(2019-1052-F) James Goldgeier

14 folders, approximately 1,360 pages

This collection consists of the records of James Goldgeier, who served as Director for Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian Affairs on the National Security Council between 1995 and 1996. The collection contains the staff and office files of James Goldgeier, including cables, emails, letters, briefing materials, talking points, drafts of remarks and correspondence, and handwritten notes, primarily centered on the preparation for President Clinton's April 1996 trip to Moscow for the P-8 Summit and the U.S.-Russia bilateral meeting between Presidents Clinton and Yeltsin, and the June 1996 Russian presidential election.

The materials in FOIA 2019-1052-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related material. James Goldgeier is an American scholar, professor, and author specializing in American foreign policy and U.S./Europe/Russia relations. This collection contains the staff and office files of James Goldgeier during his time as part of the Office for Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian Affairs of the National Security Council. The records include cables, emails, letters, briefing materials, talking points, drafts of remarks and correspondence, and handwritten notes, primarily centered on the lead-up and preparation for President Clinton’s trip to Moscow in April 1996 for the P-8 Summit and the U.S.-Russia bilateral meeting between Presidents Clinton and Yeltsin, and the June 1996 Russian presidential election. A significant percentage of records related to this FOIA case are closed for national security reasons.

As part of the Clinton administration, James Goldgeier served as Director for Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian Affairs on the National Security Council between 1995 and 1996. Since then, he has held numerous public policy appointments and fellowships, including but not limited to the Henry Alfred Kissinger Chair in Foreign Policy and International Relations at the Library of Congress, the Whitney H. Shepardson Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Relations at the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Library of Congress U.S.-Russia Chair at the John W. Kluge Center. He was a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he also served as the director of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasians Studies. More recently, Goldgeier served as the chair of the State Department Historical Advisory Committee concerning the Foreign Relations of the United States documentary series and was a member of the Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board. He is currently a professor of international relations at the School of International Service at American University and has authored and/or edited multiple books centered on foreign relations of the United States, especially regarding the United States, NATO and post-Cold War Russia.

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Records that are responsive to this FOIA request were found in these collection areas—Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files. 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.

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.

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).

Staff Archivist, 2025. Previously restricted materials are added as they are released.

The following is a list of documents and folders processed in response to FOIA 2019-1052-F:
Box 1
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
National Security Council
Goldgeier, James
April Bilateral in Moscow [1] [OA/ID 625]
April Bilateral in Moscow [2] [OA/ID 625]
Chron File 3/1996 - 8/1996 [1] [OA/ID 625]
Chron File 3/1996 - 8/1996 [2] [OA/ID 625]
Chron File 3/1996 - 8/1996 [3] [OA/ID 625]
Chron File 3/1996 - 8/1996 [4] [OA/ID 625]
Goldgeier April Bilateral [notepad] [OA/ID 625]
Box 2
Goldgeier NSC 1 [notepad] [OA/ID 625]
Goldgeier NSC 2 [notepad] [OA/ID 625]
Goldgeier NSC 3 [notepad] [OA/ID 625]
Goldgeier NSC 4 [notepad] [OA/ID 625]
Goldgeier WTO [notepad] [OA/ID 625]
June Election Watch [1] [OA/ID 625]
June Election Watch [2] [OA/ID 625]