Attached is correspondence from the Department of Justice's Office of Information Policy, which is associated with the above-referenced Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

Please do not reply to this e-mail, as this account is not monitored.

Thank you,
-----------------------------------------
Initial Request Staff
Office of Information Policy
U.S. Department of Justice

202-514-3642 (Main Line)
202-514-1009 (Fax)

This message is to confirm your request submission to the FOIAonline application: View Request. Request information is as follows: (https://www.foiaonline.gov/foiaonline/action/public/submissionDetails?trackingNumber=NARA-NGC-2021-000140&type=request)

* Tracking Number: NARA-NGC-2021-000140
* Requester Name: Paul Galante
* Date Submitted: 11/09/2020
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

Records mentioning, relating to, or generated during the existence of Operation Courtship (aka Courtship Unit), a joint CIA-FBI program active during the 1980s. This program was previously disclosed in CIA records, which are enclosed with this request.

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,

Paul Galante

Upload documents directly: https://https://www.muckrock.comhttps://www.muckrock.com/

Dear Mr. Galante:

Thank you for submitting your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to
the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) via the
*FOIAOnline* website.
We received your request on November 9, 2020. You are looking for records
about Operation Courtship, a joint CIA-FBI program during the 1980s.

Our office uses the *FOIAonline* portal for FOIA and Privacy Act requests
for the National Archives and Records Administration's *operational *records
(records created by this agency). Because your *FOIAOnline *request is for
records that may be textual *archival *records (records created by or
originated in a different agency but that may have been transferred to the
legal custody of NARA), we have forwarded it to our *Office of Research
Services, Textual Reference (RR2R)* staff who handle FOIA requests for
archival records.

Since *Research Services* does not process FOIA requests through
*FOIAOnline*, we removed your request from the *FOIAOnline* website.
Textual Reference will assign you a new tracking number, and respond
directly to you. In the future, if you need to follow up with that office,
please contact them at the address below, or electronically via email.

National Archives and Records Administration
Research Services, Textual Reference Branch (RR2R)
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 2400
College Park, MD 20740

By phone: 301-837-3091
By fax: 301-837-1752
By email: archives2reference@nara.gov

For your reference, a copy of your request with two attachments are below.

Please visit our website at www.archives.gov/foia for further information
about submitting a FOIA request to NARA. On our main website,
www.archives.gov, you can learn more about the resources we offer to the
public, and you can access our online catalog.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and pursuant to guidance received from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), federal agencies have adjusted their
normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical
work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the
safety of our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities,
you may experience a delay in receiving a substantive response to your FOIA
request. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your
understanding and patience.

Sincerely,
Susan Gillett
Government Information Specialist
Office of General Counsel
National Archives and Records Administration
College Park, MD 20740-6001
susan.gillett@nara.gov

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <admin@foiaonline.gov>
Date: Mon, Nov 9, 2020 at 6:51 PM
Subject: FOIA Request Deletion: NARA-NGC-2021-000140
To: <susan.gillett@nara.gov>

Below is an export of the submitted request information for the FOIA
request NARA-NGC-2021-000140.

- *Name and Address*
- First Name: Paul
- Middle Initial:
- Last Name: Galante
- Organization:
- Mailing Address Location: United States/U.S. Territories
- Address Line 1: 411A Highland Ave
- Address Line 2: DEPT MR 104284
- City: Somerville
- State/Province: MA
- Zip/Postal Code: 02144
- *Contact Information*
- E-mail Address: requests@muckrock.com
- Phone Number: 617-299-1832
- Fax Number:
- *Agency and Fee Information*
- Assigned Agency: NGC - Office of General Counsel
- Will Pay Up To: $25.00
- *Description*
- To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the
following records:

Records mentioning, relating to, or generated during the existence of
Operation Courtship (aka Courtship Unit), a joint CIA-FBI program active
during the 1980s. This program was previously disclosed in CIA records,
which are enclosed with this request.

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,

Paul Galante

Upload documents directly: https://https://www.muckrock.comhttps://
accounts.muckrock.com/accounts/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.muckrock.com%2Faccounts%2Flogin%2F%3Fnext%3D%252Faccounts%252Fagency_login%252Fnational-archives-and-records-administration-129%252Foperation-courtship-104284%252F%253F&url_auth_token=AAAj2p3pea1RXFbh4YFmPn_cnaA%3A1kcEcZ%3A9SwBI9BKGt-5aHNoqjz1Zuoj4vQ
- *Fee Waiver*
- Fee Waiver Requested: No
- Fee Waiver Reason:
- *Expedited Processing*
- Expedited Processing Requested: No
- Expedited Processing Reason:

Dear Paul Galante,

This is in reply to your Freedom of Information Act request, dated November
9, 2020 for records relating to Operation Courtship, a joint CIA-FBI
program during the 1980s. Your request was received in this office on
November 12, 2020 and assigned the case number 21-05931.

