11 June 1998

Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 14:05:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: Greg Broiles <gbroiles@netbox.com>
To: Ross.Anderson@cl.cam.ac.uk
cc: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net, ukcrypto@maillist.ox.ac.uk
Subject: FOIA request re crypto export, NSA, GCHQ 


We corresponded briefly last fall with respect to a transfer of
cryptographic hardware from the UK to partie(s) in Johannesburg, South
Africa, during the embargo against the apartheid state, and collusion
between NSA and GCHQ .. you'd suggested on the ukcrypto mailing list that
a US citizen might like to file a FOIA request for details about that. I
sent a FOIA request a few days after your message, and just yesterday
received their response .. they said that they searched all of their
records, the search took less than two hours, and found no responsive
documents. 

I suspect that their "no records" response is actually a "Glomar
response", which means that they're saying there are no records when
actually the records are classified; Clinton issued an executive order in
1995 allowing that practice.

I'm planning to appeal their response.

So, no news yet, but thought you might be amused to learn that the wheels
of the bureaucracy are grinding along slowly. Their response is online at
<http://www.parrhesia.com/foia/ibmsa-nsa-1.jpg>.

--
Greg Broiles
gbroiles@netbox.com