Hoover has been credited with building the FBI into a larger crime-fighting agency than it was at its inception and with instituting a number of modernizations to police technology, such as a centralized fingerprint file and forensic laboratories. Hoover is also credited with establishing and expanding a national blacklist, referred to as the FBI Index or Index List, renamed in 2001 as the Terrorist Screening Database which the FBI still compiles and manages.

Document Archive

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Releases

Hoover, J. Edgar – FBI Release #1 – J. Edgar Hoover Files – [573 Pages, 297MB]
Hoover, J. Edgar – FBI Vault Release #1 – J. Edgar Hoover Files – [1,920 Pages, 315MB]
Hoover, J. Edgar – FBI Vault Release #2 – J. Edgar Hoover Appointment and Phone Logs – [3,994 Pages, 1.2GB]
Hoover, J. Edgar – FBI Vault Release #3 – J. Edgar Hoover Official and Confidential (O&C) Files – [1,903 Pages, 59MB]

Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Releases

Hoover, J. Edgar – NCIS Release #1 [7 Pages, 0.5MB]

Postal Inspection Service (PIS) Releases

Hoover, J. Edgar – PIS Release #1 [21 Pages, 2.1MB]

The post FBI File Collection on J. Edgar Hoover first appeared on The Black Vault.

The Central Intelligence Agency was created in 1947 with the signing of the National Security Act by President Harry S. Truman. The act also created a Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) to serve as head of the United States intelligence community; act as the principal adviser to the President for intelligence matters related to the national security; and serve as head of the Central Intelligence Agency. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 amended the National Security Act to provide for a Director of National Intelligence who would assume some of the roles formerly fulfilled by the DCI, with a separate Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Below you will find a collection of CIA agents and various personnel connected with the agency.

FBI Files

Abramson, Harold Alexander – [20 Pages, 9.9 MB] – Harold Alexander Abramson (November 27, 1899 – September 1980) was an American physician (allergist and pediatrician) noted as an early advocate of therapeutic LSD. He played a significant role in CIA’s MKULTRA program to investigate the military applications of LSD.

Angleton, James Jesus – FBI Release #1 – [347 Pages, 83.4 MB] Angleton, James Jesus – FBI Release #2 (Final) – [97 Pages, 7MB] – James Jesus Angleton (December 9, 1917 – May 11, 1987) was chief of CIA Counterintelligence from 1954 to 1975. His official position within the organization was “Associate Deputy Director of Operations for Counterintelligence (ADDOCI)”. Angleton was significantly involved in the U.S. response to the purported KGB defectors Anatoliy Golitsyn and Yuri Nosenko. Angleton later became convinced the CIA harbored a high-ranking mole, and engaged in an intensive search. Whether this was a highly destructive witch hunt or appropriate caution vindicated by later moles remains a subject of intense historical debate.

Bissell, Richard – FBI Release #1 – [36 Pages, 3MB]  Bissell, Richard – FBI Release #2 – [9 Pages, 3.5MB] – Richard Mervin Bissell Jr. (September 18, 1909 – February 7, 1994) was a Central Intelligence Agency officer responsible for major projects such as the U-2 spy plane and the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

Buckley, William Francis – William Francis Buckley (May 30, 1928 – June 3, 1985) was a United States Army officer and CIA station chief in Beirut from 1984 until 1985. His cover was as a Political Officer at the US Embassy.  He died on or around June 3, 1985—five months before the date claimed by his captors—while in the custody of Hezbollah. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery and is commemorated with a star on the Memorial Wall at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

Colby, William – FBI Release #1 – [128 Pages, 8.7MB] – Colby, William – FBI Release #2 – [134 Pages, 9.5MB] – William Egan Colby (1920-1996) was an American intelligence officer and diplomat who served as the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) from 1973 to 1976 during a transformative period for the U.S. intelligence community. A World War II veteran and Office of Strategic Services (OSS) operative, Colby had a long, varied career in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), beginning in 1950. He was instrumental in controversial covert actions like the Phoenix Program during the Vietnam War, aimed at dismantling the Viet Cong’s infrastructure. As DCI, Colby faced a tumultuous time marked by increased scrutiny of CIA activities; he was a key figure during the Church Committee hearings of the 1970s, where he divulged classified information about the Agency’s questionable practices, leading to significant changes in oversight and control of American intelligence operations. His candid approach brought both commendation for transparency and criticism for revealing too much, the latter leading to his forced resignation in 1976.

Conein, Lucien – [45 Pages, 8.3MB] – Lt. Col. Lucien Emile Conein (born 29 November 1919, Paris, France – died 3 June 1998, Bethesda, Maryland) was a noted U.S. Army officer and OSS/CIA operative. Among other exploits, he was instrumental in the November 1963 coup against Ngô Đình Diệm that resulted in Diệm’s assassination, having served as Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.’s liaison officer with the coup plotters and delivering $42,000 of the known cash disbursements.  He later ran secret operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Although the FBI said that additional possible records could exist, they claim they could not find/locate them.

