Download Page as PDF Expand All Collapse All Extent 255 folders, approximately 18,720 pages Summary This collection consists of records related to George Soros. Soros is an international financier and hedge fund manager. This collection contains records related to Soros’s activities in relation to the Clinton administration from 1993 to 2001. The collection includes memorandum, correspondence, publications, emails, cables, and administrative paperwork. Soros actively sought to share his Open Society theory with President Clinton and he used his wealth to gain access to political elites around the world. The collection is broad in scope covering Eastern Europe, Russia, Chechnya, Ukraine, the Former Yugoslavia, South Asia, and the Americas. Discussions include monetary policy, democracy, human rights, refugee assistance, press freedom, non-governmental organizations, and water among other topics. Scope and Content Note This Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was for all records related to George Soros. Soros is an international financier and hedge fund manager. This collection includes records related to Soros’s activities in relation to the Clinton administration from 1993 to 2001 and includes memorandum, correspondence, publications, emails, cables, and administrative paperwork. Soros actively sought to share his open society theory with President Clinton and to political elites around the world. The collection is broad in scope covering Eastern Europe, Russia, Chechnya, Ukraine, the Former Yugoslavia, South Asia, and the Americas. Discussions include monetary policy, democracy, human rights, refugee assistance, press freedom, non-governmental organizations, and water among other topics. The author of at least fifteen books, Soros regularly advocates for a political philosophy known as the open society. Proponents of open society believe in the individual rights of all people, that democratic governance is the ideal form of government, and that the ability to speak and write freely is a human right. These core values, if allowed without restraint, would lead to flourishing societies. This collection is a broad and expansive look at Europe, Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Central and South Asia. Included in this collection, to some degree are all of Soros’s foundations: The International Science Foundation in Russia, the Open Society Fund created in 1979, the Belarusian Soros Foundation, Open Society Fund–Bosnia and Herzegovina, Open Society Fund–Sofia, Open Society InstituteCroatia, Open Society Fund–Prague, Open Estonia Foundation, Open Society Georgia Foundation, Fundacion Soros–Guatemala, Connaissance et Liberte (Haiti), Open Society Institute–Budapest, Soros Foundation–Hungary, Soros Foundation–Kazakhstan, Soros Foundation–Kyrgyzstan, Soros Foundation–Latvia, Open Society Fund–Lithuania, Open Society Institute–Macedonia, Soros Foundation–Moldova, Stefan Batory Foundation (Poland), Soros Foundation for an Open Society (Romania), International Cultural Initiative Foundation (Russia), Open Society Fund–Bratislava, Open Society Institute–Slovenia, Open Society Foundation for South Africa, International Renaissance Foundation (Ukraine), Soros Yugoslavia Foundation, and additional projects (not formal foundations) the Tajikistan Project and the Burma Project. All these operated under the Open Society umbrella but semi-autonomously. The collection also has records about the Action Council for Peace in the Balkans and the Polish-American Enterprise Fund. The collection includes correspondence related to NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). There are records related to the Joint U.S.