As head of the country team, the U.S. ambassador carries the main responsibility for carry
ing out U.S. policy in a given country. In making his appointments to these highly sensi-
tive posts in Latin America, President Nixon appears to have relied primarily on career
Foreign Service Officers (FSO’s) and State Department personnel; only three of his 17
appointments could be considered directly political appointments or payoffs to his sup-
porters: Lodge in Argentina, De Roulet in Jamaica and Symington in Trinidad and Tobago.
Nixon has retained five Johnson appointees (four of them career FSO’s) and still has two
unfilled posts (Costa Rica and Venezuela).
As pointed out in James Bradshaw’s article on “Nixon’s Stolid Diplomats” (The New Leader,
September 29, 1969), the President prefers FSO’s who have spent most of their careers
outside the hemisphere — though all have served in the area — supposedly to break down
the insularity of the Latin American bureau. He also prefers career men who do not bear
the “taint” of the Alliance for Progress (Ryan in Honduras and Vaughn in Colombia are
the exceptions). Nixon’s appointments include tokens for the Blacks (Knox in Haiti) and
for women (Donovan in Barbados). Well over half of Nixon’s appointments have upper class
backgrounds and have studies at the country’s elite universities.
Much of the FSOs’ and ambassadors’ work falls under the heading of intelligence; all of
them have intelligence training. Among the ambassadors in Latin America, there are
several who appear to be intelligence specialists: Ylitalo in Paraguay is an ex-FBI
special agent and was chief of the political (intelligence) section in Finland (1946-50);
and Meloy in the Dominican Republic began his career as a Lt. Commander in Navy intelli-
gence and headed the highly sensitive Saigon political section (1953-55) before going on
to political section positions in Paris and at NATO.
The following are abbreviated biographies on current (as of November 1, 1969) ambassadors
in Latin America. They include, when available, information on age, date of confirmation
or swearing in, education, military service and private and government careers. For
briefs on Charles Appleton Meyer (Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs)
and John N. Irwin II (Nixon’s envoy to negotiations with Peru), see NACLA Newsletter for
March 1969; for a study of Nelson Rockefeller’s mission to Latin America, see Newsletters
for April 1969 and May-June 1969.Ine AmDassaaors… –
Argentina: JOHN DAVIS LODGE, 66, sworn in June 6, 1969
Harvard, Harvard Law School, Ecole de Droit …. worked with a Wall Street law firm…. with the U.S. Navy as liaison officer between French and U.S. fleets …. Public Relations Officer and Press Censor, Sicilian Campaign, Italy, and Southern France….member of U.S. House of Representatives (1946-49) …. Governor of Connecticut (1950-54)….Ambassa-
dor on special Presidential missions to Panama, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico (1953)…. Ambassador to Spain (1955-61)…. Chairman of the Foreign Policy Research Institute (1964-
?)….early in career, Lodge acted in and made movies in Hollywood and Europe, playing opposite Shirley Temple, Marlene Dietrich and Frances Dee, among others….married act- ress and dancer Francesca Baggiotti.
A member of one of America’s powerful political dynasties. Since 1886, there have been
just 12 years in which there was not a Lodge in elective or appointive office. John’s brother, Henry Cabot Lodge, was a U.S. Senator, unsuccessful Vice-Presidential candi- date, Ambassador to Saigon, and currently Chief U.S. negotiator at the Paris Peace Con- ference. The Lodge family is also prominent in Boston finance. (For more on the Lodge BUENOS AIRES-Ambasdor John Dynasty, see: America’s Political Dynasties by Stephen Hess (New York: Doubleday Co., Davis Lodge, right, presnft a Certifi- 1966). cote of Commendation to Antonio Guerra, contract gardener for the Em-
bossy resdence for the past 27 years. Barbados: EILEFN R. DONOVAN, 54, appointed summer 1969
Teachers College, Boston (B.S., Master in Education), Harvard (MPA)….Captain, Women’s Army Corps (1943-46)….joined Foreign Service (1948)… .various Far East posts (1948-54)….Consul, Milan, Italy (1954-56)….Chief of Southern Europe Branch, Intelligence and Research, Washington, D.C. (1957-59)….Principal Officer, American Consul, Barbados and Wind- ward and Leeward Islands (1962-65) …. Assistant Director, Office of Caribbean Affairs, State Dept. (1965-69) …. single, only U.S. woman ambassador in Latin America.
