Diplomatic and Official Passports Department employees may use diplomatic and official passports only as long as they are retained in the position or status for which originally issued. Section 51.4 of title 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations states that such passports must be returned upon termination of the bearer's diplomatic or official status.

In accordance with the Department's Foreign Affairs Manual (3 FAM 784), it is the responsibility of administrative officers to ensure that Form DS-8A includes a record of the disposition of passports issued to separating or retiring employees and their dependents. This includes all diplomatic and official passports, as well as any tourist passports for which the employee has been reimbursed by the Department.

Because of the possibility of misuse of these documents, it is important that all offices establish and maintain effective control over passport use. These passports are normally destroyed by Passport Services; however, they may be canceled and returned as mementos if requested.

Diplomatic passports may not be used by employees for strictly personal travel. Regulations permit their use for incidental personal travel related to an official assignment if the host government does not object. However, if employees or their dependents prefer to travel on a regular tourist passport in connection with official travel, they may apply by paying the regular passport fees and claiming reimbursement on their travel voucher.

Inquiries on these matters should be directed to Passport Services, Special Issuance Agency. Phone, 202-955-0200. Electronic Access The Department's Bureau of Public Affairs, Office of Public Communication, coordinates the dissemination of public electronic information for the Department. The main Web site at http://www.state.gov/ and the Secretary's Web site at http:// secretary.state.gov/ provide

comprehensive, up-to-date information on foreign policy, travel and consular information, support for U.S. businesses,

careers, the counterterrorism rewards program, and much more.

The State Department Electronic Reading Room at http://foia.state.gov/ uses new information technologies to enable access to unique historical records of international significance which have been made available to the public under the Freedom of Information Act or as a special collection. Employment Inquiries about employment in the Foreign Service should be directed to: PER/REE/REC, P.O. Box 9317, Arlington, VA 22210. Phone, 703-875-7490. Inquiries about civil service positions in the Department of State should be directed to: PER/CSP/ POD, P.O. Box 18657, Washington, DC 20036-8657. The Department's Civil Service Employment Information Office is located inside the D Street north lobby entrance of the Department of State building, Washington, DC. The Civil Service Personnel Office provides a 24hour job information line. Phone, 202647-7284.

Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Requests Requests from the public for Department of State records should be addressed to the Director, Office of IRM Programs and Service, Department of State, Room 1512, 2201 C Street NW., Washington, DC 20520-1512. Phone, 202-647-8300. Individuals are requested to indicate on the outside of the envelope the statute under which they are requesting access: FOIA REQUEST or PRIVACY REQUEST.

Any identifiable Department of State document can be requested under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). Requesters should provide as much identifying information as possible about the document, such as subject matter, timeframe, originator of the information, or any other helpful data, to assist the Department in locating it. Please include your daytime telephone number.

Only persons who are U.S. citizens or aliens who are lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence can request information under the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a). Under this act, individuals may request access to records that are maintained under the individual's name or some other

personally identifiable symbol. Descriptions of record systems from which documents can be retrieved by the individual's name are published in the Federal Register, copies of which are available from the Director, Office of IRM Programs and Services. To expedite processing of requests, individuals should specify the system of records they wish to have searched and should provide the following identifying information: full name; aliases (if any); date and place of birth; and circumstances, including approximate time period, which would have led to the creation of the record.

A public reading room, where unclassified and declassified documents may be inspected, is located in the Department of State, 2201 C Street NW., Washington, DC. Phone, 202-647-8300. Directions to the reading room may be obtained from receptionists at public entrances to the Department.

Additional information about the Department's FOIA program can be found on the FOIA Electronic Reading Room Web site at http://foia.state.gov/. Missing Persons, Emergencies, Deaths of Americans Abroad For information concerning missing persons, emergencies, travel warnings, overseas voting, judicial assistance, and arrests or deaths of Americans abroad, contact the Office of American Citizens Services and Crisis Management, Department of State. Phone, 202-647-5225. Fax, 202-6473732. Fax-on-demand, 202-647-3000.

Internet, http://travel.state.gov/. Correspondence should be directed to: Overseas Citizens Services, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520.

