Letter of Notification of Vice Presidential Records Release
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VIA EMAIL (LM 2014-115) March 25, 2015 The Honorable W. Neil Eggleston Counsel to the President The White House Washington, D.C. 20502 Dear Mr. Eggleston: In accordance with the requirements of the Presidential Records Act (PRA), as amended, 44 U.S.C. §§2201-2209, this letter constitutes a formal notice from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to the incumbent President of our intent to open Cheney Vice Presidential records in response to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests listed in Attachment A. This material, consisting of 322 pages and 4,201 images, has been reviewed for the six PRA Presidential restrictive categories and all applicable FOIA exemptions. As a result of this review, 50 pages in whole, five pages in part, and 689 images have been restricted. Therefore, NARA is proposing to open the remaining 267 pages in whole, five pages in part, and 3,512 images that do not require closure under 44 U.S.C. § 2204. A copy of any records proposed for release under this notice will be provided to you upon your request. We are also concurrently informing former Vice President Cheney’s representative, David Addington, and former President George W. Bush’s representative, Tobi Young, of our intent to release these records. Pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 2208(a), NARA will release the records 60 working days from the date of this letter, which is June 18, 2015, unless the former President, former Vice President, or incumbent President requests a one-time extension of an additional 30 working days or if the former or incumbent President asserts a constitutionally based privilege, in accordance with 44 U.S.C. 2208(b)-(d). Please let us know if you are able to complete your review before the expiration of the 60 working day period. Pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 2208(a)(1)(B), we will make this notice available to the public on the NARA website. If you have any questions relating to this request, please contact me at (202) 357-5144 or NARA General Counsel Gary M. Stern at (301) 837-3026. Sincerely, B. JOHN LASTER DIRECTOR Presidential Materials Division Enclosure ATTACHMENT A Case Number Topic Pages Pages Pages Proposed Processed Restricted for Opening 2014-0011-F Vice President Cheney’s hunting 322 50 in whole; 267 in whole; incident 5 in part 5 in part This researcher submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for material related to Vice President Cheney’s hunting incident in Corpus Christi, Texas on February 11, 2006. The Cheney Vice Presidential records proposed for opening include correspondence, printed news articles, press briefing transcripts, memoranda, and reports. Material related to Vice President Cheney’s hunting incident was located in the files of the Office of the Staff Secretary, Miscellaneous Outbox series. Because of the nature of this collection, these records were interfiled with a large volume of records on other topics. Following standard processing procedures, NARA reviewed all of the material located in these folders. This material consists of printed articles about topics such as Cheney’s hunting incident and the surrounding events, the U.S. economy, U.S. international relations, Islam, the Taliban, Iraq, al- Qaeda in Pakistan, Dubai, Russian relations with Japan, Turkish parliament, the Bush Administration, political victories and the GOP, the stock market, the U.S. military, the 2006 election, John Kerry, Charles Rangel, John Boehner, Colin Powell, and Vice President Cheney’s return to the site of the hunting incident in 2008. These articles are occasionally attached to a transmittal note to Vice President Cheney from various staff members. Purely informational memoranda for this series are from the Council of Economic Advisers regarding retail and food services sales, the consumer price index, consumer confidence, GDP, leading economic indicators and unemployment insurance claims, and the purchasing managers’ index. Included correspondence consists of a letter of appreciation from Chinese Committee Chairman C.H. Tung to Vice President Cheney, a letter of thanks from Romanian Ambassador Sorin Ducaru to Deputy National Security Advisor John Hannah, a letter of thanks from Canadian Ambassador Frank McKenna to Vice President Cheney, a note of appreciation from Wyoming representative Steve Harshman to Vice President Cheney, and a thank you letter from Swedish politician Carl Bildt to Vice President Cheney. There are also several letters of support from private American citizens to Vice President Cheney. Printed emails are from Christopher Craige to Charles Durkin with an invitation for Vice President Cheney to attend an Admiral Keating dinner with an attached biography of Admiral Keating; an email from Brian McKaig to Grey Baker regarding a new ID card; an email with information intended for Vice President Cheney regarding a typhoon off the coast of Hong Kong; and emails between Office of Vice President (OVP) staff forwarding news articles about publicly announced nominations, political polls, and elections. There are also transcripts of White House press