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created: 2025-10-27T09:17:57.483Z
---# BIS | British Intelligence Services | Open Society Foundations

**URL:** [https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/](https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/)

BIS | British Intelligence Services | Open Society Foundations BIS | British Intelligence Services | National Endowment for Democracy Thus it was that in 1983, the National Endowment for Democracy was set up to “support democratic institutions throughout the world through private, nongovernmental efforts”. Notice the “nongovernmental” – part of the image, part of the myth. In actuality, virtually every penny of its funding comes from the federal government, as is clearly indicated in the financial statement in each issue of its annual report. NED likes to refer to itself as an NGO (Non-governmental organization) because this helps to maintain a certain credibility abroad that an official US government agency might not have. But NGO is the wrong category. NED is a GO. “We should not have to do this kind of work covertly,” said Carl Gershman in 1986, while he was president of the Endowment. “It would be terrible for democratic groups around the world to be seen as subsidized by the C.I.A. We saw that in the 60’s, and that’s why it has been discontinued. We have not had the capability of doing this, and that’s why the endowment was created.” BIS | British Intelligence Services | NATO


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**Keywords:** public