Inquiries regarding international parental child abduction or adoption of foreign children by private U.S. citizens should be directed to the Office of Children's Issues, CA/OCS/CI, Room 4811, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520. Phone, 202-647-2688. Fax, 202-647-2835. Internet, http:// travel.state.gov/.

Passports Passport information is available through the Internet, at http:// travel.state.gov/. For recorded general passport information, contact any of the Regional Passport Agencies at the telephone numbers listed in the following table. For passport assistance and information, you may call the National Passport Information Center (phone, 900-225-5674; TDD, 900-2257778) and you will be charged 35 cents per minute to listen to automated messages and $1.05 per minute to speak with an operator. You may also call the National Passport Information Center using a major credit card at a flat rate of $4.95 (phone, 888-362-8668; TDD, 888-498-3648). These rates are subject to change. Correspondence should be directed to the appropriate Regional Agency or the Correspondence Branch, Passport Services, Room 510, 1111 Nineteenth Street NW., Washington, DC 20524.

documentary series, Foreign Relations of the United States, and two publications on U.S. foreign policy, Dispatch and Background Notes.

The series Foreign Relations of the United States, published since 1861 in over 300 volumes, constitutes the official documentary record of U.S. foreign policy. It is the most extensive and most near-current publication of diplomatic papers in the world. The Office of the Historian has completed the 75 print volumes and microfiche supplements documenting the foreign policy of the Eisenhower administration (1953-1960). Publication of 32 print volumes and supplements on the foreign policy of the Kennedy administration (1961-1963) is nearing completion. Of 34 volumes documenting the Johnson administration (1964-1968), 8 were published by 1997. U.S. Foreign Affairs on CD-ROM provides a wealth of foreign policy information such as Dispatch magazine (the monthly foreign policy magazine issued by the Department of State), Background Notes, speeches and testimonies by senior State Department officials, reports to Congress, miscellaneous policy publications, and daily press briefings in a searchable format. Single copies are available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. Phone, 202-512-1800. Fax, 202-5122233. Payments can be made by check (payable to the Superintendent of Documents), GPO Deposit Account, VISA, or MasterCard.

Reading Room To review declassified Department documents, contact the receptionists at the public entrance to the Department of State, 2201 C Street NW., Washington, DC, for the specific location. Phone, 202-647-8484. Telephone Directory The Department's telephone directory is available for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

Tips for U.S. Travelers Abroad The following pamphlets from the Bureau of Consular Affairs are posted on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov/ and are for sale for $1 (except where noted) by

the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402:

Travel Warning on Drugs Abroad contains important facts on the potential dangers of being arrested for illegal drugs abroad and the type of assistance that U.S. consular officers can and cannot provide. This booklet is free from the Department of State, Consular Affairs/Public Affairs Staff, Room 6831, Washington, DC 20520.

Travel Tips for Older Americans contains basic information on passports, currency, health, aid for serious problems, and other useful travel tips for senior citizens.

Your Trip Abroad ($1.25) contains basic information on passports, vaccinations, unusual travel requirements, dual nationality, drugs, modes of travel, customs, legal requirements, and many other topics for the American tourist, business representative, or student traveling

overseas.

A Safe Trip Abroad contains helpful precautions to minimize one's chances of becoming a victim of terrorism and also provides other safety tips.

Tips for Americans Residing Abroad contains advice for more than 2 million Americans living in foreign countries.

Regional Tips for Travelers cover customs, currency regulations, dual nationality, and other local conditions. Currently available are: Tips for Travelers to Canada; Tips for Travelers to the Caribbean; Tips for Travelers to Mexico; Tips for Travelers to the Middle East and North Africa ($1.50); Tips for Travelers to the People's Republic of China; Tips for Travelers to Russia and the Newly Independent States; Tips for Travelers to South Asia; Tips for Travelers to Central and South America; and Tips for Travelers to Sub-Saharan Africa ($1.50).

Foreign Entry Requirements contains visa and other entry requirements of foreign countries. Passports: Applying for Them the Easy Way contains information on where, how, and when to apply for passports. Order these from the Consumer Information Center, Pueblo, CO 81009.