Contracts General inquiries may be directed to the Office of Acquisitions Management (A/LM/AQM), Department of State, P.O. Box 9115, Arlington, VA 22219. Phone, 703-875-6060. Fax, 703-875-6085.

Diplomatic and Official Passports Inquirers for these types of passports should contact their respective travel offices. The U.S. Government only issues these types of passports to individuals traveling abroad in connection with official employment. For additional information, please refer to the Consular Affairs Web site. Internet, www.travel.state.gov.

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 (Internet, www.state.gov) and the Secretary's Web site (Internet, secretary.state.gov) provide comprehensive, up-to-date information on foreign policy, support for U.S. businesses, careers, the counterterrorism rewards program, and much more.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs Web site (Internet, www.travel.state.gov) provides travel warnings and other information designed to help Americans travel safely abroad, as well as information on U.S. passports and visas and downloadable applications. The Bureau of Intelligence and Research has established a geographic learning Web site (Internet, geography.state.gov), to assist in teaching geography and foreign affairs to students in grades K-12.

The State Department Electronic Reading Room at 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 HR/REE, Room H518, 2401 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20522. Phone, 202-261-8888. Internet, www.careers.state.gov. Information about civil service positions in the Department of State and copies of civil service job announcements can be accessed through the Internet, at www.careers.state.gov. Individual questions may be directed to cspapps@state.gov. Job information staff is also available to answer questions from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. eastern time on Federal workdays. Phone, 202-6632176.

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 Services, Department of State, SA-2, 515 Twenty-second Street NW., Washington, DC 20522-6001. Phone, 202-261-8300. Individuals are requested to indicate on the outside of the envelope the statute under which they are requesting access: FOIA REQUEST or PRIVACY REQUEST.

A public reading room, where unclassified and declassified documents may be inspected, is located in the Department of State, SA-2, 515 Twentysecond Street NW., Washington, DC 20522-6001. Phone, 202-261-8484. 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 (Internet, 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, 888-407-4747 or 317-472-2328 (international). Internet,

www.travel.state.gov. Correspondence should be directed to this address: 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, Department of State, 2201 C Street NW., Washington, DC 20520-4818. Phone, 888-407-4747 or 317-472-2328 (international). Internet, www.travel.state.gov.

Passports Passport information is available through the Internet, at 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 $0.35 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.

Public Affairs The Bureau of Public Affairs carries out the Secretary's foreign policy objectives and helps American and foreign audiences understand the importance of foreign affairs. Led by the Assistant Secretary, who also serves as Department spokesman, the Bureau pursues the State Department's mission to inform the American people and foreign audiences and to feed their concerns and comments back to policymakers. Phone, 202-647-6575. Publications Publications that are produced on a regular basis include Background Notes and the Foreign Relations series. The Bureau of Public Affairs also occasionally publishes. brochures and other publications to inform the public of U.S. diplomatic efforts. All publications are available on the Internet at www.state.gov. Small Business Information Information about doing business with the Department of State is available from the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. Phone, 703-8756822. Internet, www.statebuy.gov/ home.htm.

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 travel.state.gov and are for sale for $1-$3 (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 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 almost 4 million Americans living in foreign countries. These publications cost between $1.25 and $1.75 each.

Regional Tips for Travelers cover customs, currency regulations, dual nationality, and other local conditions. Currently available are publications for the following countries/regions: Canada; the Caribbean, Central and South America; Mexico; Sub-Saharan Africa; the Middle East and North Africa; Russia; China; and South Asia and Korea.

Foreign Entry Requirements; Passports: Applying for Them the Easy Way, Advance Fee Business Scams; Travel Tips for Students; Tips for Women Traveling Alone; and Travel Smart/Travel