Obama Presidential Library: NSC Correspondence Related to Avian Flu A(H797) - 2013 to 2017
| Tracking # |
25-17929-F |
| Submitted | Dec. 30, 2024 |
| Est. Completion | March 21, 2045 |
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Communications
From: Robert Delaware
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
All information, analyses, summaries, assessments, transcripts, or similar records included in National Security Correspondence related to the A(H797) strain of Avian influenza. This strain of influenza was first identified on March 31st of 2013.
According to a Vanity Fair article that discussed the Obama administration's NSC and pandemic planning, the Obama administration was closely following the spread of A(H797) in late 2016. The article implies that the 2016 spread of A(H797) was so worrisome to Susan Rice that she decided to advocate for pandemic planning to be included in an exercise with the incoming Trump administration.
Here's a link to the Vanity Fair article where the Obama administration's NSC response to H797 is mentioned: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/05/trump-obama-coronavirus-pandemic-response?srsltid=AfmBOopglhTiQFMeUCKo_euYU2ej58tGguKPy1mDHiYXc_m_-mJ8Ln-B
The time frame for this search is from the date of A(H797)'s identification on March 31st of 2013 to the last day of the Obama administration on January 20th of 2017. The majority of documents generated by the NSC would have been in late 2016 after an outbreak among poultry in the United States and during the transition to the Trump administration.
More on A(H797) can be found here: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/zoonotic-influenza/facts/faq-H7N9
Thank you for the Obama Presidential Library's commitment to transparency, and I look forward to working with you until this request is granted.
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,
Robert Delaware
From: Barack Obama Presidential Library
Dear Robert Deleware,
Thank you for contacting the Barack Obama Presidential Library.
This is a duplicate of request you submitted on 1/2/25, which was assigned
case number 25-17929-F. Therefore, we are closing this request. If you have
any questions, please contact our staff at 847-252-5700 or
obama.library@nara.gov.
This concludes our office’s processing of this request.
Sincerely,
Sarah Cain
Archivist & FOIA Coordinator
Barack Obama Presidential Library
From: Barack Obama Presidential Library
Dear Robert Delaware,
Thank you for contacting the Barack Obama Presidential Library. Please see
the attached information concerning your FOIA request.
Please be sure to notify me of any change in email address as any email
returned undeliverable will result in your case being closed.
Sincerely,
Sarah Cain
Archivist & FOIA Coordinator
Barack Obama Presidential Library
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Initial response 25-17929-F.docx
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 Jan. 2, 2025. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #25-17929-F.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Barack Obama Presidential Library
Dear Robert Delaware,
Thank you for contacting the Barack Obama Presidential Library. Please see
the attached information concerning an estimated completion for your FOIA
request.
If I may be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Sarah Cain
Archivist & FOIA Coordinator
Barack Obama Presidential Library
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 Jan. 2, 2025. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #25-17929-F.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Barack Obama Presidential Library
Dear Robert Delaware,
Thank you for contacting the Barack Obama Presidential Library. Please see
the attached information concerning an estimated completion for your FOIA
request, which remains at approximately 20 years as provided in our last
estimated completion date response on February 12, 2025.
Given the the number of records potentially responsive to your request
(over 2,800 pages and 46,000 electronic files)--making it a complex
request--it will be segmented due to its volume per NARA procedures. We
will review 10,000 assets and then this request will go to the end of the
queue. This means it will take longer for you to receive the records you
are interested in. Let us know if you are interested in narrowing your
request
If I may be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Sarah Cain
Archivist & FOIA Coordinator
Barack Obama Presidential Library
