Larry Summers

Lawrence Henry Summers (born November 30, 1954) is an American economist who served as the 71st United States Secretary of the Treasury (1999–2001), the 27th President of Harvard University (2001–2006), and Director of the National Economic Council under President Obama (2009–2010). His relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, documented across 5,151 emails spanning from 1990 to April 2019, represents one of the most consequential connections between a senior U.S. policymaker and the convicted sex offender.

The archive reveals that while Summers served as the President's top economic advisor in 2010, Epstein attempted to secretly broker a meeting between Summers and JPMorgan executives regarding the Volcker Rule—a landmark piece of financial regulation—explicitly acknowledging he "can't do it directly" and routing the request through former British minister Peter Mandelson. Beyond policy influence, Epstein served as Summers' personal fixer and relationship counselor, helping him navigate Davos invitations, marketing his prestige to the Rothschild banking family, and receiving intimate confessions about romantic difficulties. The relationship persisted through a confirmed dinner at Epstein's 71st Street mansion in April 2019—three months before Epstein's arrest—and Epstein's staff described Summers as one of Epstein's "close friends."

Background#

Larry Summers earned his undergraduate degree from MIT and his Ph.D. in economics from Harvard, where he became one of the youngest tenured professors in the university's history at age 28. He served in the Clinton administration as Vice President of Development Economics and Chief Economist of the World Bank (1991–1993), Undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs (1993–1995), Deputy Secretary of the Treasury (1995–1999), and Secretary of the Treasury (1999–2001). He was president of Harvard University from 2001 to 2006, resigning amid a faculty no-confidence vote. He served as Director of the National Economic Council under President Obama from 2009 to 2010. He is currently the Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard and a prominent public commentator on economic policy.

Correspondence with Epstein#

Early Contact: Flight to Zorro Ranch (1996)

The earliest physical evidence of the Summers-Epstein relationship comes from flight records reviewed by the FBI. Epstein's longtime pilot Larry Visoski identified a passenger named "LARRY" on an October 24, 1996 flight from Teterboro, New Jersey, to Santa Fe, New Mexico—the location of Epstein's Zorro Ranch—stating he "thought this may have been LARRY SUMMERS". At the time, Summers was serving as Deputy Secretary of the Treasury.

The Volcker Rule Back-Channel (March 2010)

The most consequential evidence in the archive concerns Epstein's attempt to use his relationship with Summers to influence U.S. financial regulation. On March 28, 2010, while Summers was Director of the National Economic Council, Epstein wrote to Peter Mandelson, the former British Secretary of State for Business:

"I would like you to ask Larry Summers if he would meet directly with Jes, and another jpm person. re the proposed volcker rule. I can't do it directly. Larry is getting info third and fourth hand. from senators who are getting it from lobbyists."

"Jes" refers to Jes Staley, then head of JPMorgan's investment bank and later CEO of Barclays. Epstein's explicit statement that he "can't do it directly" amounts to a tacit admission that his status as a convicted sex offender made overt lobbying untenable. Mandelson agreed: "I can say this to him". The following day, a reply engaged with the substance: "Can Jes send me email on issues re Dodds/Volcker".

This represents documented evidence of a convicted sex offender attempting to serve as a secret intermediary between a sitting White House official and major bank executives regarding pending financial regulation—the Volcker Rule, which sought to restrict proprietary trading by banks and was one of the most hotly lobbied provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act.

"Too Hot": The Post–White House Reconnection (September–November 2010)

The correspondence around Summers' departure from the Obama administration reveals the calculated management of the relationship. On September 20, 2010, Lesley Groff, Epstein's executive assistant, invited Summers to dinner at Epstein's Manhattan townhouse, noting "Jeffrey will be thrilled". Summers accepted but then cancelled when his resignation leaked: "Alas news of my leaving govt leaked and I have to stAy here tonite." Groff had noted she would "leave time on wed evening, so you may have time one on one with Jeffrey for follow up."

By October 15, 2010, Summers signaled eagerness to reconnect, relaying through an intermediary: "Tell Jeff. Not for much longer and am interested in talking to him about nongovt world." Epstein joked that Summers had "been spending too much time with the Obamas" and offered to meet "in wash ny, or cambridge."

