Q&A: In the beginning . . .
Q. When was the first FOIA request submitted? To which agency? And what records were sought?
A. I would guess that the first request was submitted on July 4, 1967, when the statute became effective. Given the passage of fifty-plus years, however, I doubt any documents exist that could definitively answer that or your other related questions — or if they do exist, they are buried within the National Archives.