Oldest FOIA Request — 17 Years and Counting

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One can grow old waiting for the federal government to cough up public information, The Washington Post notes in reporting theNational Security Archive’s report on the oldest pending Freedom of Information Act requests, the winner — or may loser – -dating back 17 years. The requester, a graduate student who’s not a tenured professor, asked for records on the U.S. “freedom of navigation program.” The CIA claims four of the ten oldest requests. And the FBI has yet to complete processing on the oldest request uncovered in the Archive’s 2003 “oldest” audit: That request is not 25 years old. (3/16/06)