The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project MICHAEL A. BOORSTEIN Interviewed by: Charles Stuart Kennedy Initial interview date: September 13, 2005 Copyright 200 ADST TABLE OF CONTENTS Background Born in ashington, D.C. and raised in the D.C. area. Beloit College$ University of Colorado$ University of Turku (Finland) Marriage Entered the Foreign Service in 19,0 State Department. Staff Aide$ Administrative / 0anguage study 19,0119,1 2ohn Stutesman Italian language study course Administrative study course and participants Palermo, Italy. Administrative Officer 19,1119,3 Environment Family Economy Consulate staff Mafia stories CODE0 visit State Department$ FSI$ French language studies 19,3119,5 6inshasa, 7aire$ Personnel Officer 19,5119,, Embassy staff Environment Security US Ambassadors 0ocal staff Consulates President Mobutu Sese Sekou Business community Economy Attempted coup Angola civil war 1 American School of 6inshasa ife;s activities Contacts with local population Corruption Area travel Health issues Ottawa, Canada. Personnel Officer 19,,119,8 Embassy staff Consulates Environment Ambassador Enders Environment Canadian sensitivities French Quebec issues State Department. FSI$ Russian language study 19,8 Moscow, USSR$ Administrative Officer 19,811980 D?tente Recreation travel American Ambassadors Soviets invade Afghanistan Congressional Delegations (CODE0s) Environment Black market Currency Food supply Travel restrictions 6GB Intelligence personnel 0ocal staff Armenians Aftermath of AmicrowaveB Soviet surveillance USIS Moscow, USSR$ Supervisory General Services Officer 198011981 Operations and duties Regional medical personnel 6GB Anglo1American School of Moscow hite Russian colony Teheran Embassy hostage1taking Environment Russian family members 2 State Department$ Soviet Desk Officer 198111983 Effect of Soviet Afghan invasion US delegations to Moscow Argonne National 0aboratories Return to US of high energy electromagnetic magnet Sanctions on USSR State Department$ Post Management Officer, Inter1American 198311985 Affairs El Salvador revolution Individual country problems Consulates Ambassador 2ohn 2ack Galvin Temporary Duty Assignments to Rome, Italy 1985 Cancy Reagan visit to Rome and Eatican Audience with the Pope Entertainment Ambassador MaFwell Rabb State Department$ FSI. Polish language training 198511985 Unusually effective study program arsaw, Poland$ Senior Administrative Officer 198511988 2ewish community Embassy staff General 2aruGelski 0ech alesa Relations Socialist government Polish western orientation American School of arsaw Eisit of Eice President Bush Security issues Foreign Service Nationals (FSCs) State Department$ FSI. Spanish language training 1988 Caracas, EeneGuela. Administration Counselor 198811991 Environment Economy Civil unrest Political situation US Ambassador Embassy operations 3 Administrative problems Security Gulf ar effect 0ocal staff Senior Seminar 199111992 Contents and evaluation of Seminar Month in Israel Secular 2ews in Israel arsaw, Poland. TDH, Acting Administrative Counselor 1992 State Department$ FSI. Chinese language study 199211993 Course evaluation Beijing, China$ Administrative Counselor 19931199I Opening to est International School of Beijing Property negotiations Chinese security operations Olympic Games issue School;s duty free status US business presence American Chamber of Commerce Cultural programs Embassy housing Environment Pollution Human Rights 0ocal staff Consulates Hong 6ong Consulate China 2000 Program Embassy growth Growing US1China ties Ambassador 2. Stapleton Roy Taiwan State Department. Deputy Director, Moscow Embassy Building 199I11998 Control Office (MEBCO) Security issues History of Moscow Embassy buildings Reciprocity Use of Soviet construction company MEBCO Chief Captain Carl Cristenson Completion of Soviet Embassy in ashington 5 Security arrangements in construction Conditions of Construction Agreement (1992) US contractors US labor for Embassy construction Helsinki transit point Construction operations Con1fraterniGation policy issues Coping with Soviet intelligence efforts Harvard University, Fellows Program at eatherhead Center 199811999 for International Affairs$ State Department Representative Background and content of Program Participants State Department$ Director$ American Embassy in Beijing 199912002 Construction Project Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary (for foreign buildings) Construction Security concerns Deputy Assistant Secretary, Patsy Thomasson Scope of responsibilities Security considerations Site selection Designer, Skidmore, Owens and Merrill Berlin Embassy Bureau reorganiGation Cew Embassies construction Paris Embassy property issues Replacement of European embassies and