briefings, an interview transcript of Vice President Cheney with Time magazine, and daily “Economic News Summaries” prepared by OVP domestic policy staff. Other materials include printed remarks by Senator Jon Kyl about the NSA Surveillance Program, a Pew Research Center report entitled “Who Votes, Who Doesn’t, and Why,” a report from the Republican Policy Committee on “Revisiting the Healthy Forest Challenge,” and an unclassified situation room evening summary. A-1 of A-3 Case Number Topic Images Images Images Processed Restricted Proposed for Opening 2014-0012-F Selected categories of photographs 4,201 689 3,512 This researcher submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for a selection of photographs in the following categories: Vice President Cheney meeting with David Addington, Vice President Cheney meeting with President George W. Bush, David Addington by himself and with others, all photographs taken on September 11, 2001, and meetings involving Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers. The Cheney Vice Presidential images related to Vice President Cheney meeting with David Addington proposed for opening include photographs depicting the following: Vice President Cheney with David Addington meeting together in pull aside conversations at the White House, on Air Force Two and Marine Two, at official events, at the Vice Presidential Residence (Naval Observatory), on foreign and domestic trips, and at policy meetings. The Cheney Vice Presidential images related to Vice President Cheney meeting with President George W. Bush proposed for opening include photographs depicting the following: talking before meetings in the Oval Office and Outer Oval Office, walking on the White House grounds, having lunch together, riding in the Presidential limousine on their way to meetings at other facilities, waiting in holding rooms before official events and photo ops, engaged in one-on-one conversations, and at policy team meetings at President Bush’s Crawford, Texas ranch. The Cheney Vice Presidential images related to David Addington by himself and with others proposed for opening include photographs depicting the following: David Addington in senior staff meetings, talking with President George W. Bush at President Obama’s swearing-in ceremony, on foreign and domestic trips, at the Vice President’s residence, at the swearing-in of new Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, alone in his office, on the tarmac at Andrew’s Air Force Base, and in meetings and/or conversations with other staff members. Others depicted with David Addington include: CIA Director General Michael Hayden, Lea Anne McBride, Josh Bolten, Derrick Morgan, Troy McNichols, Military Aide Lt. Col. David Jones, Samantha Ravich, John Hannah, Charlie Durkin, Debbie Heiden, Dana Perino, Claire O’Donnell, Brian McCormack, Megan McGinn, and Brenda Becker. The Cheney Vice Presidential images related to September 11, 2001 proposed for opening include photographs taken on September 11, 2001 depicting the following: Vice President Cheney in his office on the morning of September 11, 2001, Vice President Cheney and Mrs. Lynne Cheney along with Lewis I. “Scooter” Libby departing the White House on Marine Two for Camp David, Vice President Cheney meeting with President George W. Bush in the President’s Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) at the White House in the evening, and Vice President Cheney meeting with senior staff members in the PEOC. Senior Staff members pictured include: National Security Advisor Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Counselor Karen Hughes, Deputy National Security Advisor Steve Hadley, Counselor to the Vice President Mary Matalin, Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, Chief of Staff for the Vice President Lewis I. “Scooter” Libby, Air Force Lt. Col. Kenneth Clark of the White House Military Office, Principal Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Eric Edelman, David Addington, Naval Military Aide to the Vice President Commander Doug Cochran, Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs Nick Calio, CIA Director George Tenet, and Secretary of State Colin Powell. The Cheney Vice Presidential images related to meetings A-2 of A-3 involving Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers proposed for opening include photographs depicting the following: Vice President Cheney meeting with DOJ lawyers in photo ops and in meetings which included Attorney General Alberto Gonzales while touring the flood ravaged areas damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The photo ops include images taken with Solicitor General Theodore B. Olson, Principal Deputy Solicitor General Paul D. Clement, Deputy to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Shannen W. Coffin and others who were part of the Walker v. Cheney Defense Litigation Team. Vice President Cheney was also depicted in photo ops with Deputy Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher of the Criminal Division, and former Assistant Attorney General Mike Chertoff. ### A-3 of A-3 VIA EMAIL (LM 2014-115) March 25, 2015 David S. Addington The Heritage Foundation 214 Massachusetts Avenue NE Washington, DC 20002-4999 Dear Mr.