April 18, 1978
Honorable Walter F. Mondale
Vice President of the United States
and President of the Senate
2203 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20015Dear Vice President Mondale:
Attached is a copy of the annual report of the Department of Justice for calendar year 1977, reflecting activities under the Freedom of Information Act.
Once again, I feel compelled to call to your attention the tremendous costs and administrative burdens this statute has placed on the Department, to the extensive detriment of our traditional missions and the public interest in effective law enforcement. Our ability to protect our most sensitive law enforcment manuals and other records of comparable sensitivity has been called into serious question. Traditional sources of information are becoming unwilling, or at least less willing, to cooperate with us. In several instances, the fact that we are forced to process records in open and active cases has had a serious adverse impact on our ability to complete investigations or prepare cases for trial.
I do not believe that these adverse effects on the criminal justice law enforcement proces were ever contemplated by Congress. The time has come, in my opinion, when Congress should consider remedial action in this area, thereby serving the public interest. Once again, I offer the full cooperation of this Department in such an effort.
Sincerely,
Benjamin R. Civiletti
Acting Deputy Attorney General
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