Your request has also been referred to our Special Access and FOIA office
for a search of our FBI holdings. They will provide you with a separate
response.

The National Archives at College Park, MD holds records of the CIA in *Record
Group 263: Records of the Central Intelligence Agency*. We conducted a
search of our finding aids and the National Archives Catalog, and did not
locate any CIA records pertaining to Operation Courtship.

Please note that our CIA holdings are very limited in scope and consist
primarily of analytical products, such as intelligence reports and
estimates, as well as publications and a limited number of historical
collections. With very few and limited exceptions, the National Archives
does not hold records of clandestine CIA operations. These records remain
with the CIA.

Based on your request, it appears that you may have already been in contact
with the CIA regarding their records; however, if you have further
questions, contact information for their FOIA office may be found here:
https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/home.

We do not consider this a denial of your FOIA request. However, if you are
not satisfied with our action on this request, your options for appeal and
dispute resolution are outlined in the attachment. If you have any
questions, you may reach us at archives2reference@nara.gov.

This completes the processing of your request.

Sincerely,

David Castillo
Archives Specialist
Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD

Dear Paul Galante,

Thank you for your Freedom of Information Act request for records in the
custody of the National Archives and Records Administration. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, we are not able to process FOIA requests according to
our normal procedures. We have assigned your request the temporary tracking
number *RF-396.* When we resume normal operations, we will log requests
into our system in the order they were received. At that time, we will
provide you with a new FOIA tracking number and a more substantive
response. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your
understanding and patience.

Sincerely,
Brigitte Flynn
Special Access & FOIA Staff

Dear Paul Galante:

I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request
of November 9, 2020 for records in the custody of the National Archives and
Records Administration. Your request was received in this office on
November 12, 2020 and assigned FOIA tracking number 64782, interim tracking
number RF-396.

You requested records related to Operation Courtship (aka Courtship Unit) a
joint CIA-FBI program active during the 1980s. We conducted a search of FBI
case files and all available indexes transferred to the National Archives
and were unable to identify any responsive records related to your request
in our holdings.

If you have not done so already, you may wish to submit a FOIA request to
the FBI for a search of their indexes for files relating to your subject.
Information about how to submit a FOIA request with the FBI is available on
their website at:
https://www.fbi.gov/services/records-management/foipa/requesting-fbi-records
.

Because we were unable to identify any case files pertinent to your subject
of interest, we are closing your request administratively. This concludes
the processing of your request.

If you are not satisfied with our action on this request, you have the
right to file an administrative appeal within ninety (90) calendar days
from the date of this letter. Appeals must be in writing and may be
delivered by regular U.S. mail or by email. By filing an appeal, you
preserve your rights under the Freedom of Information Act and present the
deciding agency with an opportunity to review your request and reconsider
its decision. If you submit your appeal by regular mail, it should be
addressed to the Deputy Archivist of the United States (ND), National
Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, Room 4200, College
Park, Maryland 20740-6001. Both the letter and envelope should be clearly
marked “FOIA Appeal.” If you submit your appeal by email, please send
it to *foia@nara.gov
<foia@nara.gov>*, addressed to the Deputy Archivist, with the words “FOIA
Appeal” in the subject line. Please be certain to explain why you believe
this response does not meet the requirements of the Freedom of Information
Act. All communications concerning this request should reference your FOIA
tracking number.

If you would like the opportunity to discuss our response and attempt to
resolve your dispute without initiating the appeals process, you may
contact our FOIA Public Liaison for assistance:

Accessioned Executive Branch Records – Washington, DC Area

FOIA Requester Service Center: 301-837-3190

Acting FOIA Public Liaison: Rebecca Calcagno

8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500

College Park, MD 20740-6001

*dc.foia.liaison@nara.gov <dc.foia.liaison@nara.gov>*

301-837-3190

If you are unable to resolve your dispute through our Public Liaison, the
Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) is the federal FOIA
ombudsman. OGIS offers mediation services to help resolve disputes between
FOIA requesters and federal agencies. You may contact OGIS at the following
address:

Office of Government Information Services (OGIS)

National Archives and Records Administration

8601 Adelphi Road, Room 2510

College Park, MD 20740-6001

*ogis@nara.gov <ogis@nara.gov>*

202-741-5770

1-877-684-6448 (toll-free)

If you have additional questions, please contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Jason Mincey

Archives Specialist

Special Access and FOIA Program (RF)

(301) 837-1624

*https://www.archives.gov/research/foia
<https://www.archives.gov/research/foia>*