Author Paul Theroux in Africa

Thank you for filing your FOIA request online on 3/26/2021. Here is a review of your request.

The records I request can be described as follows:

To Whom It May Concern:Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:I would like to request all communications in any format--cables, e-mails, letter mail, telephone notes--that were either to, from, or about the American author Paul Theroux during his travel in Africa in 2001, a trip he later chronicled in his book, "Dark Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown" (2003). I am interested in the seven-month period that begins January 1, 2001 and ends August 1, 2001. I am interested in communications to/from any post in the Africa Regional Bureau (AF), to/from any post in Egypt, and to/from from Washington, DC. Communications may be from post to post, or from post to/from Washington, or from post to/from Mr. Theroux.I am a retired Foreign Service Officer who served in Africa in 2001. I am making this request as a student in a journalism course at the University of Nevada Reno. I intend to write a feature article based on the information I have requested. Mr. Theroux, a travel writer, was sometimes a voluntary speaker for embassy Public Affairs Sections in the countries he visited. He also sometimes requested assistance from posts as he traveled. His descriptions of U.S. Embassies and their staff were not always positive, and the purpose of my request is to shed light on those visits from posts’ and/or Washington’s perspective.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 MiddletonUpload documents directly: https://https://www.muckrock.comhttps://www.muckrock.com/

The time period of my request is from 01/01/2001 to 08/01/2001

I am A representative of the news media seeking information as part of a news gathering effort and not for commercial use.

I am willing to pay $25 for my request.

My additional comments are as follows:

N/A

Contact Information
Mr. William Middleton
MuckRock News 411A Highland Ave
DEPT MR 110115
Somerville, Massachusetts 02144
P: (617)299-1832
F: N/A
requests@muckrock.com

**THIS EMAIL BOX IS NOT MONITORED, PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.** Mr.Middleton: This email acknowledges receipt of your March 26, 2021, 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 26, 2021, regardingcommunications either to, from, or about the American author Paul Theroux during his travel in Africa (Date Range for Record Search: From 1/1/2001 To 8/1/2001). Unless you advise otherwise, we will treat as non-responsive any compilations of publicly available news reports and any publicly available documents not created by the U.S. government, such as mass-distribution emails from news media.  This Office assigned your request the subject reference 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 willnot be able to respond within the 20 days provided by the statute due to“unusual circumstances.” See 5 U.S.C. §552(a)(6)(B)(i)-(iii). In this instance,the unusual circumstances include the need to search for and collect requestedrecords from other Department offices or Foreign Service posts. If you have any questions regarding yourrequest , 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 FOIAPublic Liaison by email at FOIAstatus@state.gov or telephone at202-261-8484. 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 facsimile at 202-741-5769. **THIS EMAIL BOX IS NOT MONITORED, PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.**

Mr. Middleton,

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

Mr. Middleton,

This is in response to your email below regarding FOIA Case Control Number F-2021-04208.

The Office of Information Programs and Services’ electronic records system indicates this request is in process and has a May 19, 2022, estimated date of completion (EDC). Again, EDCs are estimates. If this request can be completed prior to the EDC, a response will be sent sooner.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resources to process FOIA cases are limited at the Department. Therefore, there will be a delay in processing FOIA requests.

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>.
Regards,
U.S. Department of State
FOIA Requester Service Center