Butcher, W. Scott
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The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project WILLIAM SCOTT BUTCHER Interviewed by: David Reuther Initial interview date: December 23, 2010 Copyright 2015 ADST TABLE OF CONTENTS Background Born in Dayton, Ohio, December 12, 1942 Stamp collecting and reading Inspiring high school teacher Cincinnati World Affairs Council BA in Government-Foreign Affairs Oxford, Ohio, Miami University 1960–1964 Participated in student government Modest awareness of Vietnam Beginning of civil rights awareness MA in International Affairs John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies 1964–1966 Entered the Foreign Service May 1965 Took the written exam Cincinnati, September 1963 Took the oral examination Columbus, November 1963 Took leave of absence to finish Johns Hopkins program Entered 73rd A-100 Class June 1966 Rangoon, Burma, Country—Rotational Officer 1967-1969 Burmese language training Traveling to Burma, being introduced to Asian sights and sounds Duties as General Services Officer Duties as Consular Officer Burmese anti-Indian immigration policies Anti-Chinese riots Ambassador Henry Byroade Comment on condition of embassy building Staff recreation Benefits of a small embassy 1 Major Japanese presence Comparing ambassadors Byroade and Hummel Dhaka, Pakistan—Political Officer 1969-1971 Traveling to Consulate General Dhaka Political duties and mission staff Comment on condition of embassy building USG focus was humanitarian and economic development Official and unofficial travels and colleagues November 1970 cyclone U.S. relief response Central government response looked weak Elections in December 1970 The Awami Party wins in East Pakistan The coup of March 1971 The Blood Telegram and subsequent research State Department, Pakistan, East Pakistan, and Bangladesh Desk (NEA/PAB)—Political Officer 1971–1973 Insurgency in East Pakistan creates heavy load in Washington, Queries from Congress flood the Desk The role of big power diplomacy: U.S.-Pakistan-China Junior officer in a crisis environment Indo-Pakistan War November 1971 brings an end Story of personal effects; life in the Foreign Service Diplomatic recognition of Bangladesh Officers within NEA But non-career ambassador in Islamabad Diversity of East Pakistan population State Department, Near East and South Asian Bureau—Staff Assistant 1973-1974 Servicing Assistant Secretary Sisco and Deputy Assistant Secretaries Busy, stressful, but educational Outbreak of Yom Kippur War, handling another crisis Kissinger appoints Sisco Under Secretary for Political Affairs Staffing the Middle East Peace Conference in Geneva Kissinger becomes Secretary of State State Department, FSI, Malay Language Training 1974-1974 Learning Malay 2 Reaction to the fall of Saigon Kuala Lumper, Malaysia—Deputy, Political Section 1975-1977 Kuala Lumper, Malaysia—Chief, Political Section 1977-1979 Arrived during a Japanese Red Army hostage situation Description of embassy offices Political section had Malay and Chinese language officers Malaysia stand on Arab-Israel and other third country issues Vietnamese boat people refugee issue Anti-narcotics cooperation Relations with Singapore, Thailand The domestic mosaic Insurgency and security threats Introduction of human rights reports under Carter Administration Rebuilding a military relationship Thoughts on Ministry of Foreign Affairs interlocutors Change in ambassadors State Department, Operations Center (S/S-O) 1979-1981 Description of S/S-O functions Iran hostage crisis November 1979 Working with senior Department officials The hand-off between administrations Assassination attempt on President Reagan Jakarta, Indonesia—Political Counselor 1981-1984 Five-week conversion course Malay to Indonesian Duties and personalities in political section Mystery why Ambassador Mort Abramowitz not accepted by Indonesian government as ambassador Few trips around the country East Timor Indonesian economy Control officer for Vice President Bush Control officer for Secretary Shultz to ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference Congressional visitors List of main political section reporting topics Cooperation with other western embassies, NGOs As a family post Experiencing a volcanic eruption 3 Vietnamese refugee issue Embassy representational events State Department. Political-Military Bureau, Office Regional Security Affairs— Deputy Director (PM/ISP) 1984-1987 ISP covered Asia-Pacific, Africa, Latin America and some European accounts New Zealand election brought in new government with anti-nuclear platform Duties and personnel of PM and PM/ISO The fall of Marcos regime in the Philippines Staffing the Philippines Task Force Trip to the Philippines AUSMIN (Australian Ministerial) (U.S.