When asked in November 2010 whether Summers could speak at Trinity School, Epstein replied: "He couldn't for a few months, too hot", adding: "I will ask after he is officially gone." The phrasing demonstrates that both men understood the reputational toxicity of the association—and managed it accordingly rather than ending it.

Epstein's Science Salon Network (2014)

Summers was a regular participant in Epstein-organized intellectual gatherings that served as nodes of influence across academia and technology. A November 30, 2014 dinner at Martin Nowak's Harvard Program for Evolutionary Dynamics office included "Jeffrey, Martin, Joi Ito, Reid Hoffman, Larry Summers, George Church". Epstein's assistant confirmed: "Jeffrey will pay for it of course."

After the dinner, Danny Hillis emailed Epstein: "Btw, Larry Summers seems really smart, but I was surprised about how pedestrian his ideas were about emergent properties of economic systems and the origins of money". Epstein then discussed having "breakfast with bill and barnaby reid etc."

This gathering—held at a Harvard facility funded by Epstein, attended by MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito (who later resigned over his Epstein ties), venture capitalist Reid Hoffman, and genome pioneer George Church—illustrates how Summers provided mainstream academic legitimacy to Epstein's network. The Program for Evolutionary Dynamics had received millions in Epstein donations.

Mongolia Advisory Board at Davos (January 2014)

Summers and Epstein served together on a "Mongolia Advisory Board" that met with the President of Mongolia during the 2014 World Economic Forum at Davos. The agenda covered "Raising Mongolia's international profile," fiscal policy, sovereign fund management, and security". The participant list named "Larry Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor of Harvard University" alongside "Jeffrey Epstein, Financier," Ehud Barak, Kevin Rudd, and Terje Rød-Larsen. Epstein's schedule confirmed: "5:30pm TERJE to meet the President of Mongolia per Larry Summers"—indicating Summers facilitated introductions for Epstein's network.

Epstein Marketing Summers to the Rothschilds (2015)

In April 2015, Epstein advised Ariane de Rothschild to hire Summers, treating the former Treasury Secretary as a deployable asset:

"I think you should take larry summers on in a sig role that will allow . good press. stature. . compared to african . night and day, ( in color as well i guess )"

The racist comparison to an African predecessor is notable. By July 2015, Epstein's schedule listed "araine sunday lunch, larry summers plus wife arinae sunday night dinner"—showing Summers and his wife dining with Epstein and Rothschild together.

Bannon Meeting and Continued Access (March 2018)

In March 2018, Epstein invited Summers to meet Steve Bannon. Summers responded: "Lisa says no Bannon at our house. Thinks him evil. Happy to see u at house or I can see u and Bannon somewhere else." He then agreed to visit Epstein at Martin Nowak's Harvard office: "I ll come by in 4 range. Who else there?" The exchange shows Epstein acting as a broker of political introductions, with Summers readily accepting the meeting at an Epstein-adjacent venue.

Davos Access Request (December 2018)

In December 2018, Summers turned to Epstein when he lost his invitation to the World Economic Forum:

"I think unsaid us were connected w Davos. After 25 years of going regularly they didn't invite me last year and said they were rotating folk. Have not invited me again this year. Did I offend someone!?"

Epstein offered: "Berge is a good friend. I can inquire with perfect silence if you like"—"Berge" likely referring to Børge Brende, president of the World Economic Forum. Summers then cautioned: "Answer only to this email" and "Don't take risks in any direction to pursue this." The exchange demonstrates Summers' reliance on Epstein's elite network for access to the world's premier economic forum, while showing acute awareness of the need for secrecy.

In the same thread, Summers pivoted to sharing personal troubles: "I had an unfortunate viewing of a txt"—beginning a pattern of intimate confessions to Epstein that would intensify in 2019.

Epstein as Intimate Relationship Counselor (March 2019)

The "Call from New Yorker" thread from March 16–17, 2019, is one of the most extraordinary exchanges in the archive. It begins with Alan Dershowitz forwarding a complaint about a New Yorker inquiry, which Summers relays to Epstein along with his own fact-check denial: "They fact checked w my press person a claim that I stayed at Jeffrey s palm beach house after becoming president of Harvard. We said I've never stayed there." Summers adds: "I'm sorry you are being treated unfairly."

