SEP 22 2000

Central Intelligence Agency
Washington D.C.  20505


Reference: F-2000-01932

Dear Mr. Wolf:

This acknowledges receipt of your 9 September 2000 letter requesting 
records under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). 
Specifically, your request is for records pertaining to the following 
individual:

Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, who was born in Bogota, 
Colombia, died in 1948, and was a Colombian 
presidential candidate.

For identification purposes we have assigned your request the number 
referenced above. Please refer to this number in future correspondence.

The CIA can neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of 
any CIA records responsive to your request. The fact of the existence or 
nonexistence of records containing such information -- unless it has been 
officially acknowledged -- would be classified for reasons of national 
security under Sections 1.5(c) [intelligence sources and methods] and 
1.5(d) [foreign relations] of Executive Order 12958. Further, the 
Director of Central Intelligence has the responsibility and authority 
to protect such information from unauthorized disclosure in accordance 
with Subsection 103(c)(6) of the National Security Act of 1947 and 
Section 6 of the CIA Act of 1949.

Accordingly, your request is denied on the basis of FOIA exemptions 
(b)(1) and (b)(3). By this action, we are neither confirming nor denying 
the existence or nonexistence of such records. An explanation of cited 
FOIA exemptions is enclosed. The CIA official responsible for this 
denial is Kathryn I. Dyer, Information and Privacy Coordinator. You may 
appeal this decision by addressing your appeal to the Agency Release 
Panel within 45 days from the date of this letter, in my care. Should 
you choose to do this, please explain the basis of your appeal.

We are sorry we cannot be more helpful.

Sincerely,


Kathryn I. Dyer 
Information and Privacy Coordinator


Enclosure



Explanation of Exemptions

(b)(1)  applies to material which is properly classified pursuant to
an Executive order in the interest of national defense or foreign policy;

(b)(3)  applies to the Director's statutory obligations to protect from
disclosure intelligence sources and methods, as well as the organization,
functions, names, official titles, salaries or numbers of personnel
employed by the Agency, in accord with the National Security Act of 1947
and the CIA Act of 1949, respectively;