1958
The debate between peace advocates and advocates of preparedness is complex and tricky. This letter from Rear Admiral Hal Bernsen, Commander, Middle East Force, provides a viewpoint from a friend "in the field:"
"Dear Skip: I recently assumed command of all of our naval forces in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and the northern reaches of the Indian Ocean. Ensuring that our merchant shipping is afforded safe passage despite the Iran/Iraq war and keeping tabs on Iranian air and naval forces while reassuring the moderate Arabs of our support is keeping me well occupied.
"Doris and I maintain a home on the island of Bahrain where life is reasonably pleasant. My duties, however, keep me at sea a good portion of the time.
"I believe our Navy has an important job to do here. Although the luxury of low oil prices has apparently served to reduce the American public's interest in this area, it is evident to most petroleum experts that we will be dependent for our energy needs on the Middle East again, perhaps sooner than we think. If we were to allow ourselves to be pushed out of the Gulf in the meantime, I believe it would be very difficult to force our way back in. Hopefully, by maintaining a consistent, credible, but non-belligerent presence here we can prevent any cataclysmic change in status. Of course, the greatest uncertainty we face is the Iran/Iraq war itself. I was commanding officer of the Navy's flagship here in September 1980 and sat off Kharg Island as the tracers arched in the sky signaling the start of the fighting. Who then could possibly have imagined that the Iranians and Iraqis would have stomach to continue for six long years what has become a very nasty war of attrition? The combined casualty toll is appalling. Had we lost proportionately as many men in Vietnam, our killed-in-action would have topped two million. That the people of these two countries tinue to support their government leaders in the face of such losses is amazing to me.
"Despite the difficult summer temperatures our ships and men do well out here. It is a tribute to our young people and the junior officers that the vast majority understand the importance of maintaining a presence here and, in particular, of insuring freedom of the sea.
"There are, perhaps surprisingly, a number of Dartmouth folks in this area in important government positions. Of course, Reggie Bartholomew in Lebanon (unfortunately I have not been able to schedule a visit), Paul Boeker '60, our Ambassador to Jordan, and Peter Bridges '53, our Ambassador to Somalia. I have enjoyed visiting with the latter two on more than one occasion. It is also interesting to me that the flag officer I relieved is a Harvard graduate, class of '52. "(Signed) Hal Bernsen Rear Admiral, USN."
Congratulations to Scott Pardee, who is the new vice chairman of the Japanese security firm, Yamaichi International (America), Inc. Those who have followed Scott's career recall that he was from 1962 to 1981 an employee of the New York Fed, where he was manager of foreign operations and a senior vice president at the time he left. During that stint, he represented the NY Fed at the monthly Central Banking meetings in Basel, Switzerland. During one of the 69 trips to Basel, he met a gentleman -now a senior advisor to Yamaichi- who recruited Scott to his new post. After leaving the Fed in 1981, Scott became executive vice president of Discount Corporation of New York, a government securities dealer. He developed that firm's foreign exchange operations, which "turned out to be quite successful for them," according to Scott. Yamaichi has operated in New York .since 1953 and is a major Japanese securities firm.
Bob Jaffe has been appointed director of alumni relations of the Peddie School in Heightstown, N.J. Bob had been with Hazel Bishop Industries as vice president, marketing and sales. His professional career of 25 years has been spent in the cosmetics industry. He holds a masters degree from Columbia College Graduate School of Business and lives in Clifton, N.J.
Sumner Sharpe has been elected commissioner of the American Institute of Certified Planner, an organization of 21,000 people involved in governmental planning. Sumner, a partner in Cogan, Sharpe and Cogan, consultants in planning and management services for government and community relations and related fields, previously was a professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University and held other positions in urban planning organizations. Sumner has a Ph.D. in urban planning from the University of Washington and also studied abroad at the London School of Economics.
If all goes well by the time you read this, Barbara and Stuart Gord, my wife and I, and other alumni will have been in Annapolis for the football game with Navy. We hope to meet Judge Tom Jackson and his wife before the game. What- ever the outcome, it should be a glorious experience.
Taking a break from playing golf in June at the Royal and Ancient Golf Course at St. Andrews,Scotland, are, from left to right, Gerry Grady '53, Gail Koziara '82, and Walter Stackler '58. That'sthe R. and A. Clubhouse in the background.
20 North Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606
