(2013-0416-F) Mihai Botez, Romanian Ambassador to the United States

The materials in FOIA 2013-0416-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related materials. FOIA 2013-0416-F contains records concerning Mihai-Horia Botez, Romanian Ambassador to the United States. Botez, born in 1940, was an internationally known mathematician and futurist. He came to the United States in 1987 to escape the communist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu. While in the U.S., he held academic positions at Stanford University, Indiana University, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. After the fall of the Ceausescu regime in 1989, the new government named Botez their permanent representative to the United Nations (1992-1994) and later the Romanian Ambassador the the United States (1994-1995). Mihai Botez died unexpectedly on July 11, 1995, in Bucharest. He was 54 years old. The White House Office of Records Management (WHORM) Subject Files contain three records, all of which originate with Botez’s widow, Magda. One is written prior to Mihai’s death in her capacity as President of Americans for Most Favored Nation Status for Romania. In the letter, she implores President Clinton to utilize all the powers at his disposal to restore Most Favored Nation trade status to Romania. Magda recalls that Mihai, a Romanian dissident, met Clinton in 1988 and received from him a commission as an Arkansas Traveler and Ambassador of Good Will. In the other letters penned after her husband’s death, she encourages President Clinton to establish a better understanding of Romania in the United States and stresses the necessity for the country to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). If Romania is kept out of NATO, she declares “the dark forces may prevail.” White House Staff and Office Files contain Magda Botez’s resume. Condolence messages following the death of Mihai Botez were found in both the National Security Council emails and cables. Also included are emails regarding the logistics of meetings between the NSC staff and Botez. The majority of these records related to this FOIA case are closed for national security reasons.