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1 Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project WADE MATTHEWS Interviewed by: Charles Stuart Kennedy Initial interview date: September 19, 1991 Copyright 2003 ADST TABLE OF CONTENTS Background Born and raised in Nort Carolina University of Nort Carolina U.S. Army - 1955-1956 Entered Foreign Service - 1957 FSI - ,unior Officer Training 1957-1958 State Department - Bureau for Pu.lic Affairs / International 1958-1959 E0c ange Service 1unic 2 3ermany - Consular Officer 1959-1962 Political parties Salvador2 Bra5il - 6ice Consul 1962-1967 Politics 1ilitary takeover Environment 8oren5o 1ar9ues2 1o5am.i9ue - Political Officer 1965-1967 U.S. interests insurgency Portuguese Fortified villages State Department - Personnel - Career 1anagement Office 1967-1969 Assignments Stanford University - 8atin American Studies 1969-1970 Cu.a policy Trinidad and To.ago - Political Officer 1970-1972 3overnment 1 8ima2 Peru - Political-8a.or Officer 1973-1977 Political parties 8a.or organi5ations C ile 8eftists 3eorgetown2 3uyana - Deputy C ief of 1ission 1977-1976 3overnment Relations Environment U.S. interests ,onestown 6isa fraud Organi5ation of American States [OAS? - U.S. Representative 1976-1977 Cu.a Panama Human rig ts State Department - American Repu.lics Bureau [ARA? - 1977-1979 Central American Affairs Human rig ts Nicaragua Sandinistas Congressional interest Ortegas Democracy AID programs State Department - Board of E0aminers [BEX? 1979-1980 Appointments 1inorities 3uaya9uil2 Ecuador - Consul 3eneral 1980-1982 3overnment Tuna boats U.S. interests Environment Consular affairs 3alapagos Santiago2 C ile - Deputy C ief of 1ission 1982-1985 Economy Pinoc et Democracy 2 CODE8s Trade Naval Aar College - Professor 1985-1987 State Department - Inspection Corps 1987-1992 Organi5ational c anges Auditors Post security Am.assadors Consular affairs UN Pro.lems INTERVIEW [Note: T is interview as not been edited by 1r. 1att ews? Q: I want to thank you on behalf of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training for giving us your time. I would like to start by asking you to give us some of your background. 1ATTHEAS: I was born in Nort Carolina in 1933. I am not named after Aade Hampton2 a major figure in Sout ern istory. I was named after my maternal grandfat er w o never ad a son - my mot er was an only c ild. So I got is full name plus my fat erCs name to legitimi5e me - 1att ews. 1y grandfat er was a country doctor by t e name of Aade Hampton Bynam. He was named after is grandfat er or great grandfat erD I t ink t e latter was t e grandfat er of t e famous 3eneral Aade Hampton2 w o was to .ecome t e first post-Reconstruction governor of Sout Carolina. I am not a direct descendent of t e famous Aade HamptonD t e Aade Hampton w ic was in our line was an undistinguis ed Revolutionary Aar major. Q: (here did you go to school, in North Carolina* 1ATTHEAS: I did my undergraduate work at t e University of Nort Carolina2 C apel Hill. I got my Bac elorCs Degree in 1957 in 5oology. I am pro.a.ly one of t e few Foreign Service Officers w o lasted for a reasona.le amount of time aving a degree in 5oology. After University2 I entered t e Army for a couple of yearsD t en went to law sc ool and joined t e Foreign Service from t ere. 1y interest in foreign affairs - until my employment - was an avocation. During my undergraduate years2 I was on t e inter-collegiate de.ate s9uad2 participated in t e student legislature and was a candidate for president of t e UniversityCs student body - unsuccessfully2 I would note. I mig t just mention t at our de.ate team was 9uite successfulD it consisted of a fellow .y t e name Beverly Ae.. and myself. Ae usually took t e affirmative side in most of t e de.ates2 3 many of w ic were a.out free trade. T e negative side was represented by two ot er mem.ers of our team - one of w om was C arles Euralt - a well known T6 personality. Q: (hat sparked your interest in foreign affairs* 1ATTHEAS: Since I was a kid2 I was