Margarita Simonovna Simonyan and the FLEX Program
| Tracking # |
F-2024-05485 |
| Submitted | Jan. 26, 2024 |
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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:
I am requesting information on Margarita Simonovna Simonyan, who was a participant in the State Department's FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange) Program in 1995.
Margarita Simonovna Simonyan is Russian and was born April 6, 1980 in Krasnodar, Russia. Her FLEX program in 1995 was in Berlin, New Hampshire.
The information I am requesting would be for the years 1993 through 1997 inclusive.
The information would include but not be limited to:
her FLEX application, any supporting materials, and any interview notes;
any reports , notes, or communication made during the program itself, to include anything from the Embassy, Ms. Simonyan, or the host family;
any reports made following the program, to include debriefing notes, reporting cables, etc.;
any responses to Embassy communications by Washington elements.
The information I am interested in would have come from the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Russia, as well as from the office in Washington responsible for FLEX exchanges.
Ms. Simonyan was appointed editor-in-chief of RT (then known as Russia Today) in 2005, a position she still holds.
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-2024-05485.
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-2024-05485 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 responds to yourJanuary 29, 2024, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552) request received by the U.S. Department of State,Office of Information Programs and Services on January 29, 2024. You are seeking a copy of, " To Whom It May Concern:Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:I am requesting information on Margarita Simonovna Simonyan, who was a participant in the State Department's FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange) Program in 1995.Margarita Simonovna Simonyan is Russian and was born April 6, 1980 in Krasnodar, Russia. Her FLEX program in 1995 was in Berlin, New Hampshire.The information I am requesting would be for the years 1993 through 1997 inclusive.The information would include but not be limited to:her FLEX application, any supporting materials, and any interview notes;any reports , notes, or communication made during the program itself, to include anything from the Embassy, Ms. Simonyan, or the host family;any reports made following the program, to include debriefing notes, reporting cables, etc.;any responses to Embassy communications by Washington elements.The information I am interested in would have come from the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Russia, as well as from the office in Washington responsible for FLEX exchanges.Ms. Simonyan was appointed editor-in-chief of RT (then known as Russia Today) in 2005, a position she still holds.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. (Date Range for Record Search: From 01/01/1993 To 12/31/1997)." This Office assigned your request the subject reference number. This Office denies your request, as currently written, because itdoes not reasonably describe the records sought. request mustreasonably describe the Department records that are sought to enable Departmentpersonnel to begin a search for responsive records. Such details may include the subject,timeframe, names of any individuals involved, a contract number (ifapplicable), and reasons why the requester believes the Department may haverecords regarding the subject of the request. See 22 CFR 171.4(b). If you are not satisfied with this determination, you may administratively appeal by writing to: Appeals Officer, Office of Information Programs and Services (A/GIS/IPS), Room B-266, U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20520; by fax to (202) 485-1718; or by email to FOIAAppeals@state.gov Your appeal must be postmarked or electronically transmitted within 90 days of the date of this email. Please include a copy of this correspondence with your written appeal and clearly state why you disagree with the determinations set forth in this response.
If you have any questionsregarding your request, please contact our FOIA Requester Service Center or ourFOIA Public Liaison by email at FOIAstatus@state.gov or telephone at 202-261-8484. Additionally, youmay contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at theNational Archives and Records Administration to inquire about the FOIAmediation services they offer. Thecontact information for OGIS is as follows: Office of Government InformationServices, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road-OGIS,College Park, Maryland 20740-6001, email at ogis@nara.gov; telephone at202-741-5770; toll free at 1-877-684-6448; or fax at 202-741-5769. Sincerely, Brooke Nicholas Branch Chief Requester Communications Branch Requester Liaison Division Office of Information Programs andServices U.S. Department of State **THIS EMAIL BOX IS NOT MONITORED, PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.**
From: U.S. Department of State
Dear William Middleton,
The status of your FOIA request #F-2024-05485 has been updated to the following status 'Closed'. 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
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