Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project Information Series ROBIN BERRINGTON Interviewed by: Charles Stuart Kennedy Initial interview date: April 13, 2000 Copyright 2011 ADS TABLE OF CONTENTS Background Born and raised in Ohio Wesleyan University, Harvard University Study in Japan Appointed Foreign Service Officer, 1969 Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand: Peace Corps, English instructor 1963-196. Training, University of Indiana Relations 0it US Em1assy USIS Operations Harvard University: %apanese language study 196.-1962 Sakon Nak on, T ailand: USIS 1968-1969 Broadcast, Counterinsurgency ne0s Communists American official presence Relations 0it T ais Relations 0it Em1assy Security Operations T ai military US Am1assadors 5ala, T ailand: Branc Pu1lic Affairs Officer 1969 6uslim insurgents 6alayan Communist Party 6o1ile Information Teams 7ietnam War 1 Tokyo, %apan: Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer 1969 5oko ama, %apan: %apanese language study 1969 Fukuoka, %apan: Branc Pu1lic Affairs Officer 1969-192, (yus u9 Fukuoka environment Relations 0it US military Political tensions Anti-US demonstrations :engakuren USIA programs US military Pu1lic Information Officers Political orientation Local media US Navy 7ietnam %apanese business leaders University faculties %apanese relations 0it neig 1ors %apanese armed forces %apanese attitude to0ard outsiders %apanese cultural differences (oreans Social classes %apanese central government %apanese interest in t e arts American Cultural Center Li1rary Alan Carter Tokyo, %apan: Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer 192,-192. Lecture programs Dealing 0it language differences %apanese customs at lectures Controversial lectures Explaining American society (orea Student audiences Universities Political parties Imperial family American Am1assadors President Gerald Ford visit US opera performances State Department9USIA: Board of Examiners 192.-1926 2 Examination process Female candidates Was ington, DC: USIA Headquarters; Information & Press Service 1926-1928 Operations Developing countries as training ground C oosing qualified personnel Satisfying t e Am1assador Du1lin, Ireland: Pu1lic Affairs Officer 1928-1981 Am1assador William S annon Nort ern Ireland IRA NATO Cat olic C urc influence Relations Local media Target audiences America in Latin America issues Congressional visits Contacts 0it London Target audiences Human Rig ts Iris vie0s of US Iris -American visitors Em1assy composition C arlie Rus ing C ristmas letter brou a a Tokyo, %apan: Director, Tokyo America Center 1981-1986 Am1assador 6ike 6ansfield Relations East Asia relations Trade issues Basic program Local audience %apan prosperity Currency Oil s ock Tokyo University Educational system President Reagan Dallas S0iss-%apan relations ip %apanAs foreign relations , (orean Airlines Flig t 002 C ina %apanese press Exc ange visitors program Was ington, DC: USIA Headquarters: Director, %unior Officer Training 1986-1989 Operations Recruiting and training State9USIA differences Impression of ne0 officers Age issues 6inorities Evaluation of training Off-site training Political moral issues Tiananmen Square Tokyo, %apan: Cultural Attac D 1989-199, Am1assador 6ike Armacost US-%apan Security Treaty C ina Trade Li1raries Aging society 6ajor issues and developments Status of 0omen Em1assy9USIA relations Language barriers %apanese universities Economy Students to US universities US based %apan bas ing Auto makers 7isit of President and 6rs. Bus Imperial family Was ington, DC: USIA Headquarters: Director, Arts America 199,-199. Scope of Programs Grants to performers Budget issues Congressional criticism Office of Arts of America London, England: Cultural Attac D 199.-1999 Cultural similarities and differences 4 England and Europe Loosening of US-U( et nic ties Ful1rig t Teac ers Exc ange Bill Gates Em1assy visitors Britis Universities Programs 7isitors US Am1assadors Environment Em1assy morale Relations Social life Nort ern Ireland Cat olic9Protestant INTERVIEW FNote: T is intervie0 0as not edited by 6r. Berrington.G Q: oday is April 13, 2000. his is an interview with Robin Berrington. his is being done on behalf of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and raining, and I am Charles Stuart Kennedy. Robin, could you tell me when and where you were born and something about your family. BERRINGTON: I 0as born Octo1er 12, 1940 in Cleveland, O io. 6y fat er 0as a manufacturerAs representative 0 ic is just a fancy term for salesman. 