The SD Files 1886-1894

Dear Home Office,
In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act,
I am respectfully requesting the opening of the SD/CID Files from
1886-1894 held apparently in perpetuity, and their contents'
details be sent to me in full.
The reason for my request is that the files contain a file, with
many papers on the subject of, and entitled, I believe, The
Whitechapel Murders. I make this request also, that the contents
are opened to me in full, without being sifted through on
beforehand. This has, sadly, been done before on files that were
originally opened to the public relating to this case.
This subject is a prickly subject, as Mr Anderson, Ass Commissioner
at the time, in conjunction with the Home Office, decided to make
these files, connected to Fenianism,and others pertaining to the
Whitechapel murders, unavailable for public scrutiny at any point
in time.
Upon verbal and written requests, serious researchers have been
told the following:-
1) The files are held in perpetuity because of the link to National
Security.

2) Also because of the effect of the names in the files would have
upon the families concerned, be they from the time of the murders,
or the relatives of these people to the present day.

The obvious argument to these two points are:-

a) If the subject itself was a subject involving National Security,
this surely cannot apply 122 years later! The problems around
Fenianism in the 1880's do NOT apply today, especially as the IRA,
the offshoot of Fenianism, has been officially disbanded.

b) I cannot accept that 5 generations down the line, people would
be affected by any name involved in something so long ago, unless
the victims themselves were involved in undercover work, such as
"Jenkinson's girls". This would only reveal the use of these people
as part of the undercover operations in trying to infiltrate the
Fenian organisation. Surely, after 122 years, this is no longer a
problem.

There is a precedent for these files to be made public. Douglas G
Browne, author of The Rise and Fall of Scotland Yard, in 1956, was
given access to these files in 1955/6.
In his book, he relates to files that have never been seen by
anyone else, quoting that the Commissioner, Melville MacNaughten
appears to identify the Ripper with the leader of the plot to
assassinate Mr. Balfour at the Irish Office."
Therefore, a person HAS seen these contents before anyone else. In
his introduction, he thanks "the generous help of the authorities
at New Scotland Yard in being given access to the records without
such work he had contemplated could not have been undertaken." In
five passages he uses words drawn directly from the Home Office and
Scotland Yard Files and not known to occur anywhere else.
The documentary evidence to have enabled Browne to make the
statement about MacNaughten, MUST have come from the SD/CID files,
as ipso facto, the mentioning of the Fenian murder plot must have
been held within THOSE files.Re National security.

I hope, that after 122 years, you will kindly supply me with ALL
the information contained within these Files, which are KNOWN to
exist. Fact.

Respectfully, and with sincerity

Yours faithfully,

Phil Carter