While Fox News decided to mock some of the names among 62 Ambassadorial signatories of a letter opposing John Bolton’s U.N. nomination, most of America’s media establishment has treated the letter and the diplomats who signed with the respect that their service to this country more than justifies.
TWN has just learned that one of the signers of this important letter, Ambassador Richard T. Davies, died March 30th, the day after the letter was sent to Lugar — making this letter Ambassador Davies’ last official act.
I had the pleasure of meeting Ambassador Davies several times at foreign policy forums in Washington, including at the New America Foundation near the time our enterprise was launched. He had served as America’s Ambassador to Poland through most of the 1970s and significant insights into what was unfolding as the Cold War unraveled and former Warsaw Pact nations began tilting towards Europe and away from Russia.
Here is a bit of his bio:
Ambassador Richard T. Davies is former U.S. ambassador to Poland (1973-1978). During his thirty-three year career in the U.S. Foreign Service, he also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (1970-1972), and as political officer in the NATO international staff (1953-1955). During World War II he served in the civil affairs/military government detachment in Belgium and Netherlands (1944) and in Germany (1944-1945).
Davies had been appointed by Richard Nixon but also served during the terms of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.
The letter that was sent to Lugar did not mention his Ambassadorial service under Ford and Carter — so I have adjusted the letter on my site to reflect these additional administrations.
TWN will miss Richard Davies, but I feel that it is important and honorable that this distinguished public servant made clear and public his opposition to John Bolton’s appointment ot the United Nations.
Senator Lugar — Ambassador Davies was your kind of person. He was balanced, sensible, concerned with America’s security and interests while understanding how important principled American engagement in the world’s great problems and in international affairs is.
Senators — John Bolton is the wrong man for the job. Encourage the President to assign him elsewhere and then send you the kind of individual who will contructively and vigorously pursue our interests in the United Nations.
And Senator Lugar and other Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ambassador Davies — I am sure — would be pleased and honored if you would re-read the letter that was his last official act.
TWN sends its condolences to Ambassador Davies’ family — and its respect for his great record of public service.
— Steve Clemons
