(2025-0780-F) Sheila Heslin and Kyrgyzstan

6 folders, approximately 279 pages

This collection consists of records of Sheila Heslin, former director of Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian Affairs in the National Security Council, relating to Kyrgyzstan. This collection contains cables, letters, and memoranda regarding the appointment of Baktybek Abdrisayev as the Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States, and the corresponding routing documents.

The materials in FOIA 2025-0780-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related material. Sheila Heslin is a former director for Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian Affairs in the National Security Council. Prior to her appointment to the NSC, Heslin graduated from Cornell University, received her master’s degree in public policy from Harvard, and was a member of the State Department’s policy planning staff. She has authored and co-authored many articles focusing on Eastern Europe and former Soviet states. The Kyrgyz Republic, also known as Kyrgyzstan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia, and a former constituent republic of the Soviet Union. It declared its independence from the Soviet Union on August 31, 1991, and established a presidential republic. While geographically isolated due to high mountain ranges, Kyrgyzstan has been central to many cultural exchanges and vital trade networks throughout its history. Despite this, its history has been also marked by economic difficulties and frequent ethnic and political unrest. This collection contains correspondence and memoranda regarding the appointment of Baktybek Abdrisayev as the Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States. Most records related to this FOIA case are closed for national security reasons.

Textual

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

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.

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 2025-0780-F:
Box 1

Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
National Security Council
Heslin, Sheila
Central Asia [1] [OA/ID 679]
Central Asia [2] [OA/ID 679]
Kyrgyzstan [1] [OA/ID 679]
Kyrgyzstan [2] [OA/ID 679]
Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management System
NSC Records Management System
[Heslin; Kyrgyzstan or Central]
9603653 [OA/ID 1104]
9604026 [OA/ID 1106]