-Russia Commission. The collection also discusses Mediterranean issues in Greece and Cyprus. Biographical Note In finance and investment Soros’s success has been simply astounding. As the author Robert Slater notes in his book, Soros, “If someone had invested $100,000 in 1969 when Soros established the Quantum Fund and then reinvested all the dividends, he or she would have been worth $130 million by the spring of 1994–a compound growth rate of 35 percent.” Soros’s 1992 bet against the Exchange Rate Mechanism and the British pound earned him an estimated $958 million (some report more than $1 billion) in one night. In addition to investment in money markets and stock markets Soros’s investments in industry and commerce are broad and wide ranging. This collection provides a glimpse into Soros’s foreign investments. His efforts in the financial markets gained no shortage of critics. Many of them argued that Soros wielded a power greater than many countries or that he, through his control of markets and money, could dictate national strategies from behind closed doors. Critics of Soros also argue that he uses his investments in non-governmental agencies to undermine legitimate governments. Soros comments that these fears are exaggerated. Though he does note in his official biography, “my success in the financial markets has given me a greater degree of independence than most other people.” Frequently working quietly and behind the scenes Soros used this independence primarily to promote democracy, the free press, fair elections, and human rights. George Soros was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1930 and emigrated to the United States in 1956. Originally born as Gyorgy Schwartz, the family changed their name in 1936 to avoid persecution and discrimination against Jews. The middle-class family survived Nazi occupation of Hungary in World War II and the holocaust by securing false papers and deliberately avoiding discussions of their past. Soros’s press biography, published by his organization, notes that the family helped other families do the same. The Soros family left Hungary in 1947 and immigrated to the United Kingdom. At the age of seventeen, Soros began studies at the London School of Economics. Many authors note that it was here that Soros was introduced to the works of the philosopher Karl Popper as well as authors Douglas Hofstadter and Gregory Batson. Sir Karl Popper is perhaps the most well known advocate of the open society. Popper advocated against authoritarianism and totalitarianism. His work The Open Society and Its Enemies suggested that individualism and libertarian ideals were paramount. These ideas were a strong influence on Soros. From an article written by Soros in the “Financial Times”, July 6, 1999, “The only way to peace and prosperity is to create an open society in which the state plays a less dominant role and borders diminish in importance…The idea of the open society was first proposed by Henry Bergson in his book Two Sources of Religion and Morality (1932).” In a draft publication written by Soros and entitled “Open Society Reconsidered”, seen in this collection, the open society represented liberty both individually and economically. Soros writes, the meaning of the open society “was clear…it stood in contrast to communism.” Publications and correspondence sent to the White House, like “Open Society Reconsidered”, shared Soros’s political philosophy with those in power. His money, and importantly his willingness to use his money in support of western ideals, earned him invitations. Soros’s work with the Clinton administration can be seen in this collection to be supportive of human rights activities. Soros used his money to promote an open press in the Balkans, to pay for health initiatives and scientific research in Russia, or to support voting rights, and the rights of ethnic minorities. Record Type Textual System of Arrangement Records that are responsive to this FOIA request were found in these collection areas—Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM Subject Files, Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM Subject Files CF, Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM (OP), Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files, Clinton Presidential Records: Automated Records Management System [Email], Clinton Presidential Records: TRP Emails, and Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management Systems. The White House Office of Records Management (WHORM) contains a variety of series created to organize and track documents and correspondence. The WHORM