United States Department of State Washington, D.C. 20520 DEC 2 1 208 In reply refer to: 2011001713 CA/PPTIS/L/LE — Memo from DOS Regarding Purge of Passport Records Case Control Number - 201103329 H William Van Allen 351 North Road Hurley, NY 12443 Dear Mr. Van Allen: The following is in response to your letter dated April 25, 2011, pertaining to the communications from Department of State authorizing the Purge of Passport Records, under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552). We apologize for the delay in responding to your request. The Department of State, Passport Services has completed an extensive search of its records. The search resulted in the retrieval of two documents that appear to be relevant to your request. After careful review of the documents, we have determined that one document may be released in full and one document may be released with excisions. The excisions are in accordance with subsection (b)(6) of the Freedom of Information Act. The release of this information to you would be an invasion of another person without written authority from that person. Please see the enclosed Table of Exemptions, which identifies the subsection of the statute referenced above, for a summary of the citation that is applicable. You have the right to appeal our determination within 60 days to the following address: Chairman, Appeals Review Panel c/o Appeals Office U. S. Department of State SA-2, Room 8100 515 22™ Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20522-81002 Enclosed you will find additional information to assist you with the appeals process. We hope the documents prove helpful to you. Sincerely, L.Ween / Jonathan M. Rolbin, Director Office of Legal Affairs and Law Enforcement Liaison Bureau of Consular Affairs Passport Services Enclosure: As statedIn reply refer to: 2011001713 CA/PPT/S/L/LE — Memo from DOS Regarding Purge of Passport Records Case Control Number — 2011003329 TABLE OF EXEMPTIONS Subsection Excise Deny Total (66) 1 0 1 Total 1 0 1 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT EXEMPTIONS 5US.C. § 552 Subsection (b)(6) exempts materials that would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of the personal privacy of another person.UNCLASSIFIED 10f3 PAGE OL STATE 036146 ORIGIN PPT-o2 INPO LOG-00 ADS-00 HUR-00 ss-00 AF-00 © MMO-01 10-15 MEA-07 ARA-00 SY-06 | AMAD-01 EAP-00 AIT-02 OCS-06 cA-02 STG-03 FSI-08 AS-c2 A-02—//052 R DRAFTED BY: CA/PPT/S:RPMCCLEVEY/CA/OCS/CCS/BAP : LMNMAUCHOPE Litt APPROVED BY: CA/OCS/CCS:CADIPLACIDO (CA/0CS/CCS/EAP: BTHOMAS BAP/SX:RPOLMON NBA/BX: BNGERLACE ‘BUR/BX: CGARCZYNSKT ARA/EX:DSCHOES AB/BX: HICKS: CA/BX:DRPARSONS i41d00 os0347z /30 R 0603302 FEB 85 ZBX FM SECSTATE WASHDC 70 ALL DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR POSTS AMENBASSY KABUL AMEMBASSY BEIRUT UNCLAS STATE 036146 INFORM ConsuES 2.0, 12356: W/R TAGS: CPAS SUBJECT: PURGE OF PASSPORT RECORDS a. summary. IN JUNE 1984 THE BUREAU OF CONSULAR AFFAIRS BEGAN A PROJECT AIMED AT REDUCING THE VOLUME OF NON-PERMANENT RECORDS BEING STORED AT THE EDERAL RECORDS CENTER (FRC) IN SUITLAND, MARYLAND. A STAPF OF APPROXINATELY 40 PERSONS WAS HYRED 0 CULL THE MORE THAN 125 MILLION RECORDS WHICH HAD ACCUMULATED AT PRC SINCE 1925. THE STAPF, WORKING QUT OF AN OPP-SITE LOCATION IN