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Llewellyn Thompson
(Continued from page S)
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VIOBIN MONTicmo, Illinois
toward his career; rather they have fostered it. "In college
I had no idea of becoming a diplomat," he says. "I studied
economics and thought about going into the import-export
business. That would have satisfied my desire to see more
of the world. I went to Seattle to talk to some export-import
people, and after listening to what I wanted, they told me
I was heading in the wrong direction. Try the diplomatic
service, they said. I did, and it was good advice."
In considering careers, the one that got no consideration
was ranching. The incessant demands of the land, vagaries
of the market, and the invasion of "drylanders" (farmers
who took over public grazing lands) had embittered
Thompson's father toward ranching. "He wanted us to look
for careers with broader horizons and more opportunities
than he had," the ambassador says.
Diplomatic service intrigued young Thompson because
it offered both travel beyond his small-town horizons and
also a chance at "responsibility and decision making." Both
came more quickly to him than to most diplomats. Ordi
narily, he would have been transferred routinely from his
first post in Colombo, Ceylon, after two years, but in those
lean times the State Department could not afford the move.
Instead, he was placed in charge of the consulate as a com
pensation, and he considers this a lucky break because
it put him in a decision-making role long before most of
his contemporaries.
"Integrity and good judgment make a good diplomatic
officer," Thompson says. "But how does a young man de
velop good judgment? Part of it is inherent, some comes
from education but experience is the real proving ground
for good judgment. Nowadays, with the speed-up in world
affairs, experience may come fast. But it wasn't always so.
A desk man now (a desk man is chief of a geographic sec
tion), for example, handles more decisions in a week than
the Secretary of State did in a month 20 years ago."
While Thompson's professional life matured in that much
glower world of yesterday, he made the most of every op
portunity. In 1933 he was transferred to Geneva, Switzer
land, and a two-year assignment dragged out six years,
again partly because of budget problems. Thompson didn't
care. He found himself working under the man who he
believes influenced his career more than any single person
the late Prentice Gilbert.
Dot Your I's; Cross Your Ts
Gilbert had an obsession for accuracy, not only in a
diplomat's observations but in his official reports to Wash
ington. Each word and comma he cabled home was checked
and rechecked by every assistant on his staff. In Washing
ton, Gilbert insisted, they must be able to read our reports
without fear of misinterpretation or misunderstanding.
The reason was obvious: a vague, careless cable about a
delicate foreign situation could lead policy-making Wash
ington into an embarrassing decision. Today, in a city
drowning in gobbledygook and bureaucratese, Thompson's
reports are renowned as models of brevity (Gilbert was
forced to equate words with cable charges in the '30s) and
precise, direct English.
Thompson's stature as a Russian expert is based not
only on knowledge of the Soviet but also on the Russians'
own respect for his integrity and firmness. This respect
was born in the winter of 1941 while Thompson was on his
first assignment to the U. S. embassy in Moscow.
With German patrols advancing within six miles of the
capital, foreign embassies packed up and fled with most of
the Soviet officialdom. But Thompson recalls: "President
Roosevelt wanted accurate information on the progress of
the war and that could only be obtained in Moscow. Besides,
he needed somebody to deliver his messages to Premier
Stalin, so I stayed."
F.millf Wwklv. JmniMT JO, IMJ
The President's special advisor on Kremlin affairs, Ambas
sador Thompson has served in posts from Ceylon to Moscow.
In an embassy short of food and encircled by tank traps,
Thompson and a skeleton staff joined the Russians in a
bitter siege. Thompson won the State Department's Medal
of Freedom for his valor "at risk of capture," but, possibly
more important, he won Russian admiration that was
especially evident later in Nikita Khrushchev.
With peasant bluntness, Khrushchev often exhibits im
patience with the diplomatic corps (including his own) and
bypasses some ambassadors for direct contact with their
superiors. Thompson, however, spent more time with the
Premier than any other diplomat in Moscow.
The two came closest to a falling out at a cocktail party
after the Francis Gary Powers U-2 flight Although, earlier,
Khrushchev had absolved Thompson of any responsibility,
he suddenly changed his attitude and began berating the
ambassador in a rage. Thompson's slightly stooped
shoulders straightened and his sharp jaw clamped hard
over any reply: he is known for a wry wit that can turn
subtly caustic at provocation.
Before any incident could occur, Mrs. Thompson stepped
up to the men. "Now let's not talk about this any more," she
said, smiling. Khrushchev turned to her, first in surprise,
then in approval.
"You are right!" he shouted and the subject was dropped.
Tho Four Skills of a Diplomat
The Russians admire firmness and undoubtedly this, too,
contributes to their appreciation of Thompson's talents.
They first met the Thompson firmness in the Austrian peace
negotiations in 1955. For 10 years the Russians had blocked
a treaty and then, with Stalin dead, decided to seek out an
agreement but on their terms. Thompson talked, listened,
and bargained through 379 meetings, and the final treaty
he helped hammer out proved a major triumph for the
West For his "firmness, patience, negotiating skill, and
good judgment" in these negotiations, Thompson won the
State Department's Distinguished Service Award.
Above his desk today hangs a color picture of the signing
of the Austrian peace treaty. "It was presented to me by
the head of the Austrian government when I left my Vienna
post," he says with obvious pride. "The treaty was the
highlight of my career." Perhaps as he arrives at his office
at 8:40 each morning, Thompson looks to the picture as a
reminder of his philosophy on contemporary diplomacy.
The important thing," he says, "is for governments to
keep open channels of communication. Circumstances, atti
tudes, and people change, and what may seem insolvable
today may be solved tomorrow. For a representative to a
Communist country, the important thing is not to give
up because no answer to the problem is at hand, but to
maintain communications so that if a change does occur
he will recognize it and act upon it"
Seemingly interminable negotiations are part of a world
divided between East and West; so, apparently, are such
overnight crises as Cuba. In either case, Ambassador
Thompson can expect a call:
'The President urgently requests your presence."