Cameron, Donald Ewen – [21 Pages, 8.3MB] – Donald Ewen Cameron (24 December 1901 – 8 September 1967) — known as D. Ewen Cameron or Ewen Cameron — was a Scottish-born psychiatrist who served as President of the American Psychiatric Association (1952–1953), Canadian Psychiatric Association (1958-1959), American Psychopathological Association (1963), Society of Biological Psychiatry (1965) and World Psychiatric Association (1961-1966). In spite of his high professional reputation, he has been criticized for administering electroshock therapy and experimental drugs to patients without their informed consent. Some of this work took place in the context of the Project MKUltra mind control program.

Clarridge, Duane –  [17 Pages, 2.8MB] – Duane Ramsdell “Dewey” Clarridge (April 16, 1932 – April 9, 2016) was an American senior operations officer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and supervisor for more than 30 years. Clarridge was the chief of the Latin American division from 1981 to 1987 and a key figure in the Iran-Contra Affair.

George, Clair– FBI Release #1 –  [64 Pages, 9MB] George, Clair – FBI Release #2 –  [64 Pages, 2.2MB] – Clair Elroy George (August 3, 1930 – August 11, 2011) was a prominent American intelligence officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Over his three-decade career, he became known for his expertise in espionage and counterintelligence, holding several key positions, including Deputy Director for Operations. George played a pivotal role during the Cold War, overseeing clandestine operations globally. His career was marked by controversy during the Iran-Contra affair, where he was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice, though later pardoned by President George H.W. Bush. Clair George’s legacy remains a significant chapter in the history of U.S. intelligence operations.

Gottlieb, Sidney – FBI Release #1 – [43 Pages, 15.4MB] – Sidney Gottlieb (born Joseph Scheider; August 3, 1918 – March 7, 1999) was an American chemist and spymaster best known for his involvement with the Central Intelligence Agency’s 1950s and ’60s assassination attempts and mind control program, known as Project MKUltra.

Harvey, William King – [376 Pages, 172 MB] – William King “Bill” Harvey (September 13, 1915 – June 9, 1976) was a Central Intelligence Agency officer, best known for his role in Operation Mongoose. He was known as “America’s James Bond”, a tag given to him by Edward Lansdale.

Helms, Richard – [342 Pages, 190 MB]  Helms, Richard – Letter stating additional FBI Records were destroyed – [2 Pages, 0.4MB]Richard McGarrah Helms (March 30, 1913 – October 23, 2002) served as the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) from June 1966 to February 1973. Helms began intelligence work with the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. Following the 1947 creation of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) he rose in its ranks during the Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy administrations. Helms then served as DCI under Johnson, then Nixon.

Maheu, Robert – [1,151 Pages, 852MB] – (Note: This is a large file. It is recommended you right click and select “save as” instead of opening in a browser).   Robert Aime Maheu (October 30, 1917 – August 4, 2008) was an American businessman and lawyer, who worked for the FBI and CIA, and as the chief executive of Nevada operations for the industrialist Howard Hughes. Maheu said: “The CIA was my first steady client, giving me ‘cut-out’ assignments [those jobs in which the Agency could not officially be involved].”

Marchetti, Victor– [30 Pages, 2.2MB] – Victor Leo Marchetti, Jr. (December 23, 1929-October 19, 2018) was a special assistant to the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency who later became a prominent critic of the United States Intelligence Community and the Israel lobby in the United States.

McCone, John – [746 Pages, 46.4MB] – John Alexander McCone (January 4, 1902 – February 14, 1991) was an American businessman and politician who served as Director of Central Intelligence during the height of the Cold War.  After the disaster of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, president John F. Kennedy forced the resignation of the CIA director Allen Dulles and some of his staff. McCone replaced Dulles on November 29, 1961.

Millis, John I. – [184 Pages, 103MB] – John I. Millis was a former case officer with the Central Intelligence Agency who also served as the top staff member of the House Intelligence Committee.

Montgomery, Hugh – [746 Pages, 46.4MB] – Hugh Montgomery (November 29, 1923 – April 6, 2017) was a United States diplomat and intelligence officer. He served for 63 years with the Central Intelligence Agency and has been called one of the CIA’s founding fathers.

Paisley, John – [297 Pages, 183.3MB] – John Arthur Paisley (August 25, 1923 – September 24, 1978) was a former official of the Central Intelligence Agency.  Paisley served in the CIA from 1963 to 1974. During his career, he was heavily involved in Soviet operations. Paisley retired as deputy director in the Office of Strategic Research, the branch that monitored Soviet military movements and nuclear capabilities.

Shackley, Theodore “Ted” – [340 Pages, 96MB] – Theodore George “Ted” Shackley, Jr. (July 16, 1927 — December 9, 2002) was an American CIA officer involved in many important and controversial CIA operations during the 1960s and 1970s. He is one of the most decorated CIA officers. Due to his “light hair and mysterious ways”, Shackley was known to his colleagues as “the Blond Ghost”. Note: There are 1,092 (approximate) additional pages which will require $40 to get. Please CONTACT if you are interested in sponsoring the file.