BYATTSVILLE, MARYLAND, HAS COMPLETED TTS WORK ON RECORDS UNCLASSIFIED PAOH: 02 STATE 936146 DATING FROM APRIL 1925 TO NOVEMBER 1962. THE BUREAU EXPECIS THAT THE FILE PURGE PROJECT WILL RESULT. IN SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS. TO: THE GOVERNMENT TN RETRIEVAL COSTS AS WELL AS REDUCED COSTS OF HAVING TO STORH RECORDS WICH HAVE BEEN DETERMINED TO BE NON-PERNANENT: AND NON-ESSENTTAL, TO, CONSULAR ACTIVITIES, END StIM~RY. UNCLASSIFIED tofUNCLASSIFIED 20f3 2, BACKGROUND, SINCE THE LATE 1960'S THE GENERAL SeAVICES ADMINISTRATION HAD PRESSURED THE BUREAU OF CONSULAR AFFAIRS TO REDUCE ‘TRE VOLUME OF PASSPORT APPLICATIONS AND RELATED RECORDS STORED AT PRC. AT THAT TIME, ORIGINAL PASSPORT RECORDS WERE RETAINED FOR A PERIOD OF YOO YEARS. THE RETENTION PERIOD WAS SUBSEQUENTLY REDUCED TO TWENTY YEARS FOR LO-YEAR APPLICATIONS AND PIFTSEN YEARS FOR S-YEAR APPLICATIONS, IM 1982, AFTER CONSULTING WITH ALL PRIMARY BURSAG FILS USERS, THR’ CA BUREAU DECIDED TO REDUCE THE HOLDINGS OF RECORDS AT FRC BY ELIMINATING ALL NON-PERNANENT, ROUTINE RECORDS, RETAINING THOSE RECORDS OF PERMANENT SIGNIFICANCE INCLUDING ‘THOSE CONTAINING INFORMATION OM, OR DOCUMENTATION OP, CITIZENSHTP 3. RECORDS BASING RETAINED. A LISTING OF THE PRIMARY DOCUMENTS BEING RETATNED TS’ AS FOLLOWS: --REPORTS OF BIRTH =-CERTIFICATES OF WITNESS TO MARRIAGE “CERTIFICATES OF LOSS OF NATIONALITY (WITH ATTACHED . _ PELRS) *-REPORTS OF DEATH “-APPLICATIONS WITH DELAYED BIRTH CRRTIPTCATES OR UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 STATE 036146 . SPECIAL REGISTRATIONS ATTACHED “-apeLicATIONS (NATIVE BORN) WITH SECONDARY EVIDENCE OF BERTH/IDENTITY ATTACHED “-apPLICATTONS OF FOREIGN BORN CITIZENS S:RPELICATIONS INCLUDING FOREIGN BORK CITIZENS “APPLICATIONS OF WOMEN ACQUIRING CITIZENSHTe THROUGH . MARRIAGE “-apPLICATIONS To RESUME CITIZENSHIP (VOTING IN TTALEAN . EERCTIONS SRTWEEN 1/1/46 AND 4/18/42) “APPLICATIONS TO TAKE ONPH OF ALLEGIANCE AND +. RENUNCIATION (SERVICE IN CANADIAN ARMY) “LapoLICATIONS FOR REGISTRATION, INCLUDING APPLICATIONS 7OR CERTIFICATES OR CARDS Of IDENTITY, OR CARDS ISSUED FOR BORDER CROSSING PURPOSES. LeguGrSTRATION RPPLICATIONS “-ALL PHILIDPINE PASSPORT RECORDS ~-LOOK-o0T cases > UNCLASSIFIED 3ofsUnited States Department of State ee od Washington, D.C. 20520 JAN 9 i965 MEMORANDUM FOR: All Users of Passport and Consular Vital Records: \ PROM: CA/PPT-} — FOIA(b\6) S SUBJ: Purging of Federal Records Center Passport Records In June, 1984, Passport Services began a project aimed at reducing the volume of non-permanent records being stored at the Federal Records Center (FRC) in Suitland, Maryland. A staff of nearly 50 persons was hired to cull the more than 125 million records which had accumulated at FRC since 1925. The staff, working out of an off-site location in Hyattsville, Maryland, is currently well into the project. Once completed it is ex- pected that the effort will result in significant savings to the Government in retrieval costs as well as reduced costs of having to store records which have been determined to be non- Permanent and non-essential to consular activities. Background Since the late 1960's constant pressure had been placed on Passport Services by the General Services Administration to re- duce the volume of passport