The disappearance of the two Americans, which was reported in Newsweek magazine within days, alerted the world that the friendly dictator so many governments-including the United States- had supported was a monster. Amin's regime would ultimately be responsible for the torture and murder of almost half a million people.
Amin claimed my father and Stroh were either “spies for the Jews (Israel)” or CIA operatives. While the Ugandan government eventually acknowledged (as a result of diplomatic pressures) the two men had been killed by the Ugandan Army, who killed them, how, when and why has never been determined to this day. Their bodies were never found.
Part 1: My Request for Documents From CIA/State Department Related to My Father
Since my father was rumored to be involved with American intelligence, I filed Freedom of Information Act requests for documents with both the CIA and State Department in the 1980s. I requested simply, “All documents related to Robert Siedle.”
In response, thousands of previously classified CIA and U.S. Department of State documents related to my father were provided to me.
In response to my FOIA request, thousands of previously classified CIA and U.S. Department of State documents related to my father were provided to me.
After reviewing these formerly “top secret” documents, I returned to Uganda in 1997 to conduct my own forensic investigation into my father’s death, assisted by the CIA, Department of State and Ugandan Army. I interviewed victims, witnesses, and prisoners on Death Row to complete a son's obligation to his murdered father. The story of my journey to investigate the murder of my father is told in my recently released bestseller, Buried Beneath A Tree In Africa.
Truth be known, the federal spy agency has regularly been challenged over the decades to re-examine its broad interpretation of its nondisclosure prerogatives under FOIA—to allow the public and the media to obtain information, as well as gain insight into how the agency conducts its business. If the public requests information from the CIA that has nothing to do with secret intelligence operations—as opposed to information which is justifiably classified on intelligence sources and methods, or is specifically about personnel and personnel records—the public should be able to get it.
Information that is not specifically protected under the Freedom of Information Act or the CIA Act should be released. Congress never intended for intelligence agencies to have a carte blanche, blanket exemption from FOIA. The CIA has often sought to apply an overly broad interpretation of federal laws that comes dangerously close to exempting from disclosure any information at all about anything the CIA does.
Only recently, a mere 59 years after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and more than five years after the documents were originally required to be publicly disclosed, thousands of secret government files—largely from the CIA—were finally released.
In short, CIA does not have a stellar reputation for being forthcoming with respect to public records requests. Nevertheless, the agency provided me with thousands of pages of formerly “top secret” documents.
The CIA does not have a stellar reputation for being forthcoming with respect to public records requests. Nevertheless, the agency provided me with thousands of pages of formerly “top secret” documents.
Part 2: Public Records Request of STRS Ohio
On November 27, 2023, I sent the following simple, narrow public record request to STRS Ohio:
I hereby request, pursuant to Section 149 Ohio Revised Code, all records, documents, reports, memoranda, emails, texts, telephone logs related to Edward Siedle, Ted Siedle, Benchmark Financial Services, Benchmark, and the High Cost of Secrecy. Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.
On December 22, 2023, I received this non-sensical, (cut-and-paste, complete with errors) response from Joy Nelson, Records and Documentation Administration Manager, Legal.
At the onset, , I must note that your request is overly broad (emphasis added) and does not satisfy the requirement of public records law that you specifically and particularly identify the records that you are seeking. Under Ohio law, a requestor has the duty to “identify the records……wanted with sufficient clarity.” State ex rel. Dillery v. Icsman (2001) 92 Ohio St.3d 312, 314. Requests that have a broad discovery-style demand are improper public records requests. Gupta v. Cleveland, Ct. of Cl. No. 2017-00840PQ, 2018-Ohio-3475, ¶22.
A public office is not required to conduct research or otherwise “seek out and retrieve those records which would contain the information of interest to the requester.” State ex rel. Fant v. Tober (8th Dist., April 28, 1993), No. 63737, 1993 Ohio App. LEXIS 2591 at *4; aff’d (1993), 68 Ohio St. 3d 117. To the extent that you have requested records containing specific information, rather than identifying the specific records you seek, your request is inappropriate under applicable legal standards.
If there are specific records you seek, please identify them with sufficient clarity. We have attached the STRS Ohio Record Retention Schedule..
So, a request for records related to my father, Robert Siedle, (who clearly was involved in matters impacting National Security) resulted in the release of thousands of declassified “top secret” documents; on the other hand, a request for documents related to Edward Siedle (a private citizen), was completely summarily denied!
STRS Ohio’s over-played, “overly broad” response would be laughable—if it wasn’t so sinister. Think about it: Any private individual who requests documents from STRS Ohio regarding himself, can be denied. Records about you held by big government can be withheld from you!
Any private individual who requests documents from STRS Ohio regarding himself, can be denied. Records about you held by big government can be withheld from you!
I don’t know what any documents held by STRS Ohio about or related to me say, but STRS Ohio has apparently determined it’s in the pension’s best interest to not comply with state public records law and release them. It is fair to assume there must be some pretty nasty stuff hidden since the pension is willing to stonewall and risk litigation.
In my father’s case, I spent 27 years poring over declassified records and investigating his murder. As long as there is breath in me, I will pursue from STRS Ohio any documents related to this private citizen.
