1957

At my request, Bob Copeland kindly prepared the following report on our Washington, D.C., classmates who are working in the foreign policy segment of the federal government.

Begin Copeland report. Foreign policy is one of those staples of conversation we all take for granted. Many of us have even heard how some of our classmates have participated in its development. Marty Anderson and Larry Silberman expounded on what they had been doing and opining at the reunion. Others, such as KentCrane and Bob Grey, have tried to get into policy positions with the administration, but just missed. Kent was to be appointed ambassador to Indonesia and Bob was to be head of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

There is another group of our classmates that has been involved in developing and executing foreign policy for years. These are the career bureaucrats who really make the system work. Among them are two who are now serving in some of the real vacation spots of the earth. Sam Bartlett is the principal officer at the consulate in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Carl Schmidt is the deputy chief of mission in Bangladesh.

Two other career foreign service officers have just been reassigned from their work on the Korean desk in Washington. Bill Breer is attending the National War College for a year at Fort McNair here in D.C. This is probably the most prestigious of the five senior military schools prospective generals are taught to wage peace. Bill doesn't know what new assignment will await him next summer. His wife Peggy continues to teach Japanese here at the International School. The other refugee from the Korean desk is Bob Richmond, who has been assigned to work with the Chamber of Commerce, primarily to help promote trade. Bob is considering retiring in a few years. In the meantime, his wife Helen has taken up real estate work.

Other classmates are deeply into foreign policy work. Belden "Ike" Bell is now head of Congressional relations for the USIA. He had an Eisenhower fellowship this spring to study Taiwan. Before that, he was the deputy assistant secretary of state for Congressional relations. His wife Rae was an assistant to Congressman Mac Donald of Georgia (who was aboard the Korean airliner) and is awaiting the outcome of the special election to fill his seat.

Ray (Reginald) Van Raalte, who started with the class of '58 but was so smart he finished with us, is now the director of the project office for AID. He must approve all projects in such diverse areas as population, health, agriculture, natural resources, and education. His wife Izabella is now a travel consultant specializing in study tours. Ray reports that he would have made more money staying with the practice of law, but he is much more satisfied with what he has done

with AID for the last 18 years. Finally, there is John Lange, who is director of the Treasury Department's Office of Trade Financing. John is the chief U.S. negotiator with 22 other nations on how export credits will be given. He fudged a bit when asked how this fits in with (bad) bank loans to developing countries. His wife Sonja works for the cultural affairs office of the Organization of American States.

End Copeland report. Bob, incidentally, is also a career government man, in charge of the Office of Health and Disability in the Department of Labor. He has suggested we do articles on other '57 occupational groupings such as religion, medicine, law, banking, etc.

I would appreciate any volunteers contacting me.

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