US-Soviet Citizen Exchange (2) Box: 28
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Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Digital Library Collections This is a PDF of a folder from our textual collections. Collection: Green, Max: Files Folder Title: US-Soviet Citizen Exchange (2) Box: 28 To see more digitized collections visit: https://reaganlibrary.gov/archives/digital-library To see all Ronald Reagan Presidential Library inventories visit: https://reaganlibrary.gov/document-collection Contact a reference archivist at: [email protected] Citation Guidelines: https://reaganlibrary.gov/citing National Archives Catalogue: https://catalog.archives.gov/ SECURING Qil! PLANET l 10\\ ro sn ( 1 l n \\ 1u "· l I !Rr \fS ARI !00 RJ<;h \ \'-DlHlKl'SRI \ff '\j() I)[ If '- I Carlson . ~lpped Into hls--fertuft&-to fun the Ark Foundation, a world peace group. Mayt>e Carlson, 54, is a workaholic. And maybe he's crazy. Laziness and sanity are not the first characteristics one thinks of when picturing an individual who, by his own admission, wants to reshape the way the world operates. That's right, the world. Less than four years ago, Carlson found Quest for peace ed the nvnprofit Ark Foundation. It sup l. ports, in varying degrees, 40 other leads Carlson organizations that work to end hunger, war and the arms race, to name a few to build an Ark causes. Carlson recently started the Ark Com Having made millions in real estate, munications Institute, indicating that Ark has gone on the offensive and that Carlson now he's the Mozart of peace cause no longer is satisfied with simply writing BY HUNTLEY PATON checks for other organizations. Don Carlson is either a workaholic or Ark Communications has published an- one of those lucky few who manages to get thologies of essays on world tension and rich from doing what comes naturally. the possibility of nuclear war, with a clear On paper, at least, evidence supports the bent in each not only for stopping the arms former. What else do you call a man who race but for reversal of hostilities as well. simultaneously serves as chairman emeri- Ark Communications' two latest publica tus of a $14 billion real estate investment tions - "Citizen Summitry: Keeping the firm, regional president of a national Peace When it Matters Too Much to Be group of influential business executives Left To Politicians" and "Securing Our and president of a nonprofit foundation de- Planet: How to Succeed When Threats Are signed to promote world peace? Too Risky and There's Really No Defense" LO ..... What else do you call a man who travels - are ccredited by Carlson and Craig 4l "C 0 n.§ l5 QI) ... all over the world meeting with politicians, Comstock, the man who generated the idea < ti! ..... ui ~ Ill .c Cl> N OQ,3:~~ 0.."' -8£EllO ,.:. business leaders, political activists, paint- for the Peace Corps in a Harvard thesis .5 ·- ~ Cl> ca ·c;; Cl>!/)~~ ... c .0 !/) Cl) -gE eti> 4l ers, novelists and average citizens, and ....,.:.::.c.=r:...:.:.ne=:a:::r;.::.l,_.:;,30;..a..e:::a:::r.:::;s-=a~o=-.-------'I a: .§ ca Cl> -c QI) ; 8 B ~ :g_§ who then compiles essays from these peo- Carlson also contributes time to Busi C: ll0.5 E ~ 15 ~Cl>·~ ~E 0.."' ~ · § ~ ~ · c: . :z: Cl) ple and publishes them in books that he ness Executives for National Security Inc., 0.C1>4>Q.::l ... a:iE.c·i~ E>.cE<ll 0 tj~)(.QO. helps edit? a watchdog organization devoted to reduc- z ca>.4>(5e 8 u;8~4>£ c UJ.c c ..... o. ... Carlson never has been one for idle time. ing fraud and waste in national defense As a teenager he landed a three-sport spending. Carlson said he "recruited my scholarship to Stanford University. He business contacts" for the organization's completed his undergraduate education at Northern California membership. the University of California at Berkeley "At first, the membership list was and got an M.B.A. from Armstrong Col- straight from my Rolodex," Carlson said. lege. "Now it includes names from all of those WEEK OF DECEMBER 8 , 1986 '?'?"~</j f).., • ~~<() """y .vo<c'5 ~~V people's Rolodexes." knowledgeable and who were good writers ~r;}Gj CarlsOn works on all levels of society. As on top of that." «.~'If' o a member of Business Executives for Na- The most critical decision Carlson made '?-t ~ tional Security (BENS) he lobbies Con was to fund Ark out of his own pocket. gress to "act responsibly" in defense "I've thought about converting Ark into spending. a publicly held nonprofit organization,'' Ark, on the other hand, lobbies the gen Carlson said. "That way we could openly eral public and tries to "build bridges" be solicit funds." tween cultures. Next week, for example, For now, though, Carlson is happy to pay Ark will co-sponsor with Pepperdine Uni for everything himself. That way he can versity a three day U.S.