[GRADE A2 — HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_022405 (letter found in Epstein's files)]
A personal letter by Noam Chomsky, apparently written as a character reference or statement of support, describes his relationship with Epstein in glowing terms and specifically references the Barak meeting:
"Jeffrey arranged a meeting with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, whose record I had studied carefully and written about. We have our disagreements, but had a very fruitful discussion about a number of controversial matters, including one that was of particular interest to me: the Taba negotiations of January 2001."
Chomsky's letter also describes Epstein's role as intellectual connector: arranging meetings with "leading figures in the sciences and mathematics, and global politics."
v3.0 addition: Epstein emailed Chomsky on a separate occasion: "ehud barak will be with me for the weekend in ny. not sure where you are?" (EFTA02348391), and at Aspen described both as "my very close friends joi ito, ehud barak" (EFTA02450288). Nili Priell Barak coordinated logistics for at least one Chomsky meeting and a JetSuite private flight simultaneously.
The Chomsky letter provides independent confirmation that Epstein arranged the Barak-Chomsky meeting. The multi-year intellectual triangle demonstrates Epstein's role as facilitator of elite exchanges. The Aspen email is notable for Epstein explicitly calling Barak "my very close friend" — direct self-characterization of the relationship.
WHAT THIS SHOWS AND DOES NOT SHOW: Chomsky independently confirms that Epstein arranged a meeting with Barak. Epstein described Barak as "my very close friend." This does NOT establish that Chomsky was aware of Epstein's criminal conduct.