Alpha file was compiled by the White House Office of Records Management from 1993 – 1996 and is a series of documents arranged by name of persons, organizations, or events. The WHORM Subject file was compiled by the White House Office of Records Management and is a series of categories designated by a letter/number combination. In addition, there are WHORM, WHORM Counsel, WHORM (CL), WHORM (OP), WHORM (Too Late); WHORM (Various Offices); and WHORM (Alpha Project) series. Staff and Office files were maintained at the folder level by staff members within their individual offices and document all levels of administration activity. Staff and Office files are processed at the folder level, that is, individual documents are not selected and removed from a folder for processing. While this method maintains folder integrity, it frequently results in the incidental processing of documents that are not wholly responsive to the subject area. The Automated Records Management System (ARMS) was a database that contained email records of the Executive Office of the President. This system held, and allowed access to, unclassified Presidential email. The ARMS database consisted of seven sub-series of email records called "buckets." The buckets generally represented a specific White House office. The buckets were titled: NPR for National Performance Review, NSC for National Security Council, OPD for Office of Policy Development, POTUS for President of the United States, WHO for White House Office, CEA for Council of Economic Advisers, and Default for emails not associated with an office. In 2022, the National Archives and Records Administration transferred the majority of Clinton ARMS and TRP records to a records management and access system called ERA. This changed the processing of ARMS and TRP records. For technical reasons, however, NSC emails remained in the legacy system. NSC ARMS emails are arranged by topic, there-under by bucket, and there-under chronologically by creation date. The Tape Restoration Project (TRP) is a database consisting of restored emails from the Automated Records Management System (ARMS) from July 1994 through June of 2000. The TRP is a database that contains email records of the Executive Office of the President. This system maintained unclassified Presidential record email. The TRP database was constructed in the same way as ARMS including the seven sub-series of email. NSC TRP emails are arranged by topic, there-under by bucket, and thereunder chronologically by creation date. FOIA 2013-0018-F (Segment 1) includes WHORM records from these subject codes: CO017 CO023 CO029 CO102 CO139 CO148 FG001-07 FG006-03 FG006-06 GI001 GI002 IM IT044 IT067 IT086 JL002 MA026 ME PP PP005-01 PU Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma Macedonia Russia Serbia and Montenegro Presidential Appointments Granted Chief of Staff National Security Council gifts from the President gifts to the President Immigration International Monetary Fund (IMF) North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) United Nations Secretariat Civil Matters Freedom Awards Messages Presidential Personal First Lady Publications. Access This collection is open to all researchers. Access to Clinton Presidential Records is governed by the Presidential Records Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. Chapter 22, as amended) and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C.§552, as amended) and therefore records may be restricted in whole or in part in accordance with legal exemptions. Copyright Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States government as part of their official duties are in the public domain. Researchers are advised to consult the copyright law of the United States (17 U.S.C. Chapter 1) which governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Provenance Official records of William Jefferson Clinton’s presidency are housed at the Clinton Presidential Library and administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) under the provisions of the Presidential Records Act (PRA). Person Names Soros, George Processed by Staff Archivist, 2025-2026. Previously