-Soviet writers' run things his way. Ark is, after all, some- . conference at the Pepperdine and UCLA thing very personal to him. The officia~ ; campuses. Twelve American and Soviet motto of the company is a universal one: .., literary figures will discuss art-related is "An Ark Big Enough for the · Wh.ole sues and look for common concerns in po World." . · · . etry and literature. But Carlson explained that "Ark" ac Carlson is optimistic about the impact of tually comes from the initials of his three the conference. children: Anna, Richard, Kathy. "This kind of thing works," he said. "It's The convictions of individuals add up the foundation for understanding. and make a difference, Carlson said. It's true, Carlson said, that his business "It starts from the ground level," he experience has helped him in the larger said. "You start With your own kids, and arena of world politics, and vice versa. then you have to think about the world's What's more surprising is that he manages kids. to juggle all of these interests and respon "I really believe that the future is wo sibilities every day. important to leave it in the hands of politi- Carlson always is working on something. cians,'' he said. But work may be to Carlson what breath Carlson, of course, has a lot '(>(politi ing is to others; he finds it essential and cians for friends. He makes contributions natural and sometimes he forgets that he's to a lot of political campaigns: He declined doing it. to name his friends and benefactors. Thci'se "In some ways I've never stopped work connections, though, could mak~ Carlson a ' ing, ever since I was a boy," Carlson said. powerful man or Ark a powerful organiza- "In some ways I've never worked. tion. "One thing you'll notice in 'Citizen Sum "Right Qow, I don't think Ark has too mitry' is an awful lot of quotes from people much clout or power,'' he said, pausing to like Emerson and Thoreau and Thomas add, "But I do." · ··~. Jefferson," Carlson said. "I scribbled Carlson said he's not the politicai animal those down over a long period, when I was reading on vacations. My friends say, 'That's not work,' and they're right. But "In some ways I've never · that's how I work. Work and play are very similar to me." sropped working, ever since I That may be misleading. Carlson admits was a boy. In some ways. that starting Emeryville-based Consolidat ed Capital Cos. in 1967, and then building I've never worked. '' that small firm into a billion dollar entity, -DON CARLSON · took a lot of hard work, the kind that can not be confused with leisure. But these days he devotes "only about 20 some people might guess him to t,Je• ., • percent" of his time to real estate. His role "I have no personal political aspfraticins · as president of the Ark Foundation is a whatsoever,'' he said. "And I'm very bi better example of Carlson doing something partisan. BENS and Ark attract retired that comes natural to him. generals, Republican Senators and conser "I've always been interested in progres vative business people. It's notjust liberal, sive politics,'' Carlson said. "I got in left-wing politics. , volved a long time ago as an individual. I "I don't see Ark as political af all,'' he' had been doing it for years and I just de said. "l don't see it as a struggle between cided to formalize it." right and left. It's who's given up and who One long-time business associate of Carl hasn't, because if you say the arms race is son suggested Carlson's keen business inevitable and that it will go on forever, sense is surpassed perhaps only by his then you're accepting the bankruptcy of abilities to lead the peace movement. this com1try, or it's annihilation." "As a business man, Don is very shrewd Not everyone feels that way, of course, and competent,'' the associate said. "He's and Carlson said his organization has tak what most people could be if they took the en a good deal of flak from "some of the initiative. But when he does his thing with extremely conservative" political groups Ark, it's different. I'm not sure many peo in this country. ple could do it. "Other people just think I'm naive,'' "He's sort of like the Mozart of the peace Carlson said. "I think they're naive for as movement,'' the friend said. "There are a suming the road we're on now is a safe lot of people who share his beliefs, just like one." there are people who love music.