Bolivia: ERNEST V. SIRACUSA, 50, appointed September 1969
Joined Foreign Service (1941), served in Mexico City, Guatemala and Argentina… .Officer-in-Charge of Brazilian Affairs, State Dept. (1956-58)….Appointed Director of West Coast Affairs, State Dept. (1958)….Chief of Mutual Defense Affairs, Rome….Adviser on Political and Security Affairs, U.S. Mission to the United Nations….Deputy Chief of Mission, Lima, Peru (1963-69).
In 1958, Mr. Siracusa was awarded the Department of State Meritorious Service Award “for imaginative thinking in combating Soviet propaganda.”
Mr. Siruco
Brazil: CHARLES B. ELBRTCK, 61, sworn in June 18, 1969
Williams College, fluent in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese….joined Foreign Service (1931), served in Panama, England, Haiti, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Portugal…. Assistant Chief of Division, Eastern European Affairs (1945-48) …. attended National War College (1948)….Consul of Embassy, Havana, Cuba (1949-51), London (1951-52) and Paris (1952- 53)….European Affairs Section, State Dept. (1953-58), becoming Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs in 1957….appointed Career Minister (1958)….Ambassador to Portugal (1958-64) …. Ambassador to Yugoslavia (1964-69).
Elbrick was kidnapped on September 4, 1969 by Brazilian urban guerrillas and held until Sep- tember 8 when Brazilian Military Government released 15S political prisoners and read the guerrillas’ demands and manifesto over national TV and radio.
Dominican Republic: FRANCIS E. MELOY, JR., 52, sworn in June 9, 1969
American University (B.A.) and Yale (M.A.) …. U.S. Naval Reserve, Lt. Commander, Intelligence (1942-46) …. joined Foreign Service (1946)….various State Dept. assignments (1949-53) …. Chief of Political Section, Saigon (1953-5S) …. Political Officer, Paris (1955-59) …. Political Officer with the U.S. Mission to NATO and European Regional Organizations…. Deputy Chief of Mission, Rome (1964-69).
Chile: EDWARD M. KORRY, 47, appointed 1967
Washington and Lee University (A.B.), Advanced Management Program, Harvard….with NBC (1941-43) …. Associated Press foreign correspondent (1944-54) …. European Editor with Cowles Magazine and Broadcasting (1954-60) and Assistant to President (1960-62) …. Ambassador to Ethiopia (1963-67) …. Author of the Korry Report on African Development for Pres- ident Johnson.
Colombia: JACK HOOD VAUGHN, 49, sworn in June 5, 1969
University of Michigan (A.B. and M.A.), with specialization in Latin American affairs …. Captain, U.S. Marine Corps (1943-46) …. Instructor in French and Spanish, University of Pennsylvania (1946-48) …. Director of the USIA’s Bi- national Centers in La Paz, Bolivia and San Jose, Costa Rica (1948-52) …. is closely identified with the U.S. aid pro- gram, having served as local program director for the AID precursor in Panama (1956), Bolivia (1956-58), Mali and Senegal (1960-61) and in its planning office in Washington, D.C. (1958-60) …. lecturer, Johns Hopkins School of Ad- vanced International Studies … Regional Director of the Latin American Programs of the Peace Corps (1961-64)…. Ambassador to Panama (1964-65). .. Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (1965-66)….Director of the Peace Corps (1966-69).Costa Rica: No ambassador app in:ed – post vacan:
Cuba: United States cut off diplomatic relations in January 1961. U.S. interests in Cuba are represetted by Switzerland
Ecuador: EDSON O. SESSIONS, 67, appointed September 1968
Chicago Latin School (B.S), Harvard (1925)….Edson O. Sessons Co., Ltd., Portland, Detroit, New YoTk City (1925-30) ….