Tofte, Hans – FBI Release #1 – [33 Pages, 3.4MB] Tofte, Hans – FBI Release #2 – [41 Pages, 5.4MB] – Hans V. Tofte (1911–1987) was a Danish-American intelligence officer who played a significant role in Allied and U.S. covert operations during and after World War II. Born in Copenhagen, he fled Nazi-occupied Europe and joined the British Special Operations Executive, training guerrilla fighters in Burma and China. He later served with the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in Yugoslavia and Italy, where he supported resistance groups and earned the Legion of Merit. After the war, he joined the CIA and became known for bold paramilitary missions, including a 1951 operation that intercepted medical supplies bound for Chinese forces in Korea. Tofte was also involved in Cold War operations in Latin America, including the 1954 coup in Guatemala. His CIA career ended in 1966 amid controversy over classified documents found in his home. He retired with his pension and lived out his final years in New York, passing away in 1987.

White, George Hunter FBI Release #1 (to The Black Vault) – [53 Pages, 3.5MB]  White, George Hunter FBI Release #1 (third party requester, archived here for reference) – [19 Pages, 12.9MB]  White, George Hunter FBI Release #2 (third party requester, archived here for reference) – [31 Pages, 20.7MB] – George Hunter White was a CIA operative who had worked on the MKULTRA / Mind Control projects.  He was also heavily involved in the previous OSS “truth drug” experiments.

Wilson, Edwin Paul – [651 Pages, 304MB] – Edwin Paul Wilson (May 3, 1928 – September 10, 2012) was a former CIA and Office of Naval Intelligence officer who was convicted in 1983 of illegally selling weapons to Libya. It was later found that the United States Department of Justice and the CIA had covered up evidence in the case. Wilson’s convictions were overturned in 2003 and he was freed the following year.

The post FBI Files: Directors, Agents and Personnel of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) first appeared on The Black Vault.

Below, you will find the OPR Quarterly Reviews released to The Black Vault through FOIA.

Document Archive

The FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) Quarterly Review Documents, circa January 2017 – July 2018  [74 Pages, 1.91MB]

The FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) Quarterly Review Documents, circa January 2017 – July 2018 – Release #2 [38 Pages, 1.5MB]

The post The FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) Quarterly Review Documents first appeared on The Black Vault.

The below are FBI files on television networks. All were obtained via the Freedom of Information Act / Privacy Act.

Document Archive

American Broadcasting Company (ABC) – FBI Release #1 – [94 Pages, 44.7MB] American Broadcasting Company (ABC) – FBI Release #2 – [8 Pages, 1.2MB]The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American English language commercial broadcast television network that is owned by the Disney–ABC Television Group, a subsidiary of the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered on Columbus Avenue and West 66th Street in Manhattan, New York City. There are additional major offices and production facilities elsewhere in New York City, as well as in Los Angeles and Burbank, California.

CNN – FBI Release #1 – [197 Pages, 62MB] CNN – FBI Release #2 – [35 Pages, 1.5MB] – The Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.  Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the Manhattan-based media conglomerate Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN was the first television channel to provide 24-hour news coverage and the first all-news television channel in the United States.

MTV aka Music Television [115 Pages, 5MB] – MTV (originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel, launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks division of ViacomCBS, also headquartered in New York City. MTV was originally first tested on December 1, 1977, as Sight on Sound, but was officially launched in 1981, and originally aired music videos as guided by television personalities known as “video jockeys” (VJs), but in the years since its inception, the network significantly toned down its focus on music in favor of original reality programming targeting youths and young adults. MTV has spawned numerous sister channels in the U.S. and affiliated channels internationally, some of which have gone independent, with approximately 90.6 million American households in the United States receiving the channel as of January 2016.

The post FBI Files: Television Networks first appeared on The Black Vault.

Before the modern era, cryptography was concerned solely with message confidentiality (i.e., encryption)—conversion of messages from a comprehensible form into an incomprehensible one and back again at the other end, rendering it unreadable by interceptors or eavesdroppers without secret knowledge (namely the key needed for decryption of that message).

Encryption attempted to ensure secrecy in communications, such as those of spies, military leaders, and diplomats. In recent decades, the field has expanded beyond confidentiality concerns to include techniques for message integrity checking, sender/receiver identity authentication, digital signatures, interactive proofs and secure computation, among others.

Below, you will find the declassified FBI File that was labeled “Cryptography.”

The file stretches back to the mid to late 1930s! It is an ongoing FOIA request, wherein many documents have not been released yet, and are being reviewed by multiple agencies. I will continue to add the releases, as they become available.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Release

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Release #1, October 19, 2016 [356 Pages, 190.5MB]

United States Army Release, November 17, 2016 [34 Pages, 4.9MB]

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Release #2 (as reviewed and released by ARMY/INSCOM), December 20, 2016 [22 Pages, 1.7MB]

Department of Justice, Office of Information Policy Release [3 Pages, 0.4MB]

The post FBI Files on Cryptography – FBI File #80-HQ-612 first appeared on The Black Vault.

The following files are from FBI File 62-HQ-46855. They deal with book reviews and purchases by the FBI, as they keep a watch on all books published mentioning the Bureau, or related interests.

The first release consisted of more than 4,100 pages of material, and I do still have an open request for additional pages. This archive will be updated when the case is finally processed and additional records are released, if any.

