As I’m sure you can tell, I’m a fan of the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA. I know…it can seem tedious and very, very slow at times. But because of FOIA, we’ve learned a number of helpful things about Ronald Tammen’s case, the biggest among them being that his fingerprints were expunged 30 years before their retention period had ended because of either a court order or a conflict with the Privacy Act. That. Was. Huge.
What’s more, we learned through a public records request to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office that the state of Ohio has no record of a court order regarding Ron’s expunged fingerprints in 2002 or any other year for that matter. Since Ohio is the state from which Ron’s missing person case had originated, it’s the only state that could issue the court order to expunge his prints. Therefore, thanks to FOIA and Ohio’s Public Records Law, we can conclude that Ronald Tammen was alive in 2002 when he made the request to have his fingerprints expunged due to a conflict with the Privacy Act.
Still, some questions remain, not the least of which are: where did Ron Tammen go on April 19, 1953; where was he between 1953 and 2002; and, well, where is he now?
Here are some current FOIA requests that I’m waiting on that may help us resolve some of these questions:
CIA
| Seeking | Date submitted | Latest update |
|---|---|---|
| Declassification of four MKULTRA documents: 146201; 149546; 148193; 149547 | 8-19-2021 | Per 11-3-2023 letter: Estimated completion date: 6-9-2025 🙄 |
| Declassification of names on document 144665 | 5-12-2019 (Original request 8-30-2016) | Called today (3-15-2024) seeking a status update. Will post when they respond. |
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Department of Justice
| Seeking | Date submitted | Latest update |
|---|---|---|
| All notifications received January 1-December 31, 1955 from U.S. Attorneys in which draft evasion charges were dismissed. | 2-25-2022 | DOJ’s status update’s estimated completion 10-6-2024 |
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U.S. Air Force
| Seeking | Date submitted | Latest update |
|---|---|---|
| Records of A.P. Gagge for 9-1-52 thru 1-31-53 | 8-1-2023 | In process; requested status update 3-15-2024 and will report back when they respond. |
| Records for the Surgeon General’s Office from 9-1-52 thru 1-31-53 | 8-1-2023 | Assigned for processing; requested status update 3-15-2024 and will report back when they respond. |
| Flight records for all flights departing Wright Patterson AFB for period of 4-19-53 thru 4-26-53 | 3-15-2024 This is an updated request in which I’m seeking ALL responsive records, not just those that are “clearly releasable” | Status: received |
| Customer records produced by the Armed Services Technical Information Agency (ASTIA), Dayton, from 3-25-52 thru 12-31-52 | 3-15-2024 This is an updated request in which I’m seeking ALL responsive records, not just those that are “clearly releasable” | Status: received |
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National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
| Seeking | Date submitted | Latest update |
|---|---|---|
| Classification 79 (Missing Persons), FBI Headquarters Case Files from 2-10-47 thru 10-9-80 | 6-6-2022 | |
| FBI’s background check on Reuben Buck Robertson, Jr., before he was named deputy secretary of defense | 4-27-2023 | |
| Reuben Buck Robertson, Jr.’s military records from NARA’s National Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, MO | 9-26-2023 | 1 of 2 2 of 2 |
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U.S. Army
| Seeking | Date submitted | Latest update |
|---|---|---|
| A copy of “History of the Control Division, ASF, 1942-1945” by Richard M. Leighton. (ASF stands for Army Service Forces) | 9-27-2023 | Requested status update 3-15-2024; will report once I hear back. |
Be assured that other things are going on behind the scenes, but this is good for starters. If you’re wondering why I’m asking for these items, please feel free to ask in the comments.