Chief Industrial Engineer, Bendix Aviation Corp. (1930-32) …. Management Consultant, J.0. McKinsey & Co., Chicago and
New York City (1932-34)…. President, Sessions Engineering Co. (1934-54)…. Consultant, Army Ordinance Dpartkent, New
York and Chicago Districts (1942-45) …. Special Studies China Industrialization Program, Ntionalist Government (1943)
…. Director of U.S. Operations Mission, Bangkok, Thailand (1954-55)…. Leader of Special Study Group on Economic Prob-
lems of Cambodia and Laos for the International Cooperation Administration, State Dept. (1956)….President of E.O.
Sessions Co. of Florida (1955-57)…President of Root-Lowell Manufacturing Co. of Chicago (1955-57) …. Director of the
Root-Lowell Corporation, Powers Regulator Co., Chicago, and managing director of various industrial firms….Post-
master General of the United States (1957-59)….Ambassador to Finland (1959-60) …. President of E.O. Sessions Co. of
California (1960-68)….Awarded the Order of White Elephant, Thailand.
El Salvador: WILLIAM G. BOWDLER, 45, appointed November 1968
Born in Argentina, naturalized in 1945 …. University of Richmond (B.A.), Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (M.A.) …
U.S. Army (1944-46) …. Research Assistant, State Department (1950)….in charge of Antartica and International Geo-
physical Year Affairs (1956)….various posts in the Cuban Embassy (1956-59)….Deputy Coordinator of Cuban Affairs,
State Department (1964-65) …. Executive Liaison Officer, State Department (1965-68) …. International Relations Officer, State Dept. (1968).
Guatemala: NATHANIEL DAVIS, 44, appointed November 1968
Phillips Exeter Academy, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (M.A. and Ph.D.), Columbia and Cornell (Russian language
and Area studies), Universidad Central de Venezuela….Ensign, U.S. Naval Reserve (1944-46)….Assistant in History at
Tufts College (1947)….joined Foreign Service (1947) … various posts in Prague, Florence, Rome, Moscow (1947-56)….
First Secretary, Caracas, Venezuela (1960-62)…. Lecturer, Centros Venezolano-Americano in U.S. History (1961)….
Special Assistant to Peace Corps Director (1962-63), Deputy Assistant Director (1963-65)…. Minister to Bulgaria (1965-
66)….Senior Staff, National Security Council (1966-?)… Lecturer in Soviet and Russian History, Howard University
(1962-?)… .member United Church of Christ.
Guyana: SPENCER M. KING, 52, sworn in July 2, 1969
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico….Yale (A.B.), University of Chicago (1951)….Major in U.S. Army overseas (1941-46) ….
Economic and Commercial Officer, La Paz, Bolivia (1946-48) …. Bolivian Desk Officer, State Dept. (1948-51)…. Chief,
Economic and Political Section, Prague (1951-54)….Chief, East Europe Branch, Voice of America (1954-55)….Special
Assistant, Bureau of American Republic Affairs (1955-57) …. National War College (1957-58)….Deputy Chief of Mission,
Quito, Ecuador (1962)….Charg6 d’Affaires, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (1962-64)….Deputy Inspector General of
Foreign Service Inspector Corps (1964-69).
Haiti: CLINTON E. KNOX, 61, confirmed October 8, 1969
Williams (A.B.), Brown (M.A.), Harvard (Ph.D), University of Paris …. Instructor, Michigan State
College (1931-35, 1939-43)….U.S. Army (1943-45)….joined State Dept. as a Research Analyst
(1945)….worked way up to Chief, Division of Research, Western Europe (1946-55) …. Political
Officer, Paris (NATO Defense College) (1957)….First Secretary, Paris (To NATO and other region-
al Organizations) (1957-58) …. Consul of Embassy, Honduras (1963-64)….Ambassador to Dahomey
(1964-69).
