After a Freedom of Information (FOIA) request, the ACCG has secured important evidence about the extent of cooperation between the State Department and archaeological advocacy groups, most notably, the mysteriously well-funded Antiquities Coalition. That documentation relates to an “invitation only” event where a cultural property MOU with a Saudi-supported faction in Yemen was signed in 2023. That agreement bypassed a formal statutory review by the Cultural Property Advisory Committee and public comment required under US law. While the documentation was heavily redacted -- with 42 blank pages -- the extent of the cooperation again underscores the ACCG’s concerns that important stake holders are being cut out of the process of imposing import restrictions on cultural goods. ACCG has appealed the release of the heavily redacted documents, seeking the release of the documents in unredacted form. The State Department’s FOIA response and their documents can be found here as a pdf:
(1) DOS FOIA response letter F-2024-08777 10.2.2024.pdf
(2) DOS FOIA response documents F-2024-08777 10.2.2024.pdf
