Lewis Henry Lapham (January 8, 1935 – July 23, 2024)

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

Records mentioning, relating to, or generated as a result of investigation or inquiry into magazine editor Lewis Henry Lapham (January 8, 1935 – July 23, 2024). His death is widely-known and widely reported; as such, privacy concerns under FOIA Exemptions 6 and 7 are voided, as are any concerns under the Privacy Act. For example, you may find his New York Times obituary at the following link: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/24/business/media/lewis-h-lapham-dead.html

"Long ago and in another country, America in 1957, I sought enlistment in the CIA and sat for an interview with a credentials committee ordained by God and country and Allen Dulles," Lapham wrote in the introduction to the Winter 2016 edition (Volume IX, Number 1) of Lapham's Quarterly. He stated that the application process consisted of several days of "written, physical, and psychological examinations" that culminated in "an interview with five operatives in their late twenties...in a Quonset hut near the Lincoln Memorial." According to Lapham, that interview "put an end to my interest in the CIA." If any record of Lapham's application paperwork exists, I am requesting it.

If any part of these documents are exempt from disclosure, please be sure to review and release all reasonably segregable nonexempt portions of responsive documents, as the FOIA requires.

I request that I be properly classified as a media requester. I am an assistant editor at Reason Magazine who has written numerous articles on topics of public interest, and I am requesting these documents in an editorial capacity. Please contact me if you have any questions about my media status.

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,

Matthew Petti