consulates 9/11 Pentagon Signature buildings Congressional interest in building security Cost element in construction Picking joint1venture partners Architect 2.M. Pei Site problems 0ong Range Overseas Building Plan Architect Saarinen State Department$ Director, Establishment of Museum of 200212005 History of Diplomacy (U. S. Diplomacy Center) Foreign Affairs Museum Counsel Chairman, Mac Mathias President, Ambassador Stephen 0owe Designer, Ralph Appelbaum Museum content Financing Traveling eFhibits 5 Retirement 2005 Director of Administration, Pan American Health OrganiGation (United Nations Agency)K INTERVIEW $: Today is the 13th of September, 2005. This is an interview with Michael. Do you have a middle initial) BOORSTEIC. A. $: Michael A. What does the A stand for) BOORSTEIC. Alan. $: Do you pronounce it Boorstein or stein) BOORSTEIC. BoorSTEEC. $: Boorstein. B,O,O,.,S,T,E,I,0. All right, Mi1e, let2s sort of start at the beginning. When and where were you born) BOORSTEIC. I was born in ashington, D.C. on September 29th, 195I. $: 3ou want to tal1 about, can you tell me a little about on your father2s side first, then we2ll go to the mother2s side. Where did they come from) What do you 1now) BOORSTEIC. ell, I know Luite a bit. My father was born in 0ondon, England in February of 190I. CeFt February will be his 100th birthday, but he;s no longer living. He was the only son of a family that had a total of siF children and the other five being girls. An older brother died as an infant. His parents were Ukrainian 2ews from 6harkov and my grandfather was in the laundry business and during the early part of the 20th Century there was a period of upsurge and anti1Semitism. $: There were some pogroms in that area, weren2t there) BOORSTEIC. EFactly. So, my grandfather had the wherewithal and the wisdom and he went with his wife and children before my father was born to 0ondon. Again I don;t know why he picked 0ondon or what eFactly he did when he was there, but nonetheless while my grandparents were in 0ondon my father was born. hen my father was about two years old my grandfather decided things were okay and they went back to 6harkov. $: This would have been about) I BOORSTEIC. 1908 or 1909. The last child, another girl was born back in 6harkov. Then of course they endured the Russian revolution. In the early 1920s my grandfather found the means to legally immigrate to the United States. My father came over with his mother, father, and younger sister leaving the four older sisters who already were either engaged or married back in the USSR at that point. ell, in the early 20s, it was not Luite formed as the USSR obviously, but what became the USSR. They immigrated to the United States and first settled in Philadelphia. How much further do you want me to go with my fatherM $: Did you 1now your grandfather) BOORSTEIC. No, my grandfather died before I was born. I did know my grandmother. She lived until about 1955 or ;5I. $: Well, we will come bac1 there, but how about did your father tal1 about the 41raine) BOORSTEIC. ell, unfortunately, my dad died at the age of 55 when I was 15 years old so that was a factor and I did not know that much about my father;s life in the Ukraine from him. I can later on tell you about whatever family was left in the Soviet Union who I actually saw and interacted with in the late 19,0s when I was assigned to Moscow. $: O1ay, we will pic1 that up, but how about on your grandmother, we are tal1ing your grandmother, your grandfather rather. BOORSTEIC. ell, she lived to her early N80s and I didn;t know her that well because when I was you know, siF, seven, eight years old she was living with my aunt and uncle in New 2ersey and we were living in Bethesda, Maryland. She would come down two or three times a year to visit. Her English was never that good. She spoke predominantly Hiddish and Russian. I do not know whether I was so young, I did not have that kind of curiosity. I kind of wish now that I had. I heard stories from my older sisters and my older brother about her and about the family later on, but in terms of my own interaction with her, it was pretty minimal. I found out later that she was originally from 0ithuania. $: How about on your mother2s side) BOORSTEIC. ell that is even a more interesting story. My mother also was from Ukraine. She was born in a village called Chudnov, which is 35 miles southwest of 7hitomir, which is in turn about maybe 100 miles west of 6iev. She was born, her eFact date of birth is unknown because the records were lost, but she believes it was sometime 2une 2uly of 1909. She was the youngest of eight children. She had siF brothers and a sister and her older brother, actually oldest brother had immigrated to the United States before she was born. Another brother