<nettime> FBI and Cryptome

["nettime's_roving_reporter" <nettime@bbs.thing.net>]

<http://cryptome.org/fbi-psia.htm>

   20 July 2000
     _________________________________________________________________
   
To: nccs-ny@fbi.gov
From: John Young <jya@pipeline.com>
Date: 20 July 2000
Subject: PSIA Request

July 20, 2000

Federal Bureau of Investigation
NCCS, New York
C37

Dear FBI,

This confirms my telephone remarks today that I decline
your request to remove the list of members of Japan's
Public Security Investigation Agency posted on Cryptome:

  http://cryptome.org/psia-lists.htm

The file shall not be removed except in response to a US
court order.

You have informed me that your telephone request to remove
the list was made at the request of the Japanese Ministry of
Justice and that no US criminal investigation is underway in this
matter.

You said that you will convey to the Ministry of Justice that I
have declined to remove the list and that I should expect
to be contacted directly by the Ministry of Justice as a result
of declining to remove the list.

You said that you will speak to the US Attorney and call me
again.

I have agreed with your request not to identify the two FBI Special
Agents to whom I spoke today.

I told you that I would be publishing an account of this on Cryptome.

Regards,

John Young
Cryptome
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   Note: Yes, it is contradictory that Cryptome will publish the PSIA
   names but not those of the FBI Special Agents. The senior Special
   Agent said at the end of the conversation that if his and the other
   agent's names were published "you are going to be in real trouble."
   Until that time both agents had been very polite. He then said he was
   going to take the matter up with the US Attorney and call again.
   
   So we're brooding on that threat, pondering the FBI names on this
   notepad, comparing this situation with that of the MI6 names and the
   MI5 names and the Iranian names and the PSIA names and the CIA names
   Cryptome has published. In none of the other instances was Cryptome
   threatened. And are wondering why the FBI carnivores deserve privacy
   we don't get from them and the world's surveillance agencies.
   
   More later.
   
   Meanwhile, if curious send an inquiry to the FBI address on our
   e-mail. Or telephone: 212-384-3155.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 00:34:27 -0400
To: nccs-ny@fbi.gov
From: John Young <jya@pipeline.com>
Subject: PSIA Request

July 21, 2000

Federal Bureau of Investigation
NCCS, New York
C37

Dear FBI,

This supplements my message yesterday on declining to
remove a list of names of members of Japan's Public Security
Investigation Agency from the Internet site Cryptome.org.

In that message I wrote that I agreed with your request to not
identify the two Special Agents who spoke to me on this matter.

After reflecttion on this I have decided that publishing the names
of the Special Agents would be consistent with publishing the
names of the PSIA members, and in both cases the purpose
of publishing is to contribute to public awareness of how
government functions and to identify who performs those
functions. I believe this is why the two Special Agents readily
identified themselves to me and that it would be appropriate
for me to share that information with readers of Cryptome.

Therefore I shall publish the names of the two Special Agents
who spoke with me at:

   http://cryptome.org/fbi-psia.htm

Sincerely,

John Young
Cryptome
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   The FBI Special Agent who initially telephoned was James Castano. Mr.
   Castano explained the Ministry of Justice request to remove the PSIA
   material and answered all my questions about it. I explained my
   intention to publish an account of the FBI's request on Cryptome
   because there had been interest in how such requests are processed
   between governments. I asked if I could provide his name in the
   account. He asked with emphasis that I not do so. I agreed.
   
   In the course of discussing my sending an e-mail to Mr. Castano, his
   supervisor, Special Agent Dave Marzigliano (I believe he spelled
   it), came on the phone and repeated the information Mr. Castano
   provided about the Ministry of Justice request.
   
   Both agents were very courteous during most of the conversations.
   Except toward the end of the conversation with Mr. Marzigliano, when I
   mentioned my intention to publish an account without revealing his and
   Mr. Castano's names, he warned me there would be "serious trouble" if
   their names were published, and that he would be speaking with the US
   Attorney about the matter and call me again.
   
   Mr. Marzigliano did not explain why their two names should be
   concealed, why there would be "serious trouble" if revealed, what
   "serious trouble" meant, the legal basis for such trouble, nor what it
   was in my comments that alarmed him.
     _________________________________________________________________


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