Due to the size of the files, I offer a searchable .pdf and a non-searchable .pdf with different download sizes. Both .pdf’s are identical, with the exception of the “searchable” version being processed, cleaned up and OCR’d for search capability.

Document Archive

 FBI File 62-HQ-46855: Files on Book Reviews & Purchases – FBI Release #1 – [4,154 Pages, 1,033MB / 1.03GB] – SEARCHABLE .PDF – Extremely Large File

 FBI File 62-HQ-46855: Files on Book Reviews & Purchases [4,154 Pages, 322MB] – NON-SEARCHABLE .PDF – Same files as above for a smaller download option.

 FBI File 62-HQ-46855: Files on Book Reviews & Purchases – FBI Release #2 – [187 Pages, 12MB]

The post FBI File 62-HQ-46855: Files on Book Reviews & Purchases first appeared on The Black Vault.

The Investigator was the internal, employees-only publication of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It was produced by FBI employees for many decades.  The first issue, appeared in May 1932, and was mimeographed and two pages in length.  Over the years, the publication included hundreds of fascinating articles about FBI History.

Although a few years of this publication have been released, most years have not yet been requested or released.

The FBI has some 28,000 pages of records associated with The Investigator.

In 1953, the FBI established the Publications Unit of the Crime Records Division.  The Publications Unit produced The Investigator as well as the Law Enforcement Bulletin.  From the 1940s through the early 1970s, the Crime Records Section was led by Milton A. James.

Below, you will find released records from the FBI. Currently, I am in the process of filing for additional records, issues of The Investigator, and compiling additional records that will be added to this section. Make sure you bookmark the page and revisit often for updates.

Declassify the ENTIRE Collection of “THE INVESTIGATOR” newsletters

By letter dated May 18, 2017, there are approximately 50,890 pages of material when I requested ALL issues of “The Investigator.”  In order to obtain them all, it would cost $1,525.00 to receive them on CD-ROMs (102 CDs at $15 each).  Here is the QUOTE letter.

In 2016, I raised about $600 through a GoFund me campaign to get these issues declassified. Although it won’t be ALL years available, it will yield quite a bit. The released files are archived below, and additional files are being reviewed for declassification.

Declassified Documents

 FBI File, HQ-94-3-2, The Investigator – FBI Release #1 July 2016 (searchable) – [1,361 Pages, 1.2GB] – Approximate dates: 1961-1970.

 FBI File, HQ-94-3-2, The Investigator – FBI Release #1 .ZIP FILE – [1,361 Pages, 153MB .ZIP FILE] – The contents of the above .PDF, however, they are in a .zip file, in individual files (but not searchable).

 FBI File, HQ-94-3-2, The Investigator – FBI Release #2 October 2020 (searchable) – [458 Pages, 115MB] – Approximate dates: 2010-2011.

 FBI File, HQ-94-3-2, The Investigator – FBI Release #3 December 2020 (searchable) – [348 Pages, 150MB] – Approximate dates: 2010-2011.

 FBI File, HQ-94-3-2, The Investigator – FBI Releases #2-3 .ZIP FILE – [806 Pages, 115MB .ZIP FILE] – The contents of FBI releases #2-3 are available in this .zip file download.

 FBI File, Partial Release, HQ-94-3-2, The Investigator  [544 Pages, 34.7MB] – This release was given to another requester, which were given to The Black Vault  archived here for reference. – Approximate dates: 1932-1965.

The post FBI Internal Newsletter, “Investigator” first appeared on The Black Vault.

Operation Vulgar Betrayal was a counterterrorism probe, allegedly targeting Middle Eastern terrorist funds used to finance attacks on U.S. soil. The program also targeted those on U.S. soil planning such attacks.

It was an operation through the late 1990s and possibly into the early 2000s. FBI Agent Robert Wright was the case agent of Operation Vulgar Betrayal, who has spoken out extensively about the cancellation of the program, and the fact the FBI did not adequately pursue the many known U.S.-based Middle Eastern terrorists and their financial supporters identified via Vulgar Betrayal.

Below, I have archived thousands of pages relating to the program which the FBI has released. In a follow up FOIA request, the FBI says the below 9,425 pages is everything they have on the program.

Document Archive

Operation Vulgar Betrayal, Counterterrorism Probe, 1990s-2000s – FBI Release #1 (COMBINED / SEARCHABLE .pdf file of the individual files below) [9,425 Pages, 360MB] – Please note: This is a LARGE file. It is recommended you right click, and press “save as” to download to your hard drive before opening.

Operation Vulgar Betrayal, Counterterrorism Probe, 1990s-2000s – FBI Release #1 (.ZIP FILE OF SEARCHABLE, IDIVIDIAL .pdf FILES) [9,425 Pages, 305MB]

The post Operation Vulgar Betrayal, Counterterrorism Probe, 1990s-2000s first appeared on The Black Vault.

According to the FBI:

The FBI Public Access Line, or PAL, will take calls, faxes, e-mails, and more out of the Bureau’s 56 field offices and centralize them. Bureau employees with specific training to gather as much information as possible staff the line around the clock.

The below were requested in May of 2018. They were finally released in late September of 2020.