applications and related records stored at the Federal Records Center. At the time, original passport records were retained for a period of 100 years. The retention period was subsequently reduced to twenty years for 10-year applications and fifteen years for 5-year applications. In 1982 after consulting with all primary Bureau file users, a decision was made by Passport management to reduce the holdings of records at FRC by eliminating all non-permanent, routine records and to retain those records of permanent significance including those containing information on, or documentation of citizenship. A listing of the primary documents being eliminated as well as those to be retained is as follows:RECORDS BEING RETAINED ~ REPORTS OF BIRTH CERTIFICATES OF WITNESS TO MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES OF LOSS OF NATIONALITY (WITH ATTACHED FILES) REPORTS OF DEATH APPLICATIONS WITH DELAYED BIRTH CERTIFICATES OR SPECIAL REGISTRATIONS ATTACHED APPLICATIONS (NATIVE BORN) WITH SECONDARY EVIDENCE OF BIRTE/IDENTITY ATTACHED APPLICATIONS OF FOREIGN BORN CITIZENS APPLICATIONS INCLUDING FOREIGN BORN CITIZENS APPLICATIONS RE WOMEN ACQUIRING CITIZENSHIP THROUGH MARRIAGE APPLICATIONS TO RESUME CITIZENSHIP (VOTING IN ITALIAN ELECTIONS BETWEEN 1/1/46 AND 4/18/48) APPLICATIONS TO TAKE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE AND RENUNCIATION (SERVICE IN CANADIAN ARMY) APPLICATIONS FOR REGISTRATION, INCLUDING APPLICATIONS FOR CERTIFICATES OR CARDS OF IDENTITY, OR CARDS ISSUED FOR BORDER CROSSING PURPOSES. REGISTRATION APPLICATIONS ALL PHILIPPINE PASSPORT RECORDS LOOK-OUT CASES POSSIBLE LOSS, NON-ACQUISITION, NON-RETENTION, DENIALS, LIMITATIONS, REVOCATIONS. QUESTIONABLE CITIZENSHIP CLAIMS, BTC. (With attached files) FRAUDULENT CITIZENSHIP CASES OR CASES INVOLVING FRAUDU- LENT USE OF PASSPORT OUTSTANDING LOANS CLASSIFIED FILESRECORDS BEING DISCARDED + ROUTINE PASSPORT APPLICATIONS FOR NATIVE BORN CITIZENS (WITH OR WITHOUT BIRTH CERTIFICATES OR PHOTOSTATIC COPIES OF BIRTH CERTIFICATES ATTACHED) - ROUTINE RENEWAL APPLICATIONS - ROUTINE APPLICATIONS FOR PASSPORTS FOR NATIVE BORN CEPIZENS WHERE PREVIOUS PASSPORT USED AS EVIDENCE - CORRESPONDENCE OF NON-CITIZENSHIP NATURE - CHARGE-OUT SHEETS BEFORE 1969 Current Status As of this date, PPY/S has completed the purging of records from the first three accessions held at FRC. These accessions include records dating from April, 1925 to October, 1958. The fourth accession ie currently in the process of being purged. In this accession, we have purged records dated November, 1958 - November, 1961. As a result of this effort, routine passport application: with the aforementioned dates are no longer available for r trieval, These records simply no longer exist; therefore, users of passport records should no longer forward requests for those records of the types and dates described as having been purged. All other records, described as being retained, including all classified files, consular vital records and passport issuance cards continue to be available to you upon request. Passport Services will continue to purge routine non-per- manent records from our FRC holdings through the year 1968. Re- cords dated after 1968 will continue to be retained under the current 15/20-year disposal schedule