MuckRock FOIA Request Releases Christopher Hitchens' FBI Files

v3rgEz writes: Outspoken atheist firebrand Christopher Hitchens was never one for understatement, and apparently the FBI took notice. A Freedom of Information request from investigative news site MuckRock has resulted in the release of his 19-page FBI file, including details such as how his interest in socialism in college sparked heightened monitoring when given a scholarship to come to the United States. Some of the pages had actually been previously released, but were then removed from the FBI's own website a few years ago. Despite the monitoring, Hitchens files have nothing on the hundreds of pages the FBI had on Richard Feynman.

Comments

Well duh

[Smidge204]

"Despite the monitoring, Hitchens files have nothing on the hundreds of pages the FBI had on Richard Feynman."

No shit. I'd expect a world class physicist who was involved in the top-secret development of the nuclear bomb would attract a bit more scrutiny than a vocal anti-religious advocate and author. One of these things is not like the other things...
=Smidge=

Re:Well duh

[DerekLyons]

No shit. My FBI file (the last time I saw it) ran fifty plus pages. (Courtesy of getting a significant clearance and a couple of compartmentalized accesses.)

Actually reading the linked files... most of them are just noise, routine bureaucratic acknowledgements of something or other. When you summarize what's left it adds up to "we looked into this guy, nothing significant found, nothing to worry about". Nothing scary, nothing more than I'd expect of foreign national travelling in the US, or of someone becoming a citizen, or of someone getting a White House press pass.

Move along, nothing to see here except clickbait meant to excite the usual easily excitable demographic.

Re: Well duh

[kenh]

Let's also remember that Feynman had made a habit of 'cracking' the various top secret safes at Los Alamos during the Manhattan project... Besides, Feynman is infinitely more interesting than Mr. Hitchens

A 19 page FBI file is a very, very thin report IMHO.

I sent one.

[ckatko]

I sent an FOIA request on myself to the NSA for fun/curiosity. (Technically, it's "Privacy Act" request when you're doing yourself.) It's pretty easy.

It took them three pages to tell me, "Go fuck yourself." Every line was peppered with "this doesn't acknowledge the existence, or lack of existence of any records relating to you."

Their whole reason for denying my request of "any applicable records" was: because the NSA program in the news is classified, any records caught by the program are also classified. Except that any records not found by a classified method wouldn't be classified by that logic (Google, anyone?). So in otherwords, it was like I said, it was more of a "Fuck you, peasant" letter.

Re:I sent one.

[NotDrWho]

In all fairness, can you imagine the cost to them if they had to turn over the recordings of every one of your phones calls and emails for the last 10+ years? That shit would add up fast, man.

Re:I sent one.

[Shakrai]

Or it could be that they don't actually have anything on you. Not to burst your self-importance bubble but (with apologies to South Park) the odds are good that you're fat and unimportant.

More than half of Mr. Hitchen's FBI file is records of previous requests (by the USSS for his White House press pass, by Immigration and Naturalization for his residence permit, and so forth) that returned nothing of consequence, exactly what you would expect for someone with no criminal record. I've seen my own FBI file; it's a handful of requests for information from various State agencies (all related to background checks for firearms licenses) that resulted in "no hit." I'm also fat and unimportant....