WikiLeaks (U.S. Geological Survey)

Dear Ms. Best:

On May 21, 2019, the USGS Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) office received
your FOIA request, and assigned it control number *USGS-2019-00135*. Please
cite this number in any future communications with our office regarding
your request. You request the following information generated as part of
the creation of the FOIA office:

Any and all documents in the agency's possession that pertain to the
WikiLeaks website or organization from January 2006 to the present date,
including but not limited to emails, memos, notes, briefings, reports and
other documents related to, mentioning or generated as a result of:

Guidance and instructions for employees regarding visiting the website or
otherwise reading or learning about it in the news

Internal reactions to the website's existence and disclosures

Damage reports regarding the website and its disclosures

Efforts to identify, investigate and/or mitigate potential leaks to the
website

Efforts to identify, investigate and/or mitigate potential unauthorized
viewing of the website or news reports analyzing it and/or its contents

We have classified you as a representative of the “news media”
requester. As such, we may charge you for some of our duplication costs,
but we will not charge you for our search or review costs; you also are
entitled to up to 100 pages of photocopies (or an equivalent volume) for
free. *See
<http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=0fc3ab3499768eebc2e3691c8cf88dec&rgn=div5&view=text&node=43:1.1.1.1.2&idno=43#43:1.1.1.1.2.7.5.3>**43
C.F.R. § 2.39
<http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=0fc3ab3499768eebc2e3691c8cf88dec&rgn=div5&view=text&node=43:1.1.1.1.2&idno=43#43:1.1.1.1.2.7.5.3>*.
If,
after taking into consideration your fee category entitlements, our
processing costs are less than $50.00, we will not bill you because the
cost of collection would be greater than the fee collected. *See
<http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=0fc3ab3499768eebc2e3691c8cf88dec&rgn=div5&view=text&node=43:1.1.1.1.2&idno=43#43:1.1.1.1.2.7.5.13>**43
C.F.R. § 2.49(a)(1)
<http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=0fc3ab3499768eebc2e3691c8cf88dec&rgn=div5&view=text&node=43:1.1.1.1.2&idno=43#43:1.1.1.1.2.7.5.13>*
*. *You can expect to hear from us promptly regarding the outcome of this
search.

You have asked us to waive the fees for processing your request. Our FOIA
regulations state that bureaus will waive, or partially waive, fees if
disclosure of all or part of the information is:

1. In the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly
to public understanding of government operations or activities, and

2. Not primarily in your commercial interest.

*See
<http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=0fc3ab3499768eebc2e3691c8cf88dec&rgn=div5&view=text&node=43:1.1.1.1.2&idno=43#43:1.1.1.1.2.7.5.9>**43
C.F.R. § 2.45(a)
<http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=0fc3ab3499768eebc2e3691c8cf88dec&rgn=div5&view=text&node=43:1.1.1.1.2&idno=43#43:1.1.1.1.2.7.5.9>*.
Our
FOIA regulations also provide four specific criteria that are used to
determine whether these two requirements are met. *See
<http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=0fc3ab3499768eebc2e3691c8cf88dec&rgn=div5&view=text&node=43:1.1.1.1.2&idno=43#43:1.1.1.1.2.7.5.12>**43
C.F.R. § 2.48(a)
<http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=0fc3ab3499768eebc2e3691c8cf88dec&rgn=div5&view=text&node=43:1.1.1.1.2&idno=43#43:1.1.1.1.2.7.5.12>*
*.* Your request meets the criteria and supports your requested fee
waiver; therefore, I approve your request and waive the FOIA processing
fees.

We use Multitrack Processing to process FOIA requests. The Simple track is
for requests that can be processed in one to five workdays. The Normal
track is for requests that can be processed in six to twenty workdays. The
Complex track is for requests that can be processed in twenty-one to sixty
workdays. The Exceptional/Voluminous track is for requests requiring more
than sixty workdays for processing. The Expedited track is for requests
that have been granted expedited processing. Within each track, requests
are usually processed on a first-in, first-out basis.

Your request falls into the *Complex* processing track. We therefore
anticipate that we will complete a final response to you by *August 15,
2019**.* During the interim, we will attempt to provide records to you in
batches.

You may limit the scope of your request, which may enable us to process it
more quickly, or agree to an alternative time period for processing by
communicating with us or our USGS FOIA Public Liaison, Mr. Brian May, as
follows:

USGS FOIA Office

Attention: Mr. Brian A. May

5522 Research Park Drive

Baltimore, Maryland 21228

Telephone: (443) 498-5521

Fax: (443) 498-5510

E-Mail: foia@usgs.gov

Additionally, you may contact the Office of Government Information Services
(OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administration to inquire about
the FOIA mediation services they offer. The contact information for OGIS
is as follows:

Office of Government Information Services

National Archives and Records Administration

8601 Adelphi Road-OGIS

College Park, Maryland 20740-6001

Telephone: (202) 741-5770

Toll free: 1-877-684-6448

Fax: (202) 741-5769

E-mail: *ogis@nara.gov <ogis@nara.gov>*;

Web: *https://ogis.archives.gov <https://ogis.archives.gov/>*

If you have any questions concerning your request, please contact me by
email at *foia@usgs.gov <foia@usgs.gov>* or by phone at (303) 236-2733.

Thank you for your interest in the U.S. Geological Survey.

Sincerely,

//SIGNED//

Nour Suleiman

U.S. Geological Survey

Department of the Interior

Denver Federal Center

Box 25046

Mail Stop 801A

Denver, CO 80225

(303) 236-2733 (office)

(303) 236-1451 (fax)

f <bmay@usgs.gov>oia@usgs.gov

Dear Ms. Best,

We have completed the processing of your request USGS FOIA Tracking
#2019-00135. Please find attached our response letter.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns regarding your
request.

Sincerely,

Patricia Orlando
U.S. Geological Survey
Department of Interior
6000 J Street - Placer Hall
Sacramento, CA 95819
(916) 278-3008 Office
foia@usgs.gov