Do you want your very own copy of the 113 page Charles Bukowski FBI file? Well, of course you do! If you're an American citizen you are entitled to the documents under the Freedom of Information Act. In fact, if you are requesting it for yourself, and not for commercial use, you may even be able to get the file for the cost of a postage stamp...

Address your request to:

Chief FOIA & Privacy Act Section
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
Room 6296 JEH
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20535

Normally there is a fee required to obtain FOIA files from the government. In order to request a free copy of the file, you must state that you are going to use the file in a scholarly manner and not for profit. For your ease and convenience I have included essentially the same letter I used to successfully request a free copy of the file. Simply copy this letter and replace your name and address at the end and you should be good to go.

If you intend to use the file for a commercial purpose, you should not use this request! Check the DOJ (http://www.usdoj.gov/foia/) or ACLU (http://aclu.org/library/foia.html) sites for the proper format to use.

Chief FOIA & Privacy Act Section
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
Room 6296 JEH
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20535

Re: Freedom of Information Act Request

Dear Chief FOIA officer,
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. Sec. 552.

I request that a copy of the following documents [or documents containing
the following information] be provided to me:

	FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
	FILE #140-35907
	1957 - 1970
	HENRY CHARLES BUKOWSKI, JR.
	(a.k.a. Charles Bukowski)

In order to help determine my status to assess fees, you should know that
I am an individual seeking information for personal use and not for a
commercial use.

I am aware that I am entitled to make this request under the Freedom of
Information Act, and if your agency response is not satisfactory, I am
prepared to make an administrative appeal. Please indicate to me the name
of the official to whom such an appeal should be addressed.

I am aware that if my request is denied I am entitled to know the grounds
for this denial.

I am aware that while the law allows your agency to withhold specified
categories of exempted information, you are required by law to release
any segregable portions that are left after the exempted material has been
deleted from the data I am seeking.

I request a waiver of all fees for this request. Disclosure of the
requested information to me is in the public interest because it is not
primarily in my commercial interest, nor a business trying to get
information on industrial competitors.

I understand that I am not the first requester of this file, so I should
not bear the cost of the initial search for this material.

Sincerely,

[your signature]

Your Name Here
123 Anystreet
Anytown, USA 00000