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1 the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR PETER F. SECCHIA Interviewed by: Charles Stuart Kennedy Initial interview date: June 6, 1994 Copyright 1998 ADST TABLE OF CONTENTS Background aised in New Jersey U.S. Marine Corps, 1956,1959 -raduated, Michigan State Uni.ersity Salesman, lumber mill, British Columbia Friendship with Congressman -erald . Ford 0eadership positions in epublican Party 1n.ol.ement in Bush2s Presidential Campaign, 1988 Nomination to be U.S. Ambassador to 1taly John Tower difficulties Criti4ue of 5career people only6 argument Case of getting landing spots for 1talian jets Opposition to Mr. Secchia2s nomination President2s desire to see his Ambassador during his trip to ome Senator Malcom 7allop Effect on family while confirmation process was being held up Confirmed, late June 1989 1taly 1989,1992 Ambassador U.S. priorities 1mportance of bilateral 1talian relationship : NATO 7orking relationship with U.S. Embassy Explosion of -io.anni Falconi eform of laws : U.S. efforts to help capture Toto iina Al Jawary extradition 1nstability of 1talian go.ernment Power of the party secretary in 1talian politics Coalition go.ernments, selections of ministers esignations of ministers and changes in go.ernment Farm subsidies in 1taly 1talian desire to be a part of Europe 1 -o.ernment political/ economic partnership Power of businessmen and companies in the political process Corruption aoul -ardini End of Cold 7ar and changing nature of political parties egional mentality of 1talians, lack of national presence 1ndustrial leaders of 1taly 0abor leaders The concerns of 1talian industrial leaders Contacts with Communist Party (PC1) Breakup of Yugosla.ia efugees from Albania Personalities in 1talian go.ernment Visits by Congressmen, Secretary Baker, President Bush 1talian,American Congressmen Diplomatic social life in ome Pecking order of foreign delegations 1nefficient secretaries Typical day in the Embassy INTERVIEW Q: Today is June 6, 1993. This is an interview with Ambassador Peter F. Secchia concerning his time as Ambassador to Italy. Mr. Ambassador, I wonder if you could start off by giving me something of your bac,ground--where did you come from, your education, etc.. SECCH1AA 1 began my life in New Jersey. 1 left at 18 (after high school) to head west and ne.er got any further than Michigan. 1 attended Michigan State Uni.ersity and tried to work my way through school but couldnBt 4uite afford that. 1 dropped out and went into the United States Marine Corps. 1 had two terms in the Marine Corps and then decided that 1 needed an education. Q: E0cuse me, could we get some dates on the Marine Corps. SECCH1AA Yes, 1 joined the Marine Corps in 1956 after one year at Michigan State Uni.ersity. 1 had been appointed to the Air Force Academy by my Congressman but my eyes were not correctable. 1 had decent scholastic testing numbers but 1 was from a family of immigrants and really hadnBt prepared myself for uni.ersity. 1 ended up going into the Marine Corps in the spring of 1956, reenlisting in 195C and coming out in late 1959 after ser.ing in the Mediterranean (with NATO). 1 came out as an E4 enlisted man, sergeant, with three meritorious promotions. 1 went back to the uni.ersity, borrowed money and worked my way through. Finally graduating in the winter of 196E. 1 really left the 2 uni.ersity in 1962 a few credits short for my degree and picked up the last credits while working in a lumber mill in British Columbia and learning the lumber business. 1 started as a salesman. 1 became acti.e in politics with Congressman -erald . Ford in 1964 and 1966. By 1968 1 became a good friend of his. Meanwhile 1 became .ice president of sales in my company and when Ford lost in 19C6 1 became the county chairman for the epublican Party, which was his hometown. 1 then became the district chairman and went up to be national committeeman in 1981. 1 helped -eorge Bush defeat Pat obertson, who had been his challenger in the Michigan primary. 1 still see Jerry Ford regularly and 1 am on the Executi.e Committee of his Foundation. Q: Pat Robertson was a fundamentalist radio preacher, wasn2t he. SECCH1AA 7ell, he was an e.angelical media charismatic kind of a dynamic person. But the Bush and Baker team had asked me to try to roll back his gains in Michigan. 1 got to know -eorge Bush .ery well o.er the next three years. 