Honduras: HEWSON A. RYAN, 47, confirmed October 8, 1969
Yale (B.A. and M.A.), Universidad de Madrid (Ph.D.)….U.S. Army (1942-46)….Spanish Institute,
Yale (1947-49)…..English Instructor, private language schools (1949-50) …. Binational Center
grantee, Bogota, Colombia (1951-54).. .. Information Officer, Santiago, Chile (1956)….Public
Affairs Officer, Santiago (1958-60) …. Chairman of the Chilean Fulbright Comittee …. Adviser to
U.S. Delegation to 5th Meeting of Ministers of the Americas….worked way up to position of Deputy
Director of Policy and Research in the USIA (1961-69).
Ryan’s appointment is reportedly the result of a “deal” between the State Dept. and the USIA
whereby an occasional Information man will be rewarded with an ambassadorial post. As Deputy
Director of the USIA for Latin America, Ryan fought to have it act as the sole purveyor of Alliance
for Progress information instead of sharing the task with other Latin American countries and
Organizations.
Jamaica: VINCENT De ROIILET, 44, sworn in October 1, 1969
Claremont Men’s College (A.B.), Loyola University and UCLA….U.S. Air Force Sgt. (1943-46) ….
with R.A. Rowan Co. of Los Angeles in real estate management….Chairman of Board, Patrina
Corporation (1958); Chairman of the Board, Towne-Oller and Associates, Inc. (1955)….Trustee
and Vice-President of North Shore Hospital, New York (1961)….was Mayor of Village of North
Hills, New York.Mexico: ROBERT H. McBRIDE, 51, sworn in June 24, 196S
Born in England of American parents…. Princeton (A.B.)…. Appointed to Foreign Service (1941)…. various posts in
Havana, Algiers, Naples, Rome, Haiti, Rabat, Paris, Madrid (1941-47) …. Special Assistant to Director, Office of Amer-
ican Republic Affairs (1946-47) …. Officer-in-Charge of French and Iberian Affairs (1951-54)….Deputy Director, Offic(
of Regional European Affairs (1957-58) … .Direcor, .Office of Western European Affairs (1958-61) … .Ambassador to
ConRo (Kinshasa) (1967-69).
Nicaragua: KENNEDY McCAMPBELL CROCKETT, 49, appointed 1967.
North Texas Agriculture College, University of Texas….various posts in Foreign Service in Mexico, Honduras (1943-55)
…. Special Assistant for Consular Affairs in Charge of Mexican Affairs, State Dept. (1955-57) …. First Secretary,
Guatemala (1958-60); Consular General, Tijuana, Mexico (1960-62)….Deputy Director, Office of Caribbean and Mexican
Affairs, State Dept. (1962-63), Director (1964-65)….Consul to Embassy, Deputy Chief of Mission, Costa Rica (1965-67).
Panama: ROBERT M. SAYRE, 45, sworn in October 8, 1969
Willamette University (B.S.), George Washington University (LL.D.), Stanford (M.A.-Economics) …. Lawyer….Captain in
U.S. Army overseas (1942-46); a Colonel in U.S. Army Reserve….entered State Dept. as an economist with Bureau of
Economic Affairs and Bureau of Inter-American Affairs….Executive positions, Bureau of Inter-American Security Affairs
…. Chief of Political Section in Lima (1957-59) …. Economic and Financial Adviser, Havana, Cuba (1960-61)…. named
Executive Secretary to President Kennedy’s Task Force on Latin America, participating in the formulation of the Allianc
for Progress….Deputy Director and Director, Office of Mexican Affairs (1961-64) …. Latin American Adviser to Presi-
dent Johnson (1964-65)….Deputy Assistant Secretary in Bureau of Inter-American Affairs (1965-68) …. Ambassador to
Uruguay (1968-69).