-Australian bilateral) August 1986 Impact of 1980 Foreign Service Act on retention and retirement Presentation to Secretary Schultz A view of nuclear free zones State Department, East Asia and Pacific Bureau, Office of Philippine Affairs (EAP/PHL)—Deputy Director 1987-1988 Negotiating base issues Role of Congressman Solarz Coup attempts against President Aquino Creating an aid package Field trip 1987 Promotion to Senior Foreign Service opens new assignment State Department, Near East and South Asia Bureau, Office of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bhutan Affairs (NEA/INS)— Office Director 1988-1990 Rivalries of regional powers Intellectual property rights problems with India Insurgency in Sri Lanka, in detail The Indian Tamil angle Revolution in Nepal Russian shoppers at the airport Insight into inter-personal interactions Be dominant, not domineering Hinduism Working with Washington embassies Role of Internet on diplomacy and business 4 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia—Deputy Chief of Mission 1990-1993 The FSI Deputy Chief of Mission course A focus on managing financial and personnel resources Training to be chief operating officer Usefulness of an Airlie House conference on Malaysia Overview of staff and issues Vietnamese refugees The progress Malaysia had made since last assignment Mahathir’s energetic leadership Malaysia-U.S. interactions Handling Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in UN ASEAN Post-Ministerial banquet Embassy infrastructure New embassy building in 1980s Staff housing Later budget problems Meeting old friends now in higher positions Positive evaluation of Public Affairs program IMET and IVP programs invaluable Trade and investment relationship Malaysia’s relations with its neighbors DCM’s management responsibilities from officer evaluation reports to American community incidents Integrating new ambassador John Wolf Observation on value of foreign investment Wolf highlights commercial opportunities State Department, East Asia and Pacific Bureau, Office of Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore Affairs (EAP/PIMBS)—Office Director 1993-1995 Clinton Administration emphasis on APEC APEC Ministerial and Leaders meeting Seattle November 1993 APEC Senior Office meeting in Jakarta November 1994 Working with Washington embassies The Michael Fay canning Working with Congress The Philippines and political-military issues Freeport-McMoRan story in Irian Jaya Retirement September 1995 5 State Department retirement course Established international business consulting in Southeast Asia 1995-2002 State Department, Political-Military Bureau, Political-Military Action Team (PMAT) 2003-2016 Successor to the 9/11 task force Stand-alone office acknowledging State’s need to liaison with Pentagon on 24/7 basis PMAT product was a twice daily (Monday-Friday) all source situation report on global pol-mil issues staffed by retired FSOs on WAE status and former military personnel INTERVIEW Introduction – Brief Biographic & Career History Note Scott Butcher is from Cincinnati, Ohio, where he graduated from Western Hills High School. He received a bachelor’s degree from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, in 1964 and a masters from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Washington, D.C. in 1966. He entered the State Department in 1966. His overseas Foreign Service assignments were to Rangoon, Burma (1967-69); Dhaka, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh – 1967-71); Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1975-79 and 1990-93); and Jakarta, Indonesia (1981-84). Scott was trained at the Foreign Service Institute in Burmese, Malay and Indonesian. His assignments in Washington, D.C. were as Pakistan/Bangladesh Desk Officer in the Bureau of Near East and South Asian Affairs (NEA - 1971-73); Staff Assistant in that bureau’s front office (1973-4); Senior Watch Officer in the Operations Center of the Executive Secretariat (1979-81); Deputy Director, Office of International Security Policy, Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs (PM - 1984- 87); Deputy Director, Office of Philippine Affairs, Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs (EAP – 1987-88); Director, Office of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives Affairs, NEA (1988-1990); and Director, Office of Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore Affairs, EAP (1993-5). Scott retired in September 1995. During his career he received numerous performance awards, including the John Jacob Rogers Award for career achievement. After retirement he set up a small Maryland- registered consultancy to help American companies with their business development efforts in Asia, facilitating joint ventures between U.S. companies and Asian counterparts. He currently works part-time as a WAE shift director on the Political- Military Action Team in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. In recent years he and other retired Foreign Service colleagues