The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR EDMUND JAMES HULL Interviewed by: Charles Stuart Kennedy Initial interview date: October 10, 2005 Copyright 200 ADST TABLE OF CONTENTS Background Born in owa, raised in llinois Princeton University Mahadia, Tunisia; Peace Corps 1971-1973 ,nglish language instructor Peace Corps training Tunisian educational system Bourguiba slam French rule French .cooperants/ ,ntered the Foreign Service in 1970 State Department; FS ; Consular training1Cyprus Task Force 1970 State Department; FS ; Arabic language training 1970 Beirut, 2ebanon; Arabic language training 1970 2ebanese Civil 3ar Captive of P2O Taking of US hostages 2ebanese politics and economy Amman, 4ordan; University of Amman; 2anguage and Area Study 1970-1975 Palestinian teachers and students 6ing Hussein Classical Arabic 4erusalem; Political Officer 1975-1979 6ing Hussein and the status of 4erusalem US policy re 4erusalem ,mbassy1Consulate relations 1 ,mbassy location as political issue Dealing with sraeli officials sraeli settlements Consular work Mayor Teddy 6ollek Palestine 2iberation Organi8ation 9P2O: Human Rights Report of sraeli abuse of prisoners 2and ownership complications Sadat offer to assist in Peace efforts Sadat<s 4erusalem visit Begin-Sadat smailia meeting Camp David Accords Congressional interest Religious sites as flashpoints Marriage State Department; Staff aide to Assistant Secretary, N,A 1979-1980 Assistant Secretary Harold Saunders Henry 6issinger Teheran hostage crisis Shah<s illness 3ork load State Department; Algeria Desk Officer 1980-1982 ran hostage crisis Algeria government Algeria<s help in Teheran hostage crisis President Bendjedid French influence in Algeria State1 NSC friction Moroccan Prisoners of 3ar General Aernon 3alters C-B130s Polisario Berbers Cairo, ,gyptC Political1Military Officer 1982-1980 Relations with US military US military assistance Training ,gyptian military in US Nuclear warship transit of Sue8 US military bases C,NTCOM sraeli ,mbassy Difficulties in training ,gyptian military 2 Cairo, ,gyptC Political Counselor 1980-198D ,nvironment President Mubarak ,gyptian police force revolt Relations with neighbors Proposed plan to eliminate Eaddafi Sudan Taba OFford University; Study with Sir Michael Howard 198D-1987 Cairo, ,gypt 9continued: 1980-198D Achille 2auro hijacking ,gyptian role in hijacking resolution Hostage identification of hijackers talian role in hijacking resolution 6linghoffer killing ,gyptian discomfort Regional views of hijacking SecState commendation for Hull Tunis, Tunisia; Political Counselor 1987-1990 Ambassador Robert Pelletreau President Bourguiba removed Ben Ali Political slam 2ibya relations ,conomy P2O presence Algiers meeting of Palestine National Council 9PNC: US relations with P2O Abu yad Arafat declines Camp David accords Political suppression Politics French influence Arab Magreb Union 9AMU: State Department; Director, Northern Gulf Affairs 1990-1991 US and ran National Security Council 1991-1993 ran<s 6homeini revolution Baker<s Arab- srael shuttle diplomacy Mubarak 9,gypt 3 6ing Hussein 94ordan: Shamir 9 srael: Faisal Husseini 9Palestinian: Palestinian issues Madrid Conference sraeli settlement construction issue American- srael Public Affairs Committee 9A PAC: Negotiating with sraelis US negotiators US ,mbassy move to 4erusalem issue Oslo Accords First bombing of US Trade Center Clinton administration Mid ,ast policies 3arren Christopher Cairo, ,gyptC Deputy Chief of Mission 1993-199D Terrorism1Security Civil unrest Cairo ,mbassy A D programs nfrastructure1utilities Universities slamic fundamentalists ,gypt- srael relations Arab- srael Peace Process AleFandria Mubarak<s capability nterest in removing 2ibya<s Eadhafi Sudan A P visits Senior Seminar 199D-1997 State DepartmentC nternational Organi8ations; Peacekeeping 1997-1999 Humanitarian Operations Senator Helms< hostility .Around the 3orld/ Briefings UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations ,astern Slovenia State Department; Counterterrorism Advisor to the Secretary 1999-2001 UN officials Personalities Terrorism Bin 2aden and Al Eaeda ,mbassy bombings 0 Government agencies< views re Al Eaeda Counter Terrorism Security Group 9CSG: US officials Afghanistan Foreign Terrorist Organi8ations 9FTO: ran Saudi Arabia role Al Eaeda global outreach 9111 Commission Report Secretary Powell UN Security Resolution 1333 9UNSCR 1333: G-8 Summit meeting French obstructionism Gemen and terrorism United States Ambassador to Gemen 2001-2000 9111 attacks Attack on USS Cole Relations with Gemen government Euestion of raH 1 Al Eaeda connection Naval Criminal nvestigative Service Al Eaeda Gemen operations Security of US ,mbassy in Gemen 6idnapping threat Saudi Arabia as source of Al Eaeda financing Gemini President Saleh<s US visit Operation ,nduring Freedom Gemeni counter-terrorism Special Forces Threat of assassination Gemeni view of raH 3ar Organi8ing elections Al Saleh<s international meetings in US US ,mbassy programs Princeton University; Diplomat in Residence 2005-2007 3oodrow 3ilson School of Public and nternational Relations INTERVIEW $: Do you go by Edmund, by Ed, or what' HU22C Actually, go by ,dmund and that<s for a very practical reason. For many years was introduced to people as edul and found that no one had a chance to grasp the names when it came that briefly. So adopted ,dmund to give people a pause, ,dmund J Hull. 5 $: (hen and where were you born' HU22C was born February 12, 1909 in 6eokuk, owa which is a town on the Mississippi River. My parents were actually living in Carthage, llinois, but Carthage had no hospital. 