(a) In general. Requests meeting the requirements of §§ 1900.11 through 1900.13 shall be considered proper FOIA requests and will be processed under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552,this,and. Upon receipt, the Agency shall within ten (10) business days record each request, acknowledge receipt to the requester in writing, and thereafter effect the necessary taskings to the CIA components reasonably believed to hold responsive records.

(b) Previously-released records. As an alternative to extensive tasking, search, and review, some requesters may wish to consider limiting the scope of their requests to previously released records. Searches of such records can often be accomplished expeditiously. Moreover, requests for such records that are specific and well-focused will often incur minimal, if any, costs. Requesters interested in limiting their requests to previously released Agency information, in lieu of traditional processing of a FOIA request, should so indicate in their correspondence.

(c) Effect of certain exemptions. In processing a request, the Agency shall decline to confirm or deny the existence or nonexistence of any responsive records whenever the mere fact of their existence or nonexistence is itself classified under Executive Order 13526 (or successor orders), or revealing of intelligence sources and methods protected pursuant to section 102A(i)(1) of the National Security Act of 1947, as amended. In such circumstances, the Agency, in the form of a final written response, shall so inform the requester and advise the requester of the right to an administrative appeal.

(d) Time for response. The Agency will make every effort to respond to a proper FOIA request within the statutory 20-business day time period after receipt of the request. However, the Agency may seek additional time from a requester in accordance with § 1900.33.