Timothy Naftali

Timothy Naftali is a trusted interpreter of presidential history, focused on how presidents decide under pressure.

Now a Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, he explains how power actually works at the highest level. Earlier, Naftali was the founding director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. There, he oversaw the release of more than a million pages of documents and hundreds of hours of secret recordings. He also built a nonpartisan account of Watergate and set a new standard for presidential accountability.

Before that, Naftali helped pioneer the study of intelligence and espionage history. His work on Cold War decision-making, including his award-winning research on Nikita Khrushchev, reshaped how scholars understand power behind the scenes. Across his career, he has worked extensively with newly declassified material, bringing hidden decisions and internal debates into public view.

Naftali has also operated at the intersection of history and policy. He served as a historical consultant to the 9/11 Commission and to US government efforts reviewing Nazi war crimes and Japanese imperial records. He is a regular contributor to CNN, where he provides analysis on presidential leadership, national security, and intelligence.

A published author, he writes to make history usable. In One Hell of a Gamble, Naftali unpacks high-stakes decision-making during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In Impeachment, he examines the political and constitutional reality of holding presidents to account.

As a speaker, Naftali is sharp and unsentimental. He connects past to present in real time. He explains how leaders think and where systems break down. He is also known to challenge audiences to question power, test assumptions, and understand the real consequences of political decisions.

Timothy Naftali is currently a member of the State Department’s Historical Advisory Committee, which provides oversight for the Foreign Relations of the United States series.