According to the complaint filed by Dolenz, the Monkees were under investigation by the FBI for alleged anti-Vietnam War activities in 1967 in connection with a concert at which they displayed pictures and messages protesting the conflict.
Dolenz and his late bandmates Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones and Peter Tork were also under investigation over another matter, which was redacted, the complaint said.
Part of the FBI’s file on the band was released to the public just over a decade ago, but Dolenz, now 77, wants to see the full file.
“References to the band appear in two places in the FBI files: in a 1967 Los Angeles Field Office memorandum on anti-Vietnam War activities and in a second document that was fully redacted,” the FBI statement said. site.
A Freedom of Information Act request he filed in June received no response from the FBI, according to Dolenz’s complaint.
“This lawsuit seeks to preserve all records created and/or possessed by the FBI regarding the Monkees and their individual members,” the lawsuit states. “Mr Dolenz has exhausted all necessary administrative remedies in relation to himself [Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act] Inquiry.”
CNN has reached out to the FBI and Justice Department for comment.
The Monkees had a record four No. 1 albums in 1967, along with their popular sitcom, which ran from 1966-1968.
CNN’s Holmes Lybrand contributed to this story.