Genealogical Research Using FBI Files

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has maintained files on millions of Americans over the decades. Official records cover the period from 1908 to the present. FBI files initiated since 1956 have all been computerized. Files for time period prior to 1956 files are in manual format. Some materials exist prior to 1908 but they are incomplete and significant gaps exist.

Contrary to public perception, these records can be accessed by the general public. If you feel one of your ancestors may have a record on file with the FBI, you can write to the following address:

FBI: Freedom of Information Act Unit

Records Resource Division

Federal Bureau of Investigation

9th and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, DC 20535

All correspondence should include the following information: full name or names of the person whose file you wish to receive, date of birth, place of birth, date of death, and a photocopy showing proof of death. Proof of death can be established in any of the following ways: newspaper obituary which shows newspaper name, date and page number; citation from Who Was Who in America; death certificate; biographical reference; encyclopedia or magazine article on the person, which includes details of death; or your simple statement that the person was born over 110 years ago. The FBI does not require written proof of death in this case because they assume anyone over the age of 110 is probably deceased. They will still require the exact birth date. If the file in question originated before 1956, you must inform them of this so the manual files will be searched. If the person died before 1956, you should follow the same correspondence procedure for manual files as you would for the more current computerized files.

The question of fees can depend on a variety of circumstances. Some files can be as brief as 1 to 10 pages. Other files can exceed 1,000 pages. In most cases, your FBI request will probably not cost you anything because you receive the first 100 pages at no cost if you are an individual, or non-commercial requestor. Many professional researchers have recommended that a statement be included in your letter to the effect that "I am willing to pay reasonable fees associated with this request up to a given dollar amount. Please notify me if it is expected to exceed this amount".

Once your letter is received at FBI headquarters, you will be assigned a case number within six weeks. When requesting these records, it is important to be very patient. Some inquiries have been answered in as few as 12 months, while others, may take several years depending on the complexity of circumstances. If you believe an ancestor may have a record on file, it is important to get the search process started as soon as possible. This is especially true because recent legal literature has indicated the FBI will begin destroying some of the oldest records in the near future. This same literature has indicated that the FBI maintained far more files than many government or civilian officials ever dreamed of. Many researchers have found out, purely by accident and curiosity when testing the boundaries of the Freedom of Information Act, that files existed on family members. Most of these citizens had no indication that the FBI or any law enforcement agency had interest in them or their families. As you pursue your correspondence, you should note that the creation of many of these files was motivated by governmental policies which are now illegal. Just because you discover one of your ancestors had an FBI file, that may not have any negative bearing on his or her image. Some researchers have used the information from these files to pursue defamation of character lawsuits against governmental agencies and have won out- of-court settlements.

Sometimes researchers are doing searches for multiple people. The question comes up about multiple searches. The FBI does allow multiple requests, but you must write one letter per request. Each letter is assigned one individual case number. Because of the layers of legal red tape that each inquiry must pass through, it is impossible to assign multiple requests one case number. Remember, this will be a long drawn out process. You will encounter enough complications already built into the system as it is. Logic dictates that it is in your best interest to make your requests as simple as possible. Any deviation will only prolong the wait.

Some researchers prefer to do their research in person. The FBI does have a reading room in which you can browse and where the 500 most requested files are available. Patrons can browse in the reading room as long as they provide the FBI with a 48 hour notification of their arrival. This is necessary for crowd control since seating space is limited. Researchers are required to make an appointment to use the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) Reading Room. People can request files not only at the national headquarters in Washington, DC, but also at any of the 56 field offices in the United States and at the Legal Attache Offices in foreign countries. They maintain files that are independent in some cases of the headquarters files. You can get a list of the addresses of the various FBI Field Offices from the FBI or at the Fort Myers-Lee County Library Reference Desk.

A general description of the FBI records available through the National Archives appears in the Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States available online through the National Archives homepage: www.nara.gov. Within the Guide, refer to Record Group 65, Records of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Additional Sources of Information on FBI Research

Code of Federal Regulation. Washington, DC: U.S. General Services Administration, National Archives & Records Service, Office of the Federal Register. Reference 348.7325 Cod.

The Government Directory of Addresses & Telephone Numbers. 6th Edition. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 1998. Reference 353.008 Gov.

Haines, Gerald K. Unlocking The Files Of The FBI: A Guide To Its Records & Classification System. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 1993. Reference 353.007 Hai.

Jeffreys, Diarmuid. The Bureau: Inside The Modern FBI. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1995. 353.007 Jef.

Kessler, Ronald. The FBI: Inside The World's Most Powerful Law Enforcement Agency. New York, NY: Pocket Books, 1993. 353.007 Kes.

O'Reilly, Kenneth. Black Americans: The FBI Files. 1st Edition. New York, NY: Carroll & Graf, 1994. 323.11 O'Re.

Parco, Vincent. Researching Public Records: How To Get Anything On Anybody. Secaucus, NY: Carol Publishing Group, 1994. Reference 363.289 Par.

Sourcebook Of Public Record Providers: The National Guide To Companies That Furnish Automated Public Record Information, Search Services, and Investigative Services. 2nd Edition. Tempe, AZ: BRB Publications, 1994. Reference 351.74 Sou.

United States Code. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. Reference 348.73 Uni.

United States Government Manual. Washington, DC: Office of the Federal Register. Reference 353 Uni.

Compiled by Bryan L. Mulcahy, Reference Librarian, Ft. Myers-Lee County Library 9/9/98