Browse Items (92 total)

  • Tags: Kenneth Landon at the State Department 1939-1988

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Kenneth, after receiving his job with area studies, traveled around to study other programs. He says he "was well-informed, probably as well-informed as anybody in the United States in academia on all these different kinds of area studies programs." …

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Kenneth describes the role of religion within the political realm. He was the first to present a paper on the role of Buddhism in Southeast Asia--this event occured in the 1950's. Kenneth says it was because of him that a religious advisor was…

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Kenneth gives a detailed description of the golf game he arranged for the Prime Minister and the President of the United States. Originally planned as simply a lunch, Kenneth decided that, because they were both interested in golf, he would set up a…

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Kenneth tells of his advice to William Donovan. He explains that the northeastern plateau was very arid. If he could redirect the Mekong River, it might provide power and irrigate the arid plateau, raising the level of agriculture greatly. Donovan…

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Kenneth tells of the security at airbases which were prepped to bomb the Ho Chi Minh trail. He says that their security was extremely lax, and he thought that it would be quite easy for the Vietnamese to come in and sabotage the planes. 

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Around the time he turned fifty, Kenneth started making a list of all the things he wanted to do in his life. On this list, he had that he wanted to write short stories. he finally got his chance and got them published in the Saturday Evening Post in…

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In 1953, William Donovan became our ambassador to Thailand. A woman named Ruth, who headed the passport office, warned him that he needed to cultivate a relationship with the desk officer for Thailand if he wanted things to go well. She was an old…

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As Donovan has been recently appointed to be the Ambassador to Thailand, Kenneth must brief him on what this might entail. As Kenneth spent several weeks with Donovan in Thailand, he explained Thailand's relation to other countries of South and…

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Kenneth had a regular ritual at State when coffee break time came. He had learned early on that the most important people to him were the messengers and the secretaries. They were helpful to him in many ways. Every day, Kenneth made a point of having…

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Kenneth tells of becoming a member of the Congressional Golf Club. He had been trying for quite some time, and finally, through Larry, the husband of his piano teacher, was able to get on as a member. The price was drastically cheaper back then,…

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Kenneth tells of GS rankings in the government. He tells how even at the very top of GS-16, he made nearly the same pay as a GS-18. He described how theese were really "supergrades", as the regular grades only went up to GS-15.

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Also on Kenneth's list of things to do before he dies was to learn to play the piano. He found a teacher, a woman by the name of Mabes Imhoff, and became her only adult pupil. He skipped playing scales, going directly to more challenging pieces. He…

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Kenneth tells of Seni Pramoj. Pramoj greatly disliked Kenneth, yet when he filed a complaint with the State Department, Kenneth was the one able to respond to him. Later, Pamoj became Prime Minister of Thailand. 

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Kenneth describes the assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem. He clarifies, once again, that he was never involved. He first describes his relationship with Diem, and then expounds on the results of the assassination.

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Kenneth tells of how many Presidents he has met (of the U.S.). He tells of the times he has met them, including encounters with Roosevelt, Truman, Nixon, Eisenhower (perhaps), and Kennedy. He also comments on the various likes or dislikes he has for…

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Kenneth tells of his transition between offices in his job with the Operations Coordinating Board. In the process, his beloved avocado tree got a chill and died. He had various offices in different buildings.

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Kenneth describes in detail the Executive Office Building. He goes on about a certain office or two, mentioning Rockefeller's office and open fireplace. He talks about the grandeur of the building, with large rooms, large doors, large…

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Kenneth tells of the first year under the Kennedy administration. As there were no committees or coordination, Kenneth saw the entire U.S. government as chaotic. He also tells of the Buddhist incident, in which Kenneth advised a group to "drive right…

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Kenneth tells of Jimmy Lay. Lay was the secretary under the National Security Council and had been secretary under Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy. Kennedy got fed up with Lay, as Lay was accustomed to taking minutes of the meetings. When Kennedy…

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At the State Department, Kenneth's official title was International Relations Officer, Southeast Asian Affairs. He worked chiefly with Thailand to begin with. Then for a time he also handled Indonesia. The State brought someone in to be the Chief and…

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Upon switching full time to American University, Kenneth retired from government service at the end of 1965. Dean Rusk hosted the reception for him, and awarded Kenneth a medal for his years of service.

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Kenneth tells of General Brute Krulak. General Krulak thought Kenneth went about fighing insurgency incorrectly, finding Marines being slaughtered needlessly. Kenneth also talks about General Krulak's professional desire to be head of the Marine…

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Kenneth describes the structure of the Foreign Service Institute. He explains how he might be a dean of one program, yet overall how he was an associate dean.

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Kenneth had been ignoring Dean Rusk's attempts to meet with him, but Rusk eventually decided to just appoint Kenneth to the Foreign Service Institute. Kenneth was already making a larger salary than the Director, whom he was to be Special Assistant…

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Kenneth ran the area studies program from 1963 through 1965. He completely reorganized the program, as many found it to be quite insufficient and superficial. Kenneth modeled it along the lines of serious area studies programs he found in various…

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