William M. Beecher (May 27, 1933 – February 9, 2024) (Central Intelligence Agency)

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 investigative journalist William M. Beecher (May 27, 1933 – February 9, 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/2024/02/18/business/media/william-beecher-dead.html

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 investigative journalist who has written numerous articles on topics of public interest for the Daily Beast, the Asia Times, Responsible Statecraft, the National Interest, Reason Magazine, America Magazine and the Armenian Weekly, 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