interested in international affairs. I remem.er participating in some ig sc ool de.ates w ic covered international relations issues. As I said2 during our collegiate de.ates2 we often discussed matters related to international affairs suc as free trade. Q: How did you hear about the Foreign Service and how did you get into it* 1ATTHEAS: Not like many ot ers w o ad focused on t e Foreign Service for long times. I like to say t at I joined because I ad a losing and in a poker game one nig t. I was at law sc oolD instead of studying or writing up case istories2 I joined a poker game in my digs. I ad a losing andD I folded and left t e ta.le to get a drink. Someone else ad also left is ta.leD e told me t at someone from t e Department of State was coming t e ne0t day to talk a.out t e Foreign Service. I asked w at time t at meeting would take placeD it was going to be at 10 am in t e Student Union building. I said I mig t drop by to ear im out because I just appened to a free our between my 9 am class and my 11 am class. 1y interest was peeked. I always enjoyed taking e0ams just for t e ell of it. I looked on t em as a c allenge. After I eard t e DepartmentCs representatives2 I picked up t e application forms w ic I filled out and sent t em in. T en I went to ,acksonville2 F82 to take t e written e0am w ic at t e time took up all morning. After t at test2 I t oug t t at I pro.a.ly did pass2 alt oug I really didnCt care t at muc at t e time. I did pass. After t e written2 came t e oral e0am2 w ic I took in 1ay2 1957. T at was a.out a two our structured interview - alt oug not nearly as structured as it is today. T e decision w et er a candidate ad passed was made rig t after t e end of t e interview. But all t at meant was t at oneCs name was added to t e list of eligi.les. At t at time2 t e oral e0am was wort 25F of t e total score. Alt oug I t ink I barely s9ueaked by in t e written e0am - just enoug to passD pro.a.ly just a.ove t e pass line. T at would not ave attracted any oneCs attention if t ey were reviewing t e results of t e written e0am. But apparently2 I did impress t e panel during my orals and t ey gave me a very ig score. I was t erefore offered an appointment to an entering class w ic was supposed to start in early Octo.er. T at was unusually fast2 but I t ink t at it was due to my rating of my oral e0am. Q: How would you describe your entry classmates* (hat kinds of people were they* (hat was their motivation for joining the Foreign Service* How did they see the world and the ..S. role in it*. 1ATTHEAS: I s ould per aps answer t at 9uestion by first discussing my own motivation for joining t e Foreign Service. I was completely up front a.out it2 bot on t e 7 s ort biograp ic sketc t at one ad to write as part of t e application for oral e0ams2 and during t e oral e0am2 w en t e issue arose briefly. A en I was asked for my reasons for applying for t e Foreign Service2 I told t e panel t at I ad been interested in international affairs - along wit many ot er su.jects. Since c ild ood2 I enjoyed new e0periences and c allenges2 e.g.2 new cultures. I could not ave envisaged me sitting at a desk in some law firm Glooking down t e all w ere t e senior partners ad t eir offices. If I kept my nose clean2 I too could aspire to be at t e end of t e all twenty years ence.H T is was a description given me by a lawyer w o worked for a prestigious law firm. T at was not w at I intended to do wit my life. I liked new c allenges and I t oug t t at was w at t e Foreign Service would offer. I also generally agreed wit t e administrationCs position on national security matters. I t oug t t at we were taking positions t at were good for t e country and pro.a.ly for t e world. I agreed wit t e et ical and moral standpoints w ic were being followed. In 19572 t ere were significant c allenges facing t e U.S. and I t oug t t at I mig t be a.le to contri.ute somet ing to meeting t ose c allenges. T at is w y I wanted to join t e Foreign Service.
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