3hen my mother was ready to deliver they had to cross the Mississippi and so technically, <m an owan. $: )ou were born on Lincoln+s birthday. HU22C was born on 2incoln<s birthday and grew up primarily in Springfield, llinois which was 2incolnKs home town, which meant that never went to school on my birthday. For the first fifteen years of my life had a chocolate cake in the shape of a log cabin every birthday. $: Let+s tal- a bit about your parents' Let+s ta-e your father+s side. (here did Mr. Hull come from and that side o. the family' HU22C My father, Thomas F. Hull was born in Burnside, llinois which is a very small town in 3est Central llinois. He had an all-American, Tom Sawyer-type life in Burnside. He was a very gifted athlete and eventually was recruited for a high school team in Euincy and then to the University of llinois and lettered in baseball at the University of llinois. $: (here did the family come from' HU22C The Hulls, we can trace back to about 1500. They came from ,ngland, the paternal line. The first Hull that was recorded in the early siFteenth century was a miller and had a mill that was taFed by the ,nglish crown. That<s how they entered in the history books because of the taFation of that mill. One of the prominent ancestors Reverend 4oseph Hull was born in the seventeenth century, went to OFford, became a minister, a protestant minister, and actually led a group of Pilgrims to the United States. They left from 3eymouth, county Dorset and landed on March D, 1D35 in Boston, Massachusetts. There<s a lot of history for the succeeding fifteen generations. $: Say your grandparents. (here did they appear on your father+s side' (ere they in Illinois' HU22C The early generations were in New ,ngland, and as best can tell whenever a new territory was opened up for settlement some of the Hulls moved into that new territory. For eFample, from the Massachusetts Bay Colony there was a movement down to New 4ersey when it was becoming a state. Several generations of Hulls lived in New 4ersey. There was a judge, there was a sheriff and eventually, a generation moved to the Cumberland area of what was then Airginia and is now 3est Airginia. One generation was on the frontier there in Cumberland. imagine the land there was rather poor and so when the further west opened up L believe it was 4acob Hull in the early nineteenth D century moved out to 3est Central llinois and there<s actually a town in 3est Central llinois called Hull. He established the family there in llinois. My great-grandfather 3illiam Henry Hull moved to Pilot Grove, llinois and he<s buried there. Pilot Grove with the coming of the railroad shifted a few miles and became Burnside, llinois. Burnside, llinois is where my great-grandfather ,dgar and my grandfather Fred P. Hull grew up. $: (hat was your grand.ather, your grandparents on your father+s side. (hat was his business' HU22C Fred P. Hull ran the general store in Burnside, and he was also postmaster of Burnside. He also wrote a column in the local newspaper about news in Burnside and ended up writing a history of the county. He was a local figure, very well known, very opinionated and very articulate. $: 0ow about your father1 what type o. business did your father get involved in' HU22C After my father graduated from the University of llinois he was in the army, this was during 3orld 3ar . He was in 6ansas, at Fort 2eavenworth and technically he was in the U.S. Army Cavalry. He was a trainer, he was training people for 3orld 3ar . After he left the U.S. Army he became an insurance agent for the ,Huitable 2ife Assurance Society because his brother-in-law had followed that profession and helped him get started. $: On your mother+s side' HU22C My mother was 2orene ,llen Fruin, and the Fruins emigrated from reland, from Tipperary, to America in the nineteenth century, believe, as part of the immigration spurred by the potato famine. They came and settled in northern llinois around Gilman. On one side it was Fruins, and on one side it was Brady<s. The Brady<s were entrepreneurial, and one of the ancestors actually went west and settled for a time in Denver, built one of the first houses ever built in Denver, Colorado, made a respectable amount of money mining gold, came back and took that gold and purchased farm land in northern llinois.