restricted materials are added as they are released. Last Modified Date 2026-07-23 Related Collections The materials in FOIA 2013-0018-F (Segment 1) are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related material. Previously processed records relevant to this topic can be found in collections 2006-0203-F, 2006-0469-F, 2006-0651-F, 2008-0994-F (Segment 3), 2011-0582-F, 2011-1046-F, 2012-0869-S, 2012-0956-F, 2013-0534-S, 20140863-S, 2014-0874-F, 2016-0205-F, and 2019-0820-F. Container List The following is a list of documents and folders processed in response to FOIA 2013-0018-F (Segment 1): Box 1 Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: Alpha Files 305177 [George Soros] Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: Subject File Category Case Number CO017 213151SS CO023 123948SS CO023 146753 CO023 173527SS CO023 185538SS CO029 224805SS CO102 057811SS CO139 052650 CO148 009040 CO148 284238SS CO148 311284SS CO148 314086SS CO148 315236 FG001-07 297842SS FG001-07 425510 FG006-03 036057 FG006-06 007171 GI001 282119 GI002 291542 GI002 440038 IM 209182 IT044 290488SS IT067 053444 IT086 280961SS JL002 272947SS MA026 040746 ME 075259 Box 2 PP 096316SS [George Soros] PP005-01 025701 PP005-01 189467 PU 096834SS PU 107580 Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: (OP) 268292 [George Soros] AF Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files National Economic Council Legal Advisor Schifter, Richard Soros Foundations [OA/ID 685] International Economic Affairs Duncan, John Correspondence - POTUS Reply to Soros letter [OA/ID 2861] World Economic Forum - Berger Invitation [OA/ID 2861] Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files (continued) International Economic Affairs Duncan, John World Economic Forum - Miscellaneous Documents [OA/ID 2861] World Economic Forum - Summaries of Annual Meeting [OA/ID 2861] Multilateral and Humanitarian Affairs Schwartz, Eric Soros, 1997 [OA/ID 3041] National Security Advisor Lake, Anthony Soros, George [OA/ID 1467] Soderberg, Nancy George Soros [OA/ID 1420] Records Management Miscellaneous Miscellaneous: Points to be Made for a Meeting with George Soros, 9-13-96 [OA/ID 4176] Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasian Affairs Gati, Toby Soros [OA/ID 71] Public Liaison Cuban Affairs Nuccio, Richard Open Society Institution Dec. 95 [OA/ID CF830] Soros Forum [OA/ID CF831] Subject Files Soros [OA/ID 14430] Clinton Presidential Records: Automated Records Management System [Email] NSC [OA/ID 1200000] [Soros] [01/03/1996-12/06/1996] [03/18/1997-08/11/1997] [08/18/1997-12/29/1997] Box 3 [01/09/1998-02/05/1998] [02/05/1998-09/10/1998] [11/09/1998-12/31/1998] [01/04/1999-02/10/1999] [02/23/1999-05/03/1999] [05/19/1999-07/30/1999] [08/05/1999-08/25/1999] [09/06/1999-09/21/1999] [09/22/1999] [09/23/1999-11/01/1999] Box 4 [11/06/1999-12/01/1999] [12/02/1999-12/13/1999] Clinton Presidential Records: Automated Records Management System [Email] (continued) NSC [OA/ID 1200000] [Soros] [01/03/2000] [01/25/2000-04/20/2000] [04/20/2000-07/27/2000] [08/01/2000-08/24/2000] [08/25/2000-10/18/2000] [10/19/2000-11/30/2000] Clinton Presidential Records: Tape Restoration Project [Email] NSC [OA/ID 1200000] [Soros] [07/24/1998-11/12/1999] Box 5 Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management System NSC Cables Jan 1993-Dec 1994 [OA/ID 505000] [Soros] [01/05/1993-02/11/1993] [02/11/1993-03/08/1993] [04/01/1993-04/29/1993] [05/01/1993-05/27/1993] [06/09/1993-06/25/1993] [07/02/1993-07/27/1993] [08/02/1993-08/27/1993] [09/04/1993-09/28/1993] [10/05/1993-11/02/1993] [01/10/1994-02/26/1994] [03/01/1994-03/31/1994] Box 6 [04/01/1994-04/29/1994] [05/02/1994-05/11/1994] [05/12/1994-05/31/1994] [06/01/1994-06/30/1994] [07/01/1994-07/29/1994] [08/01/1994-08/31/1994] [09/01/1994-09/30/1994] [10/04/1994-10/20/1994] [10/20/1994-11/30/1994] [12/01/1994-12/27/1994] Box 7 Jan 1995-Dec 1996 [OA/ID 510000] [Soros] [01/04/1995-01/30/1995] Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management System (continued) NSC Cables Jan 1995-Dec 1996 [OA/ID 