Sayre switched posts with Adair. Sayre to Panama, Adair to Uruguay.
Paraguay: JOHN R. YLITALO, 53, sworn in July 28, 1969
St. Olaf College (A.B.), Northwestern University (MBA), University of Minnesota…. Instructor, University of Alabama,
School of Business (1938-41)….Special Agent, FBI (1941-46)… Chief of Political Section, Helsinki, Finland (1946-
50) …. Special Assistant, Bureau of Consular and Security Affairs (1950-53)….Deputy Principal Officer, U.S. Consu-
late, Munich (1954-58)….Consul General, Manila (1960-62) …. Assistant Chief of Aviation Division, Office of Trans-
portation and Communication (1962-63)….Deputy Director and Director, Office of Visas (1965-68)….Principal Officer,
Tijuana, Mexico (1968-69).
Peru: TAYLOR G. BELCHER, 49, sworn in August 21, 1969
Brown (A.B.)….U.S. Navy, Lt. in Pacific and North Atlantic Theaters (1942-45)….joined Foreign Service (1946)….
served in Mexico City (1946-49), Glasgow (1950-54), Nicosia (1957-60)….United Kingdom Desk Office, Bureau of
European Affairs (1954-57)…..attended National Defense College (1960-61)…..Director of West Coast Affairs, Bureau
of Inter-American Affairs (1961-64)….Ambassador to Cyprus (1964-69).
Trinidad-Tobago: JOHN FIFE SYMINGTON, 59, sworn in August 14, 1969
Princeton (B.A.); fluent in French and Spanish….Lt. in U.S. Navy (1946-48)….prior to World War II, numerous posi-
tions with Pan American Airways, including supervision of local Argentine staff (1936-37 and Senior Traffic Representa-
tive in Europe for Manager of Transatlantic Clipper Service (1939-48) …. President of Baltimore County Supply Co.,
OwinRs Mills, Md. (specialists in general hardware, building supplies and retail lumber)….active in Maryland politics.
Uruguay: CHARLES W. ADAIR, 55, appointed October 8, 1969
University of Wisconsin (A.B.), American Institute of Banking (1937-38), George Washington University, Princeton (grad-
uate studies)….entered Foreign Service (1940) ….. served in Mexico, India, Argentina, Brazil and Belgium….member of
U.S. Delegations to NATO, Economic Commission to Europe, GATT, Colombo Plan and SEATO (1953-59) …. Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, State Dept. (1959-61) …. Deputy Secretary General of Organization for Econ-
omic Cooperation and Development, Paris (1961-63)….Deputy Chief of Mission, Buenos Aires, Argentina (1963-65) …
Ambassador to Panama (1965-69).
Venezuela: No ambassador appointed – post vacant.
Organization of American States (OAS): JOSEPH JOHN JOVA, 53, sworn in July 15, 1969
Miami Military Academy, Newburg Free Academy, Dartmouth (A.B.); fluent in French, Spanish and Portuguese….with the
Guatemala Division of the United Fruit Company (1938-41)….U.S. Navy overseas (1942-46)….joined Foreign Service
(1947)…..served in Iraq, Morocco and Portugal…..Officer-in-Charge, French-Iberian Affairs, State Dept. (1957-58)….
State Department Personnel Officer (1959-61)….Deputy Chief of Mission, Chile (1961-65) …. Ambassador to Honduras
(1965-69)….member of Roman Catholic Church.
Ambassador Biography Sources:
1) Foreign Service List, May and September 1969, State Department
2) The Biographical Register, July 1968, State Department
3) Who’s Who in America, Marquis, Chicago
4) James Bradshaw, “Nixon’s Stolid Latin Diplomats.” The New Leader, September 29, 1969.
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