FLEX Program
| Tracking # |
F-2024-08565 |
| Submitted | March 15, 2024 |
| Due | April 12, 2024 |
| Est. Completion | Feb. 27, 2026 |
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Communications
From: William Middleton
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
Given that FLEX alumni are now at the top of the Russian propaganda machine, attacking the United States on Russian state TV and elsewhere almost daily, I am interested in seeing any messages, correspondence, reviews, or proposals that address the successes and/or failures of the Future Leaders EXchange Program (FLEX) in Russia, from the start of the program in 1992 to the present. I am only interested in Russia. Russia pulled out of the FLEX Program in 2014, however discussion of the program and its alumni likely continued there to the present moment.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
William Middleton
From: U.S. Department of State
Dear William Middleton:
Thank you for filing your information access request to the U.S. Department of State. Your request number is F-2024-08565.
You will receive a formal acknowledgement to your request in no later than 10 working days. If the Department requires additional information from you, then you will also be notified.
Should you have any questions about your request, you may also contact us at:
FOIAStatus@state.gov
Regards,
Requesters Communications Branch
Office of Information Programs and Services
U.S. Department of State
From: U.S. Department of State
Dear William Middleton,
The status of your FOIA request #F-2024-08565 has been updated to the following status 'Received'. To learn more, please log into the DoS FOIA Portal via the Application URL below.
https://pal.foia.state.gov
Regards,
U.S. Department of State
From: U.S. Department of State
*THIS EMAIL BOX IS NOT MONITORED, PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.** Dear Mr.Middleton: This email acknowledges receipt of your March 18, 2024, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552) request received by the U.S. Department of State, Office ofInformation Programs and Services on March 18, 2024. request for the following records:any messages, correspondence, reviews, or proposals that address the successes and/or failures of the Future Leaders EXchange Program (FLEX) in Russia, from the start of the program in 1992 to the present (Date Range for Record Search: From 1/1/2014 To 3/18/2024).
You are seeking a copy of Unless you advise otherwise, we will treat as non-responsive anycompilations of publicly available news reports and any publicly availabledocuments not created by the U.S. government, such as mass-distribution emailsfrom news media. This Office assigned your request the subjectreference number and placed it in the complex processing track where it will beprocessed as quickly as possible. See 22 CFR § 171.11(h).
This Office will not be able to respond within the 20 daysprovided by the statute due to “unusual circumstances.” See 5 U.S.C.§ 552(a)(6)(B)(i)-(iii). In this instance, the unusual circumstancesinclude the need to search for and collect requested records from otherDepartment offices or Foreign Service posts.
If you have any questionsregarding your request, would like to narrow the scope or arrange analternative time frame to speed its processing, or would like an estimated dateof completion, please contact our FOIA Requester Service Center or our FOIA PublicLiaison by email at ortelephone at 202-261-8484. Additionally, you may contact the Office ofGovernment Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and RecordsAdministration to inquire about the FOIA mediation services they offer. The contact information for OGIS is as follows: Office of GovernmentInformation Services, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601Adelphi Road-OGIS, College Park, Maryland 20740-6001, email at (mailto:FOIAstatus@state.gov) FOIAstatus@state.gov ; telephone at202-741-5770; toll free at 1-877-684-6448; or facsimile at 202-741-5769. (mailto:ogis@nara.gov) ogis@nara.gov
**THIS EMAIL BOX IS NOT MONITORED, PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TOTHIS EMAIL.**
From: U.S. Department of State
Dear William Middleton,
The status of your FOIA request #F-2024-08565 has been updated to the following status 'In Process'. To learn more, please log into the DoS FOIA Portal via the Application URL below.
https://pal.foia.state.gov
Regards,
U.S. Department of State
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 17, 2024. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #F-2024-08565.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: U.S. Department of State
Sir or Madam,
The Office of Information Programs and Services is in receipt of your inquiry below. We will follow-up with you as soon as possible to provide a response.
Thank you in advance for your patience.
Regards,
U.S. Department of State
FOIA Requester Service Center
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~WRD0001
From: U.S. Department of State
Mr. Simmons,
This is in reference to your email below regarding the status of FOIA case number F-2024-08565.
The Office of Information Programs and Services' electronic records system indicates this request is in process and has an estimated date of completion (EDC) of February 27, 2026. Please note, EDCs are estimates and are subject to change. If the request can be completed prior to the EDC, a response will be sent sooner.
Please be advised that the Department currently has a backlog of FOIA requests and is working through it as quickly as possible. As the Department continues to work through its backlog of FOIA requests, it is mindful of its accountability to the public.
We apologize for the delayed response and appreciate your continued patience.
If you have any concerns or questions regarding a FOIA-related matter, please contact the FOIA Requester Service Center at 202-261-8484 or send an e-mail to foiastatus@state.gov<mailto:foiastatus@state.gov>.
Sincerely,
U.S. Department of State
FOIA Requester Service Center
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