510000] [Soros] [02/01/1995-02/13/1995] [03/01/1995-03/16/1995] [03/17/1995-04/18/1995] [05/01/1995-05/03/1995] [05/04/1995-05/09/1995] [05/11/1995-05/16/1995] [05/17/1995-05/25/1995] [06/01/1995-06/23/1995] Box 8 [06/24/1995-06/28/1995] [07/01/1995-07/26/1995] [08/02/1995-08/30/1995] [09/05/1995-09/29/1995] [10/02/1995-10/27/1995] [11/02/1995-12/28/1995] [02/22/1996-03/06/1996] [03/06/1996-03/29/1996] [04/01/1996-04/29/1996] [05/01/1996-05/31/1996] Box 9 [06/07/1996-06/28/1996] [07/01/1996-08/28/1996] [09/03/1996-09/28/1996] [10/01/1996-10/30/1996] [11/01/1996-11/29/1996] [12/04/1996-12/20/1996] Jan 1997-Dec 1998 [OA/ID 520000] [Soros] [01/08/1997-01/31/1997] [02/04/1997-03/18/1997] [03/18/1997-03/28/1997] Box 10 [04/01/1997-04/30/1997] [05/02/1997-05/09/1997] [05/09/1997-05/31/1997] [06/02/1997-06/20/1997] [06/20/1997-07/31/1997] [08/01/1997-08/11/1997] [08/13/1997-08/30/1997] [09/02/1997-09/13/1997] [09/15/1997-09/24/1997] Box 11 Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management System (continued) NSC Cables Jan 1997-Dec 1998 [OA/ID 520000] [Soros] [09/25/1997-09/30/1997] [10/01/1997-10/17/1997] [10/17/1997-11/18/1997] [11/19/1997-11/28/1997] [12/03/1997-12/09/1997] [12/10/1997-12/31/1997] [01/02/1998-01/14/1998] [01/15/1998-02/18/1998] [03/03/1998-03/31/1998] Box 12 [04/02/1998-04/13/1998] [04/16/1998-05/28/1998] [06/01/1998-06/30/1998] [07/01/1998-07/30/1998] [08/13/1998-11/05/1998] [11/06/1998-11/30/1998] [12/04/1998-12/31/1998] Jan 1999-Dec 2000 [OA/ID 530000] [Soros] [01/11/1999-01/29/1999] [02/02/1999-02/26/1999] [03/01/1999-03/25/1999] Box 13 [04/02/1999-05/04/1999] [07/08/1999-08/16/1999] [09/03/1999-09/29/1999] [10/04/1999-10/25/1999] [10/26/1999-11/10/1999] [11/22/1999-11/30/1999] [12/02/1999-12/08/1999] [12/10/1999-12/30/1999] [01/07/2000-01/30/2000] [02/01/2000-02/02/2000] Box 14 [02/04/2000-02/26/2000] [03/02/2000-03/29/2000] [04/03/2000-05/23/2000] [06/02/2000-08/28/2000] [09/06/2000-10/17/2000] [10/17/2000-11/30/2000] [12/04/2000-12/29/2000] Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management System (continued) NSC Cables Jan 2001 [Soros] [01/04/2001-01/19/2001] NSC Email A1-Record (Apr 94-Sept 94) [OA/ID 570000] [Soros] [03/03/1993-09/22/1994] A1-Non-Record (Apr 94-Sept 94) [Soros] [04/20/1994-09/22/1994] Box 15 MSMail-Record (Sept 94-Sept 97) [OA/ID 590000] [Soros] [11/07/1994-05/05/1995] [05/13/1995-05/15/1995] [05/15/1995-09/08/1995] [10/05/1995-03/01/1996] [03/01/1996-05/16/1996] [05/16/1996-06/14/1996] [06/14/1996-06/19/1996] [06/19/1996-07/03/1996] Box 16 [07/08/1996-07/23/1996] [07/26/1996-08/27/1996] [08/28/1996-11/05/1996] [11/14/1996-03/25/1997] [03/26/1997-05/19/1997] MSMail-Non-Record (Sept 94-Sept 97) [OA/ID 605000] [Soros] [11/18/1994-11/20/1995] [11/20/1995-07/08/1996] [07/09/1996-05/01/1997] Exchange-Record (Sept 97-Jan 01) [OA/ID 620000] [Soros] [09/04/1997-10/10/1997] Box 17 [10/14/1997-11/05/1997] [11/05/1997-11/14/1997] [11/16/1997-01/04/1998] [01/05/1998-01/13/1998] [01/13/1998-02/11/1998] [02/11/1998-03/07/1998] [03/11/1998-05/27/1998] [06/02/1998-08/03/1998] Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management System (continued) NSC Email Exchange-Record (Sept 97-Jan 01) [OA/ID 620000] [Soros] [08/12/1998-10/23/1998] Box 18 [10/26/1998-11/11/1998] [11/13/1998-01/11/1999] [01/12/1999-01/21/1999] [02/02/1999-04/08/1999] [04/23/1999-06/28/1999] [07/01/1999-07/22/1999] [07/22/1999-07/26/1999] [07/26/1999-08/12/1999] [08/12/1999-11/12/1999] Box 19 [11/12/1999-01/04/2000] [01/05/2000] [01/12/2000-02/10/2000] [02/23/2000] [02/26/2000] [03/14/2000-06/02/2000] [06/09/2000-07/24/2000] [07/24/2000-07/26/2000] Box 20 [07/26/2000] [07/26/2000-12/22/2000] [12/26/2000-01/05/2001] Exchange-Non-Record (Mar 97-Jan 01) [OA/ID 630000] [Soros] [08/27/1997-01/08/1998] [01/09/1998-02/27/1998] [03/05/1998-08/14/1998] [09/15/1998-10/23/1998] [10/26/1998-01/31/1999] [02/02/1999-07/01/1999] Box 21 [07/16/1999-10/29/1999] [10/29/1999-11/12/1999] [11/12/1999-12/03/1999] [12/03/1999-07/13/2000] [07/18/2000-07/26/2000] [07/28/2000-08/30/2000] [09/01/2000-12/22/2000] [12/27/2000-01/12/2001] Box 22 Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management System (continued) NSC Records Management System [Open Society] [Soros]