The Foreign Service Journal, April 2006

sued between the two nations con- cerned.’ ” By the way, with interest, the $8.5 billion in assets the U.S. froze in 1979 are now worth close to $20 billion. The issue remains a major subject of dis- cord between Iran and the U.S. Bruce Laingen is correct to urge both sides to start talking about their prob- lems. John Gunther Dean Ambassador, retired Paris, France Clarification on Promotions I must apologize for an error in my February Speaking Out column (“It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Where You Serve”), in which I stated that none of the section heads at post during my tenure in Vienna were promoted. In fact, the consul general there was pro- moted into the Senior Foreign Service. His promotion was, however, chiefly related to an extended tempo- rary duty tour in Moscow, not directly to his service in Vienna. I believe this squares with everyone’s understand- ing. John Allen Quintus FSO, retired Newark, Del. Horns for Understanding The review of Richard Arndt’s book The First Resort of Kings: American Cultural Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century (November Journal ) men- tions Louis Armstrong as one of the main artists sent abroad through pro- grams created by the then-Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. As deputy director of the office of cultur- al affairs in the early 1960s, I some- times briefed performers prior to departure overseas. One such briefing was for Mr. Armstrong, his wife and several others in his group. The Congo, one of the stops on the tour, was faced with civil disturbance. This bothered Mr. Armstrong. However, after listening to the security measures volunteered by Congolese authorities, he said, “Mr. Hussey, if you tell me to go and blow, I’ll go blow!” And did he ever, not only to the delight of crowds in the Congo, but in every African country where performances were given. Louis Armstrong and his group, like those invited to participate in the cultural program, both before and after, indeed provide a valuable understand- ing and appreciation of American cul- ture. Bill Hussey FSO, retired Laguna Woods, Calif. Condor Classification I’d like to back up Jim Blystone’s remarks about his diplomatic work in Chile (“The Domino Effect of Improper Declassification,” January FSJ ). From early 1975 to late 1976, I was assigned by Embassy Santiago as the only American official in the south. This placid territory, from Chiloe to Chillan, encompassed the beautiful lakes region dotted with quiescent vol- canoes. However, the Chilean govern- ment deemed the country to be in a state of siege and strictly enforced a toque de queda (curfew) after mid- night. In mid-1976, when Chile hosted the conference of the Organization of American States, I traveled to Santiago to help man the embassy press center around the clock. This was the base for American reporters accompanying the U.S. delegation headed by Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. But before I could start work, the regional security officer sent me to the headquarters of DINA (the Chilean secret police) to apply for a curfew pass. While there, I had coffee and polite conversation with the staff of this elite military unit whose per- sonnel appeared in mufti. Presum- ably, the name of every American diplomat who visited this office was fair game. Any defector from this unit could later publicly accuse him or her of association with Operation Condor. (This was purportedly the network of various Latin American military com- mands to combat local subversives). I believe Blystone — who met with DINA twice — when he says that he was unjustly linked to Operation Condor, whose existence he knew nothing about. During my tour, I never heard about this operation from regime sup- porters nor from critics of the military government. In fact, when I first arrived, I had significant culture shock about why a vulture named “Condor- ito” was a beloved mascot and cartoon character a la Donald Duck. Chileans told me that the condor is a majestic bird in flight, much admired by them as we do our American bald eagle. But as an Asian-American, I knew that the Parsees in India and the Tibetans traditionally use hungry vultures to complete the open-air funeral of their dead. Was this esoteric funeral rite in Asia the metaphor for Operation Condor in Latin America — if it existed at all? The prudent, bureaucratic response is “We don’t know. And we don’t want to know.” State’s stonewalling of the Argentinians, especially passing the buck to Blystone, seems to fit this pat- tern. Jose Armilla FSO, retired Former USIS director in Concepcion, Chile Vienna, Va. Drafters’ Identities I was saddened but not surprised to read the article by James Blystone. Inclusion of drafting and clearing information in cables released under the Freedom of Information Act has been a problem since at least the late 1970s. When I served as desk officer for Congo (then Zaire) from 1979-1981, I consistently refused to clear FOIA A P R I L 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 7 L E T T E R S u