Document Archive

The FBI’s Public Access Line (PAL) Manuals and Procedures, Released 2020 [741 Pages, 340MB]

The post The FBI’s Public Access Line (PAL) Manuals and Procedures first appeared on The Black Vault.

Below you will find documents regarding 9/11/01, from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Document Archive

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Records on 9/11

The following documents have been declassified by the FBI pertaining to 9/11.

The 11 September Hijacker Cell Model, February 2003 [10 Pages, 9MB]
The 11 September Hijacker Cell Model, February 2003 [13 Pages, 6.5MB] – This was an attempt at a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) of the same document, but appears to be a re-release of the same information as nothing else could be revealed.

A Review of the FBI’s Handling of Intelligence Information Related to the September 11 Attacks, (November 2004), Released Publicly June 2006 [449 Pages, 9.07mb]

A Review of the FBI’s Handling of Intelligence Information Prior to the September 11 Attacks, (released publicly June 2005) (Redacted and Unclassified), November 2004 [328 Pages, 32.43mb]

The September 11 Detainees: A Review of the Treatment of Aliens Held on Immigration Charges in Connection with the Investigation of the September 11 Attacks, June 2003 [239 Pages, 12.5mb]

The Immigration and Naturalization Service’s Contacts With Two September 11 Terrorists: A Review of the INS’s Admissions of Mohamed Atta and Marwan Alshehhi, its Processing of their Change of Status Applications, and its Efforts to Track Foreign Students in the United States, May 2002 [212 Pages, 1.6mb]

The post Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Records first appeared on The Black Vault.

Adolph Hitler (1889-1945) was leader of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party and Chancellor of Germany from 1933-1945; he led that country into World War II in 1939. The documents in this file range from 1933 to 1947, but primarily fall either in 1933 or between 1945 and 1947. In 1933, the FBI investigated an assassination threat made against Hitler. In the aftermath of Germany’s surrender in 1945, western Allied forces suspected that Hitler had committed suicide but did not immediately find evidence of his death. At the time, it was feared that Hitler may have escaped in the closing days of the war, and searches were made to determine if he was still alive. FBI Files indicate that the Bureau investigated some of the rumors of Hitler’s survival.

Although more than 700 pages exist on Hitler from the FBI, multiple files have been destroyed, specifically those that likely pertain to his escape to Argentina. In a FOIA response for a list of pre-processed files, it was discovered that FBI File 105-LA-410.

Document Archive

Hitler, Adolf – [742 Pages, 39.9 MB]
Hitler, Adolf – [3 Pages, 0.8MB] – After requesting additional records, I was informed that the remaining files pertaining to Adolf Hitler were destroyed on March 7, 1973.

Another letter indicated files were destroyed about Adolf Hitler’s escape to Argentina.

The post Adolf Hitler: The FBI Files first appeared on The Black Vault.

Beginning in 1969 and lasting until 1972, the FBI had an “intelligence letter” program, code named “INLET”.

According to officially declassified FBI documents, this program was not only intended to provide the president with domestic and international security issues, but also, “items with an unusual twist or concerning prominent personalities which may be of special interest to the President.”

In these letters, many celebrities and famous individuals were mentioned.  Some believe the letters were nothing more than gossip, rather than viable intelligence.

Below, you will find the documents that have been declassified thus far.  Find a famous name? Comment about it below!

Document Archive

 FBI Release #1 [312 Pages, 198MB] – According to the FBI, this is the first (of multiple) releases. Additional documents are being reviewed for declassification, and will be added to The Black Vault once they are received.

The post INLET (Intelligence Letters) Reports, 1960s and 1970s first appeared on The Black Vault.

The objectives of this audit were to evaluate: (1) the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) controls over weapons, munitions, and explosives; (2) the FBI’s compliance with policies governing weapons, munitions, and explosives; and (3) the accuracy of the FBI’s weapons, munitions, and explosives inventories.

The audit covers the FBI’s weapons, munitions, and explosives inventories from fiscal year (FY) 2016 through November 2019. To accomplish our objectives, we interviewed FBI personnel; evaluated FBI policies governing weapons, munitions, and explosives; analyzed select data fields in the firearms inventory database; and reviewed firearm and explosives purchases. We also reviewed documentation related to firearms that were reported as lost or stolen during the scope of our audit to determine whether the FBI took appropriate action. Finally, we assessed compliance with FBI policy and conducted physical inventories at 15 FBI sites.

Document Archive

Audit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Controls over Weapons, Munitions, and Explosives, March 2020 [41 Pages, 4.6MB]

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The post Audit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Controls over Weapons, Munitions, and Explosives, March 2020 first appeared on The Black Vault.

“Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us”, commonly referred to as Raid Area 51, Storm Area 51, or Area 51 Raid, was an American Facebook event that took place on September 20, 2019, at Area 51, a United States Air Force (USAF) facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range. The event, created by Matty Roberts on June 27, 2019, would involve raiding the site in a search for extraterrestrial life. More than 2 million people responded “going” and 1.5 million “interested” on the event’s page, which subsequently attracted widespread media reaction and caused the event to become an Internet meme. Roberts later stated that the event was purely comedic, and disavowed responsibility for any casualties were there any actual attempts to raid the military base.

