The Foreign Service Journal, November 2003

foreign policy intellectual. His focus was always on resolving or managing immediate issues to meet current U.S. foreign policy objectives. He never sought senior positions in Washington that would have placed him in a position to frame broad pol- icy, and turned down President Kennedy’s offer of one. He accept- ed the conventional Cold War wis- dom of his times. If he had any philosophical approach to American foreign policy, it was a generally Wilsonian view that included a strong emphasis on the right of self- determination and the improvement of the lot of ordinary people. In his later years, Bunker came to typify the old-fashioned American who was ready to shoulder arduous, difficult, sometimes dangerous tasks in the country’s service. He never questioned America’s greatness or the values that he thought had made it great, and came across to foreign- ers and compatriots alike as an authentic American in the best sense of that term. Beneath the cool exte- rior of an adopted New Englander, Bunker was a passionate patriot who was proud to be an American and never reluctant to say so. Ellsworth Bunker died in 1984 at the age of 90. At the end of his days, Bunker was serenely pleased in his quiet way that he had been able to serve the United States when it could use his talents to carry out its new glob- al responsibilities. Although he was troubled by the erosion in a changing America of old-time values he cher- ished, and upset by the debacle that had undone his accom- plishments in Vietnam, he remained the contented and self-confident man he had been for so long. He had ded- icated his skills to the diplomat’s trade, often in trying circumstances, in keep- ing with the country’s best patriotic tra- dition. From its beginning, America’s sur- vival has depended on the few who, like Ellsworth Bunker, were prepared to set aside their private concerns to serve the nation. ■ 42 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 3 As ambassador, Bunker saw his job as an exercise in state- to-state relations, not as an opportunity to promote his own ideas or a popularity contest. You know that intimate, boutique all-suite hotel that everyone wants to find? The one that has cutting-edge style and service, but is still reasonably priced? You just found it! • Located minutes from State Department Headquarters • Government per diem accepted all year • Newly Renovated suites with full kitchens • Visit our new restaurant “Dish” For more information please visit www.theriverinn.com or call (202) 337-7600. L OTS OF S TYLE , N OT A LOT OF P R I CE 9 2 4 2 5 T H S T R E E T , NW W A S H I N G T O N , DC 2 0 0 3 7