1 had known him, Ford had introduced me to him back in 19C5 when Bush was Party Chairman right after 7atergate of 19C4, before Ford made him head of C1A bringing him home from China where Nixon had sent him. After the election of 1988, 1 was asked by the President if 1 would like to be in.ol.ed in his administration. 1 really didnBt ha.e an interest. 1 am not a fan of 7ashington. 7ithin its pockets of communities like this one, 1 am sure it is a normal place, but 1 donBt see much difference between 0as Vegas and 7ashington. 1n both you gamble and they both ha.e neon lights and both ha.e .ery short success spans. So . 1 wasnBt interest in coming to 7ashington. 1n early December of 1988, ich Bond, who was then political ad.isor to the President, asked we why 1 didnBt want to become an ambassador. 1 said that 1 really didnBt ha.e an interest. But then after 1 thought of my grandparents emigrating from 1taly and the fact that 1 thought 1 could do a good job, 1 put my name in and went through the process of the next two months. There were 7ashington Post stories about 112 candidates for the post. 112 friends of the President and they listed them all. There was a humorous editorial in the Post 1 remember that said that they ought to ha.e an ambassador for e.ery one of the 96 pro.inces and then e.erybody would be happy. Then on February 1, -eorge Bush called me and 1 thought he was calling to tell me that he had to go with one other. 7alter Curley, who became Ambassador to Paris, had been in line for this. There were se.eral other candidates. John Sununu called me and said, FPeter, wouldnBt you take another postGF 1 didnBt want to be Fan ambassador,F 1 wanted to be the Ambassador Fto 1taly.F On the first of February when -eorge Bush called and asked me if 1 would accept, 1 was .ery excited. On February 11 the story broke but my nomination came during the John Tower difficulties and the press was on a roll. Q: Could you mention what the John Tower difficulties were for the record. E SECCH1AA 7hen John Tower had been nominated for Secretary of Defense he was attacked .iolently by the political opposition. 1t was a .ery uncomfortable period of about 45 days and e.entually his nomination was withdrawn. As you ha.e a change in administration...1 donBt know if it works both ways, 1 know whene.er there is a epublican administration there is always the Fcareer people onlyF argument and Fthese people arenBt 4ualifiedF arguments. 1 might say here that 1 think we pro.ed our critics wrong. 1 recei.ed the highest award the State Department gi.es (the Distinguished Honor Award), which is seldom awarded and .ery rarely gi.en to a Presidential appointee. 1t is Ffor ha.ing an impact on American foreign policy,F which we can discuss later, but primarily for the extradition of the first Arab terrorist in the history of our country and for the work during the -ulf 7ar and the denucleariHation of Europe. But, when my name came up, of course being a Fpolitical appointee,F as those who defend careerists like to call them...1 would like to put it in the category of if 1 were elected chairman of 1BM 1 would put people 1 knew into important positions. People 1 felt 1 could trust, people who could run my key offices, that 1 was familiar with and werenBt part of the past regime or part of an unknown corps. And 1 think that is why a majority of our -C nations usually end up with a friend of the President. And 1 will gi.e you examples of why that works better later. Q: 3hat you are mentioning here is in a way I thin, the...I am a retired Foreign Service officer myself...the opposition to this really comes from somewhere else, I thin, from what I call other posts which are very definitely political handouts. In the first place money is a problem. It has been e0pected that if a political appointee has access to a President this means clout within the embassy. SECCH1AA Yes, the FcloutF (your term) is really Faccess.F 0et me gi.e you an example. During the -ulf 7ar we could not get 1talian jets into Abu Dhabi. During the initial Somalia feeding we couldnBt get the 1talian troops which President Bush had asked President Amato to pro.ide. Amato ga.e more troops than anybody in the world other than...1 think they out did France, the French sent E200 and 1taly sent 4000...1Bm a little fuHHy on the numbers. At the time Bush wanted the 1talian commitment because the 1talians had sent forces to all of the peacekeeping missions of the UN, 1E of them. They missed one.
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