December 9, 1965. Unless otherwise indicated, this request includes all
data dated from December 1, 1965 to the present. This request includes, but
is not limited to, the following:
- All recovery, information, evaluation, CIRVIS, briefing and historical
reports, including any report made pursuant to Air Force regulation 200-2,
JANAP 146 and AF 55-11, and all accompanying transmittal and/or routing
documentation;
- All scientific reports, analyses or tests (e.g., metallurgic analysis)
produced for or by the Air Force of any object, material or debris recovered
from the crash in Kecksburg, or connected to the sightings in Michigan,
Ohio, Indiana and Canada, or connected to Project Moondust and Operation
Blue Fly and all accompanying transmittal and/or routing documentation;
- All transfer and transmittal documentation (e.g., chain of custody data)
relating to any object, material or debris recovered from the crash in Kecksburg
or as a result of the connected sightings in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and
Canada;
- All documentation reflecting interviews, including interviews with civilian
witnesses, local law enforcement authorities, airport or airline personnel,
air traffic controllers, military pilots and any other federal/military
employees or officials;
- All photographs, films and/or audio;
- All news articles, studies, safety records or reports, weather analyses,
astronomical data, radar readings and other research collected by or for
the Air Force in connection with the Kecksburg incident;
- All official and public releases relating to Kecksburg and all instructions
or memoranda regarding the public/media release of data relating to Kecksburg;
- All documentation relating to the time, expenditures, staffing and other
resources used by the Air Force in connection with Kecksburg;
- All documentation reflecting the investigative methodology employed by
the Air Force in connection with Kecksburg, including ICL and/or ICGL #4;
- All public or congressional requests, of whatever date, for information
about Air Force UFO investigations relating to the Kecksburg incident or
the time period of the Kecksburg incident (1965), and all Air Force responses
thereto;
- All message traffic, orders, alerts, telephone logs and other documentation
reflecting to any and all operational activity conducted in connection with
or close in time to the Kecksburg incident (12/65 to 12/66);
- All telephone records or logs of reported sightings or incidents dated
12/65 to 12/66;
- All documentation generated by civilian consultants to the Air Force,
including J. A. Hynek; and
- All documentation relating to any destruction of documents, including
schedules, or other materials relating to any reported UFO incident in 1965.
As provided under FOIA 552(b), to the extent that any of the records requested
contain data that is lawfully subject to nondisclosure, I request that the Air
Force specifically detail the reason for nondisclosure, specify the FOIA Exemption
justifying nondisclosure and release any and all reasonably segregable portions
of such records. In addition, to the extent that the Air Force relies on Exemption
1/National Security Information to justify nondisclosure of any record or portion
thereof, I request that the Air Force identify the date of any (including the
initial) national security classification or reclassification, the category
of classification under Executive Order 12958, Sec. 1.5 and the type of classification
(e.g., "Secret", "Top Secret"). If necessary, please consider this letter as
including a request for declassification.
I of course reserve the right to appeal any nondisclosure.
FEE WAIVER REQUEST
The public interest in UFOs has remained strong for nearly 6 decades. Recent
polls indicate that the vast majority of the American public believes in the
UFO phenomenon. Interest is even greater in the younger adult population. Nearly
75% of the American public is somewhat psychologically prepared for evidential
confirmation of UFOs and extraterrestrial life. Given our own advances into
space and discoveries, the concept of extraterrestrial life no longer engenders
the prospect of public fear or ridicule.
The public's desire for information is almost equally matched by its distrust
of the U.S. government. The same polls indicate that over two thirds of all
American adults say that the government is not telling the public all that it
knows about UFO activity. Sixty percent believe that the government should declassify
what is known if there is no national security risk. As noted, the U.S. government
has publicly acknowledged that there is no national security risk relating to
pre-1969 UFO incidents.
As noted, I am a journalist with substantial publication experience. See Attachment
J. Examples of my work with the subject matter are attached for your information.
Attachments K-L As you will see, my coverage of these types of events is objective
and reputable.
For the foregoing reasons, I request a waiver or reduction in the search and
reproduction costs under FOIA Sec. 552(a)(4)(A)(ii)(II) associated with filling
my document request. The information requested is not only of historical and
scientific interest, but will also contribute to the public's understanding
of government. The reaction and response of the Air Force to the UFO phenomenon
is of as much historical and policy importance as the identification of the
object that crashed outside of Kecksburg, Pennsylvania.
I am willing to pay up to $1000.00 for reasonable costs of search and copying
if a ruling on my fee waiver request would delay processing of my document request,
subject, of course, to reimbursement should my fee waiver request be granted.
If you estimate that the costs will exceed $1000.00, please contact me as soon
as possible.
As the FOIA requires, I will look forward to your response within twenty (20)
working days.
Sincerely,
Leslie Kean
46 Dominican Drive
San Rafael, CA 94901
Cc: Lee E. Helfrich, Esq.
Lobel, Novins & Lamont
