In late October, The News & Observer got a tip that the Marine Corps was buying rebuilt Vietnam-era jeeps to send into combat. The tipster said the Marines were paying $125,000 for the vehicles, known as Growlers, which the manufacturer sold over the Internet for $15,000.

A quick trip to the manufacturer's Web site showed the vehicles selling for $14,750. Another Internet search found the Marine Corps' budget submission to Congress. The Marines planned to buy 132 similar vehicles at an average cost of $127,000. While this gave the bare bones of the story, it was not enough.

In dealing with the federal government, reporters or citizens can't just call an agency and ask for certain documents to be sent. They must file a written request, then wait for the government to respond within 20 business days.

Here's how things worked after that:

OCT. 27, 2005: The N&O's request is filed via e-mail to the Marines Corps System Command, asking for a copy of the Growler contract, the specifications, the solicitation documents and all amendments. The request noted that all these documents had once been posted at a public Marine Corps Web site, and it asked for an expedited response.

NOV. 3, 2005: The Marines responded quickly, though not with documents. In a letter postmarked Nov. 3, the Marines wrote that they had assigned the request to the "complex category." The Marines would give General Dynamics, the contractor, a month to weigh in on the information to be released.

NOV. 8, 2005: The N&O received the letter and responded that day in a faxed letter. The N&O questioned the "complex category," noting that almost all of the documents had been posted previously on the Internet, and that reactivating the Web site would satisfy most of the request. The N&O followed up with phone messages Nov. 17, Dec. 2 and Dec. 5.

JAN. 8, 2006: Relying on documents from other sources knowledgeable about the program, The N&O published two news articles on the Growler (www.newsobserver.com key word Osprey).

JAN. 18, 2006: The Marine Corps provided copies of documents known as the statement of work and the award. General Dynamics had covered up all dollar amounts, making it impossible to see what the company said it would charge for specific pieces of work. The N&O asked for the dollar amounts to be restored and the rest of the request to be filled. The figures have not been revealed.

FEB. 13, 2006: The Marines sent a compact disc with the specifications, solicitations and amendments, documents that had been posted on the Web in 2004.

Requests for federal documents are not always this cumbersome. During our reporting, The N&O learned that Carolina Growler had sold similar vehicles in 2002 to the Dominican Republic, in a transaction insured by the U.S. Export-Import Bank. Wanting to know the cost of the vehicles, The N&O filed a request on Dec. 7 for the application, cover sheet and memo to the bank's board.

The Export-Import Bank provided the documents on Dec. 22, 2005, sending a copy via traditional mail and fax. The following week, the bank's information specialist called to make sure all documents were provided. Several appendices were missing from the application; the officer faxed them later that day.

The Dominican Republic had paid $33,000 per vehicle.