Below, you will find the FBI files on the event.

Document Archive

FBI File on the “Storm Area 51” Event [11 Pages, 4.2MB]

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The post FBI File on the “Storm Area 51” Event first appeared on The Black Vault.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has an internal website called BU|NET.

On March 15, 2017, I requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) a copy of the intranet’s home page, along with all pages accessible via “one-click” (ie: all the “top” pages).

However, it does not appear they did quite that. However, I am adding these documents below, and will expand as more sections are released.

Document Archive

 The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Intranet Site BU|NET HomePage [15 Pages, 18.7MB]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Intranet Site BU|NET Intel & Operations Pages [6 Pages, 2.5MB] – The FBI classified the entire release, and denied the request.

 The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Intranet Site BU|NET Governance Plan and Style Guide, Released January 31, 2019 [57 Pages, 13.1MB]

The post The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Intranet Site BU|NET first appeared on The Black Vault.

Jeffrey Edward Epstein (January 20, 1953 – August 10, 2019) was an American financier and convicted sex offender. Epstein began his career in finance at the investment bank Bear Stearns before forming his own firm, J. Epstein & Co. Until his conviction for sex crimes in 2008, Epstein was a multimillionaire who was connected with the financial, political, and cultural elite of society.

In April 2005, police of Palm Beach, Florida began investigating Epstein after a parent complained that he molested her 14-year-old daughter. After an investigation, prosecution, and plea negotiations, Epstein pleaded guilty and was convicted by a Florida state court of soliciting a prostitute and of procuring an underage girl for prostitution on June 30, 2008. He served 13 months in custody with work release as part of a plea deal while federal officials had identified 36 girls as young as 14 years old who had been molested.

Epstein was arrested again on July 6, 2019 on federal charges for sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York. He died on August 10, 2019, reportedly after hanging himself in his Manhattan prison cell. Three weeks earlier, Epstein had been found unconscious in his jail cell with injuries to his neck and placed on suicide watch, which lasted six days and ended twelve days before he died. An autopsy was performed on August 11; the New York City medical examiner’s office announced that it needed more information before the cause of death could be determined, though it is presumed to be suicide.

Document Archive

FBI Files on Jeffrey Epstein (Release 1-21) [1,379 Pages, 49MB] – This searchable .pdf contains FBI release files #1-21 of the Jeffrey Epstein files.  They primarily deal in the 2005-2007 timeframe, leading up to the 2008 guilty plea deal. These batches of records were released 2019 by the FBI.

FBI Files on Jeffrey Epstein (Not currently released on put on FBI “Vault” website) and released to The Black Vault October 2019 [4 Pages, 2.2MB]

FBI Files on Jeffrey Epstein (Release 22) [47 Pages, 7.5MB] – This batch of records were released circa 2020.

The post FBI Files on Jeffrey Epstein first appeared on The Black Vault.

An SF-326 form is a Semiannual Report of Payments Accepted from a Non-Federal Sources. In other words, when agency personnel, or their spouses, receive compensation from non-federal sources, it must be reported.

The below are documents obtained via the FOIA, from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Document Archive

SF-326 Forms, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), 2010-2015 [101 Pages, 54MB]

The post SF-326 Forms, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) first appeared on The Black Vault.

Background

by John Greenewald, Jr.

I never thought I would find official government records on Bigfoot, but I am glad I sought them out.

In 2017 (and 2018) I was proud to have been asked to speak at the Mile High Mystery Conference, hosted by David Paulides, Jim Myers and Dennis Pfohl (along with a list of other amazing people who made the experience one of my favorites while speaking).  At this conference, I was introduced to the “Bigfoot” and “Sasquatch” research arena, because by my own admission, I really did not know much about it, but I watched the presentations from the real experts in that field.  I was amazed at the research that has been done, and collected, and the people who were on the forefront of it had amazing backgrounds and experiences to tell.  They were credible, down to earth, had fun with it, but they took it serious and have obtained amazing results.

I still am the kind of person that needs to “see to believe” but I was intrigued by what I heard.  David had asked me to speak at the 2018 Mile High Mystery Conference (which told me my first speech went well enough to be asked back) so I gladly agreed.  He then asked, “Do you have any government documents on Bigfoot?”  I didn’t — and I even wrongfully assumed there would be none to find — but that did not stop me from trying at that point.

I quickly began researching, and found that in 1975, the Army Corps of Engineers actually published an Atlas for Washington State, which mentioned Bigfoot. Although they played it like a “legend,” the Atlas said something I did not expect. It  recounts an FBI analysis of Sasquatch hair that came to the following conclusion, “… no such hair exists on any human or presently-known animal for which such data are available.”  I did not think when I found this document online, it was genuine, but alas through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), I confirmed that it was very real, and Sasquatch was definitely mentioned.

This gave me the ammunition I needed to fire off another FOIA request to the FBI for that analysis referenced, along with anything else they may have. It took months, and sadly, I did not get the files for my 2018 appearance at the Mile High Mystery Conference.

But they finally have arrived.