6y mot er 0as a ouse0ife. I ad one brot er. I guess you could call us very typical mid-0estern, middle class 0 ite family. Q: (hat about your father and mother)s education* BERRINGTON: 6y fat er and mot er bot came from lo0er class backgrounds. T ey 1ot 0ent to ig sc ool, but t ey t emselves ad a1solutely no college experience at all, nor in fact did t ey ave any foreign experience at all, except for t e odd one day trip into 6exico from AriHona or t e ot er side of Niagara Falls. No trans oceanic trips. Q: (here were you in Cleveland, I mean as a kid what was your home area* BERRINGTON: Well, I 0as born in t e eastern part of Cleveland and gre0 up in S aker Heig ts, O io, 0 ic 0as I guess t e middle class to affluent part of to0n, nice residential area. T en, 0 en 0e 0ere, gos I must ave been a1out five, six, seven, I donIt recall for sure, 0e moved to t e 0est side of Cleveland 0 ic 0as similarly middle class . to affluent, alt oug not quite as old fas ioned and esta1lis ed as t e eastern side of Cleveland 0as. Q: (here did you go to school in the elementary school* BERRINGTON: Elementary sc ool 0as in S aker Heig ts, and t en junior ig 0as in Rocky River 0 ic 0as in t e nort 0estern part of Cleveland. T en my brot er 0as not exactly t e 0orld finest sc olar and tended to be a bit of a trou1lemaker around to0n, so my parents sent im off to military sc ool in Tennessee by t e name of Castle Heig ts 6ilitary Academy. As t e younger brot er I 0as al0ays very skeptical a1out my brot er getting preferential treatment, so I said. JIf e is going, I 0ant to go too,J alt oug my grades and sc ool be avior 0ere perfectly fine. So I also 0ent off to t e Castle Heig ts 6ilitary Academy in Le1anon, Tennessee. So from t e eig t grade on, I 0ore a uniform and played toy soldier for t e follo0ing five years. Q: (ell, normally it is if you don)t behave, we will send you to military school in those days particularly. Did you know what you were getting into* BERRINGTON: Not really, but 0 en I looked at t e catalogue, it ad a s0imming pool and it ad very stylis buildings, somet ing out of (ing Art urIs Camelot, you kno0 crenellated roofing and all t at. Again, because e 0as getting it, I 0anted it too. So off I 0ent. 6y brot er 0as very un appy t ere, and I loved it. T ose 0ere five of t e most fun years I ad. Q: (ell, just before you went there, while you were in elementary and junior high and all, what sort of studies or activities grabbed you* BERRINGTON: At t at point, virtually not ing. I t ink 0 en you are in primary and junior ig , not muc could gra1 you. As far as extra curricular activities, t ey really took old of me at t e military sc ool because t ey offered far more activities as 0ell. I mean, for example, I 0as t e year1ook editor. I 0as t e num1er t ree ranking cadet 0 ic 0as sort of among t ings for t e good student. I 0as t e deputy editor of t e ne0spaper. I 0as on t e track team. I 0as t e leader of t e band, t e drum major. W en t e faculty leader 0as not t ere, I 0as t e one 0 o directed t e band. So I 0as involved in a lot of t ings. It 0as a great time. Q: (hat about academics at the school* BERRINGTON: Well, it 0as in t e sout . 6ilitary sc ools in t e Sout tended to be more academically prestigious t an similar military sc ools in t e Nort at t at time. It ad a pretty good program. 6y only language experience 0as really at Castle Heig ts, 0 ere every1ody else 0as taking Frenc or Spanis , I took Latin for t e five years I 0as t ere. I guess mainly because I 0as interested in language and t e derivation of Englis 0ords and so on. Of course, t ere 0as t e usual 0orld istory and t at kind of t ing, but it 0as I suppose a typical ig sc ool education in every ot er respect. 6 Q: In Cleveland at home or when you were back from Castle Heights how aware were you of the world around you* hese would be the years of McCarthyism or the Korean (ar or sub,ects like that. (as there any discussion of these things* BERRINGTON: No, not really. 6y parents 0ere very mid-0estern middle class in t at respect. Not t at t ey ad any disdain for t at sort of t ing, but t ey 0ere not terri1ly engaged. But t ere 0ere a fe0 t ings 0 en I t ink back t at must ave kind of planted some seeds t at took a0 ile to blossom. I can remem1er 0 en I 0as very young, just a memory t an sort of a real, just a vague memory. 6y parents took in a %apanese exc ange student. S e lived 0it us only for a year, but s e served t e purpose for t eir intentions, of providing ba1y-sitting, sort of like an au pair sort of t ing, but s e appened to be %apanese.