The thread then shifts dramatically. Summers begins confiding intimate details about a troubled romantic relationship:

"I think the pain gain ratio from Asian opera is getting too high... She feels hard selfish and using. It is disruptive and risky so I think i may say good bye in Beijing."

Summers discusses trust funds he is offering the woman, a "Rasputin" figure advising her, and his "exit strategy." Epstein responds with detailed relationship coaching, advising on "the rules of the game" and "her freedoms." Epstein then quips: "thats the rub ( as they say in krafi style parlors )"—a reference to the Robert Kraft massage parlor scandal, which had broken weeks earlier. That a man convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor would casually reference another man's massage parlor arrest while counseling a former Treasury Secretary about his love life captures the surreal intimacy of the relationship.

The thread is also significant because it shows Summers forwarding Dershowitz's concerns about an Epstein investigation directly to Epstein himself—effectively serving as a conduit for the subjects of a journalistic inquiry to coordinate.

Final Dinner: April 2019

On April 10, 2019, Groff confirmed: "Jeffrey says Larry will come see him on Tuesday April 16th in NY for dinner...9 East 71st Street". Summers' assistant Julie Shample confirmed: "He will fly to NYC and looks open for dinner." The dinner was scheduled for 6pm at Epstein's Manhattan townhouse—less than three months before Epstein's July 6, 2019 arrest. When Summers was later injured, Groff described him as one of Epstein's "close friends".

Connections#

Summers' correspondence intersects with numerous figures in Epstein's network:

• Jeffrey Epstein (3,372 emails): The primary relationship, spanning nearly three decades from at least 1996 through April 2019.
• Lesley Groff (241 emails): Epstein's executive assistant who managed scheduling and described Summers as a "close friend."
• Joi Ito (52 emails): MIT Media Lab director who co-attended Epstein's Harvard dinners with Summers; later resigned over Epstein ties.
• Reid Hoffman (22 emails): Venture capitalist who attended the November 2014 Harvard dinner with Summers.
• Danny Hillis (16 emails): Technologist and Epstein associate who critiqued Summers' economic ideas after their shared dinner.
• Peter Mandelson: Former British minister used as intermediary for the Volcker Rule back-channel.
• Ehud Barak: Former Israeli PM; co-member of the Mongolia Advisory Board; appeared alongside Summers on Epstein's schedules.
• Martin Nowak: Harvard professor whose Epstein-funded office hosted dinners and meetings attended by Summers.
• George Church: Harvard geneticist who attended the November 2014 dinner.
• Ariane de Rothschild: Banking executive to whom Epstein marketed Summers for a "significant role."
• Alan Dershowitz: Harvard law professor whose New Yorker complaint Summers forwarded to Epstein.
• Terje Rød-Larsen: Diplomat and co-member of the Mongolia Advisory Board.
• Keyu Jin (27 emails): London School of Economics professor who appears frequently in the correspondence.

Visits to Epstein Properties#

• 9 East 71st Street, New York: Confirmed dinner on April 16, 2019; invited September 2010 (cancelled); multiple other visits implied by scheduling correspondence.
• Zorro Ranch, New Mexico: Probable visit on October 24, 1996, based on pilot identification of a passenger "LARRY" on a Teterboro-to-Santa Fe flight as likely being "LARRY SUMMERS."
• Martin Nowak's Harvard Office (Epstein-funded venue): Attended dinner November 30, 2014; visited March 2018 for Bannon meeting.

Document References#

• Flight records: Pilot Larry Visoski's identification of "LARRY" on October 24, 1996 flight to Santa Fe as likely being Summers.
• Epstein schedules: September 2014 "People To See" list includes "Summers" alongside Boris [Nikolic], Ehud [Barak], and Peter Thiel. January 2014 Davos schedule confirms Mongolia Advisory Board. July 2015 schedule shows dinners with Summers, his wife, and Ariane de Rothschild.
• Mongolia Advisory Board agenda: Formal agenda document listing Summers and Epstein as co-members.