The FBI does have a Bigfoot file. Sadly, however, the test results referenced in the 1975 Washington Atlas have yet to be discovered, and the FBI claims to have misplaced them or found no reference to them.

What is interesting, however, is the fact that they did take in hair samples from another organization, though the results of those specimens showed they were simply part of the “deer family.”

Despite the let down of not finding the results for the analysis that the Washington Atlas mentioned, which concluded, “no such hair exists on any human or presently-known animal,” it did illustrate how the FBI entertained the idea of testing on Bigfoot hair.  The question was, were those results accurate?  Did the “deer family” analysis conclude a specific species of deer, or did the FBI find similarities, and just think, “close enough!”

It should be noted that this analysis as well was not included in this release, but the FBI told me there may be additional records, which I had requested. Their response to that, was that I was given everything. So, according to the FBI, the below is the entire file.

Document Archive

 FBI Files: Bigfoot & Sasquatch [24 Pages, 14.3MB]

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The post FBI Files: Bigfoot & Sasquatch first appeared on The Black Vault.

 Declassified Documents

Department of Justice (DOJ) Documents

 DOJ Communications with the FBI Regarding Hillary Clinton Email Investigation – [590 Pages, 30.1MB]

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Documents

 FBI Notes Regarding Hillary Clinton Email Scandal – Mishandling of Classified Information – Release #1 [58 Pages, 38.2MB]

 FBI Notes Regarding Hillary Clinton Email Scandal – Mishandling of Classified Information – Release #2 [189 Pages, 48.2MB]

 FBI Notes Regarding Hillary Clinton Email Scandal – Mishandling of Classified Information – Releases #3-4 [100 Pages, 22.5MB]

 FBI Notes Regarding Hillary Clinton Email Scandal – Mishandling of Classified Information – Release #5 [299 Pages, 34.8MB]

 FBI Notes Regarding Hillary Clinton Email Scandal – Mishandling of Classified Information – Release #6 [178 Pages, 22.2MB]

 FBI Notes Regarding Hillary Clinton Email Scandal – Mishandling of Classified Information – Release #7-14 [505 Pages, 57.9MB]

 FBI Notes Regarding Hillary Clinton Email Scandal – Mishandling of Classified Information – Release #15-21 [505 Pages, 123MB]

 FBI Notes Regarding Hillary Clinton Email Scandal – Mishandling of Classified Information – Release #22-24 [769 Pages, 157.5MB]

 FBI Notes Regarding Hillary Clinton Email Scandal – Mishandling of Classified Information – Release #25-27 [374 Pages, 61.3MB]

 FBI Notes Regarding Hillary Clinton Email Scandal – Mishandling of Classified Information – Release #28 [36 Pages, 3.5MB]

 James Comey Speech on Hillary E-Mail Scandal – All Drafts [7 Pages, 1.9MB]

State Department Documents

 State Department Documents Release #1 [44 Pages, 4.4MB] – These documents are in response to a FOIA I filed with the State Department, for records and emails relating to the halt of their investigation into the Hillary Clinton Email Scandal. This is the first interim release, and this page will be updated as more records come in.

 State Department Documents Release #2 [55 Pages, 5.3MB] – This was the second and final release by the State Department — sent to me on September 14, 2017.

Additional Information

In March 2015, it became publicly known that Hillary Clinton, during her tenure as United States Secretary of State, had exclusively used her family’s private email server for official communications, rather than official State Department email accounts maintained on federal servers. Those official communications included thousands of emails that would later be marked classified by the State Department retroactively.

The controversy unfolded against the backdrop of Clinton’s 2016 presidential election campaign and hearings held by the United States House Select Committee on Benghazi. Some experts, officials, and members of Congress have contended that her use of private messaging system software and a private server violated State Department protocols and procedures, as well as federal laws and regulations governing record keeping. In response, Clinton has said that her use of personal email was in compliance with federal laws and State Department regulations, and that former secretaries of state had also maintained personal email accounts though not their own private email servers.

After allegations were raised that some of the emails in question contained classified information, an investigation was initiated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) regarding how classified information was handled on the Clinton server. 113 emails contained information which was classified at the time it was sent including 65 emails deemed “Secret” and 22 deemed “Top Secret.” Three contained markings indicating they could be classified, although they lacked classified headers and were only marked with a small “c” in parentheses, described as “portion markings” by FBI Director James Comey. Comey also said it was possible Clinton was not “technically sophisticated” enough to understand what the three classified markings meant. Nearly 2,100 emails on the server were retroactively marked as classified by the State Department. Government policy, reiterated in the non-disclosure agreement signed by Clinton as part of gaining her security clearance, is that sensitive information should be considered and handled as classified even if not marked as such.

In May 2016, the State Department’s Office of the Inspector General released an 83-page report about the State Department’s email practices, including Clinton’s. On July 5, 2016 upon concluding its investigation, the FBI stated that Clinton was “extremely careless” in handling her email system but recommended that no charges be filed against Clinton. On July 6, 2016, Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced that no charges would be filed. On July 7, the State Department reopened its probe into the email controversy. (Source: Wikipedia)

The post Hillary Clinton Email Scandal – Mishandling of Classified Information first appeared on The Black Vault.

In November of 2016, I requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that the FBI send over their expenses for outside legal fees for Fiscal Years 2014, 2015 and 2016.

It was not until November 30, 2018, that responsive documents were finally sent to me.

Document Archive

 Outside Legal Expense Fees, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Fiscal Years 2014, 2015 and 2016 [9 Pages, 1.2MB]

https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/fbifiles/fbilegalfees-2014-2016.pdf

The post Outside Legal Expense Fees, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) first appeared on The Black Vault.

 Integrity Committee – Annual Reports – 2006 – April 2016 [44 Pages, 1.2MB]

https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/fbifiles/integritycommittee-fbi1.pdf

The post Integrity Committee – Annual Reports – 2006 – April 2016 first appeared on The Black Vault.

“The Green Book” is a set of guidelines for agency officials in charge of responding to FOIA requests, specifically about the proper procedures for processing requests for FBI documents or documents from any other agency under the purview of Department of Justice. The Green Book also contains volumes of numbered memos from directors and other officials in the agency’s FOIA department, instructing FOIA officials on how to respond to requests regarding certain procedures the FBI conducts, organizations under surveillance by the agency, and other persons and events of interest.

I first requested this back in June of 2016, and the FBI offered a public Department of Justice (DOJ) guidebook for processing FOIA requests. I knew this was not the document I was looking for. In November of 2015, The Public Record published an article detailing the fact the FBI told them they were unable to find the document, after processing their FOIA request. So, I knew the FBI did not want to let go of this record easily. I filed another request in September of 2016, with more clarity, making sure they knew the previous “responsive document” was not what I was seeking. I did not appeal that original request, but rather filed a new one, since I felt maybe I was not specific enough, so a new FOIA request was warranted over appealing something that may have been a misunderstanding.

It took until September of 2018, for the FBI to release the document. You can now find it below:

Document Archive

 The FBI’s FOIA Processing Manual – aka “The Green Book” [199 Pages, 65.8MB]

The post The FBI’s FOIA Processing Manual – aka “The Green Book” first appeared on The Black Vault.

The Plame affair (also known as the CIA leak scandal and Plamegate) was a political scandal that revolved around journalist Robert Novak’s public identification of Valerie Plame as a covert Central Intelligence Agency officer in 2003. 

In 2002, Plame wrote a memo to her superiors in which she expressed hesitation in recommending her husband, former diplomat Joseph C. Wilson, to the CIA for a mission to Niger to investigate claims that Iraq had arranged to purchase and import uranium from the country, but stated that he “may be in a position to assist”. After President George W. Bush stated that “Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa” during the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Wilson published a July 2003 op-ed in The New York Times stating his doubts during the mission that any such transaction with Iraq had taken place.

A week after Wilson’s op-ed was published, Novak published a column which mentioned claims from “two senior administration officials” that Plame had been the one to suggest sending her husband. Novak had learned of Plame’s employment, which was classified information, from State Department official Richard Armitage. David Corn and others suggested that Armitage and other officials had leaked the information as political retribution for Wilson’s article.

The scandal led to a criminal investigation; no one was charged for the leak itself. Scooter Libby was convicted of lying to investigators. His prison sentence was ultimately commuted by President Bush, and he was pardoned by President Trump in 2018.

Below, you will find related documents that have been released regarding the Plame Affair.

Document Archive

 Notes on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Interview of Dick Cheney on May 8, 2004 [70 Pages, 39MB]

The post The Plame Affair: The Leak of Valerie Plame’s Identity first appeared on The Black Vault.

Here is FBI File 62-HQ-80750, entitled: Central Intelligence Agency.

There were a number of sections missing in my initial FOIA request to the FBI for this file.  Specifically, among the omitted sections are Sections 2 through 23, 25 through 31, 33, 35 through 46, 48 through 54, 57 through 59, 78, 91, 98, and 115.

In August of 2016, I received another batch of documents, which I have integrated into the index below. Although I maintained the same file naming algorithm as they were sent to me, the documents released in August of 2016 are differentiated by the “1343174-0” in the front of the name (my FOIA Case number).

On August 1, 2018, the FBI finally sent me the “Final” response to this batch of requests, and they released the documents sent to the CIA for review and release.

The below took more than 5 years to compile, and multiple FOIA requests seeking out specific questions and filling holes. As I am sure holes still exist (and were classified), this is as far as I can go to amassing this file. ENJOY!

Declassified Documents

Department of State Releases

 Department of State Release, Released March 2018 [32 Pages, 2.9MB]

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Releases

Current sections available:

The post FBI Files on the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) first appeared on The Black Vault.

The Cyber Intelligence Section (CybiS) of the Cyber Division periodically updates this Lexicon to provide various customers of the FBI with a current and consistent cyber language for their training, knowledge enhancement, and/or reference. The Reference Section of this Lexicon lists various sources and the sources and annotations, if applicable, are also individually attached to the related definitions.

Document Archive

 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cyber Division Terminology Lexicon [59 Pages, 2.4MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/fbifiles/fbicyberlexicon.pdf

The post Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cyber Division Terminology Lexicon first appeared on The Black Vault.