The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR ROSCOE S. SUDDARTH Interviewed by: Charles Stuart Kennedy Initial interview date: March 30, 1999 Copyright 008 ADST TABLE OF CONTENTS Background Born in entucky; raised primarily in Tennessee. Yale and Oxford Universities US Air Force Entered the Foreign Service in 1961 Bamako, Mali; ,eneral Services Officer-Political Officer 1961.1963 Marriage 0ommunists French influence Soviet influence Environment Beirut, 1e2anon3 FSI; Ara2ic language training 1963.1965 0ourse content and evaluation 1e2anon6s economy and social structure Foreign influence in 1e2anon Sana6a-Tai7, Yemen; Political Officer 1965.1968 Egyptians Tri2es US AID Mission Egyptian army British colonies Repu2lican 0ouncil Education Egypt.Yemen conflict Yemen.Saudi Ara2ia relations Tai7-Sana6a split em2assy Environment Strained relations Evacuation of code and communication e:uipment 1 Six Day War Evacuation US policy options Harassment 0hinese Sanitation Tripoli, 1i2ya; Political Officer 1968.1969 Oil ing Idris Qadhafi and his coup Wheelus Air Base US oil companies US.1i2ya military relationship Egyptians Bri2ery British treaty o2ligations US military aircraft sales P1O presence State Department; 1i2ya Desk Officer 1969.1981 Qadhafi regime social changes Jamahiriya (@the people ruleA) Relations Cith the regime Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Systems Analysis Studies 1981.1982 Political environment State Department; Bureau of Political.Military Affairs 1982.1983 @Enhance PlusA (Transfer F56s to Dietnam) ,reece.Turkey military sales Military support in Persian-Ara2 ,ulf ,ranger Report Jordanian military assistance Ara2.Israeli War of 1983 US assistance to Israel in War US military assistance to Jordan Amman, Jordan; Political 0ounselor 1983.1989 P1O Syrian disengagement agreement issue AnCar Sadat Ara2 oil em2argo issinger Eixon visit to Mid East 2 Jordan.Ira: relations ing Hussein6s relations Cith Israeli leaders ing Hussein6s character Saddam Hussein Ma:arin dam project HaCk missiles for Jordan UAE and A2u Dha2i largess Palestinian Jordanians ing Hussein and the military US aid programs for Jordan Hussein6s health pro2lems Jordan6s 0roCn Prince Hassan Pres. 0arter6s ,lass2oro remarks 0arter.Hussein relations Saudis and 0amp David State Department; Executive Assistant to the Under Secretary 1989.1981 for Political Affairs Work environment Shah of Iran6s illness Teheran em2assy takeover Soviets invade Afghanistan 0arter Doctrine (re Persian ,ulf area) US cancels Olympics participation US response to Soviet invasion Em2assy hostages released Disit to Romania State Department; FSI; Spanish language study 1981 Reagan Administration changes in State Department 1981 Senior Seminar 1981.1982 Riyadh, Saudi Ara2ia; Deputy 0hief of Mission 1982.1985 Israeli invasion of 1e2anon AWA0S i Iran.Ira: Car Saudi.Ira: relations ,ulf 0ooperation 0ouncil (,00) 0entral 0ommand (Persian ,ulf) ,ulf contingency planning Saudi.Iran relations Saudi aid to Moslem insurgent groups Saudi vieCs of Israel 3 Beirut Marine barracks bom2ed Saudi.1e2anon relations Saudi Shia community P1O Bud McFarland missions Saudi Royal family US Saudi relationship State Department; Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near East 1985.1988 and South Asia Achille 1auro Terrorism in the Middle East Israeli bom2ing of P1O Head:uarters In Tunis Egyptian President Mu2arak Ta2a incident Egyptian financial pro2lems International Monetary Fund (IMF) Iran government Jonathan Pollard espionage case Syrian plots against El.Al planes A2u Nidal (terrorist) Middle East Regional Economic Project (MEREP) Palestine 1i2eration Organi7ation (P1O) Am2assador to Jordan 1988.1990 JeCish.American visitors to Jordan Relations Intifada P1O Palestinian nationhood Israel.Jordan relationship Water issues Foreign military sales to Jordan ing Hussein6s Washington visit ,ulf War Jordan.Ira: ties Baghdad 0onference, 1990 Saddam. ing Hussein relations US messages to Saddam re borders ing Hussein says Saddam Cill not invade uCait Assistant Secretary John elley ing Hussein in disfavor State Department; Inspector ,eneral 1990.1993 0omments on State Department and Inspection 0orps 4 Eaval War 0ollege; International Affairs Advisor 1993.1994 Teacher @Strategy and PolicyA Environment Retirement 1995 Post Retirement President, the Middle East Institute 1995.2001 0omments on 0areer and the Foreign Service ADDEEDUM @U.S.Jordanian Relations3 1958.20003 myths and RealitiesA (A lecture given at St. Anthony6s 0ollege, Oxford University, by Roscoe S. Suddarth, Octo2er 24, 2000) INTERVIEW %: Today is March 30, 1999. This is an interview with Ambassador Roscoe S. Suddarth. This is being done on behalf of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. Could you tell me when and where you were born and something about your family* SUDDARTH3 I Cas born in 1ouisville, entucky in 1935. My father Cas the manager of a ,eneral Mills plant that made flour out of Cheat. The plant Cas right next to the 1ouisville 0olonels base2all field, so some of my earliest memories Cere sitting in my father6s office Catching base2all games at night. %: You say you started out in Tennessee, but your father moved. SUDDARTH3 No, I Cas born in 1ouisville, entucky. My father had a heart attack Chen I Cas five years old. He Cas 48. We then moved back to Nashville, Tennessee. He had 2een born in 1e2anon, Tennessee and had groCn up there and then Cent through schools in Nashville. I guess the most meaningful Cas being at Pea2ody Demonstration School. That Cas a school that Cas a demonstration school for the teaching college, Pea2ody 0ollege for Teachers. That is noC part of Dander2ilt. They selected so.called @2rightA students from around the city as Cell as others. We had a kind of rarified atmosphere of really tremendous courseCork that Cas Cide.ranging . music, chess, Indian beadCork, you name it. %: This was based on the John Dewey system. He was at Columbia at the time. 5 SUDDARTH3 Yes, that6s right. We had a regular corps of teachers, highly experienced people, but they Could bring in practice teachers and Catch them. I remem2er being given all kinds of IQ tests, aptitude tests, throughout this. We Cere sort of guinea pigs and took pride in being kind of a young intellectual elite. From my class of 30, Ce had at least four Ph.D.s, a couple of doctors, an outstanding researcher at NIH, a Rhodes scholar, tCo diplomats (Olaf ,ro2el and I both Cere in the Foreign Service.)... So, it Cas a great place to get started. ,eography Cas a very important part, thinking a2out things that led you to the Foreign Service. Dr. Hodson taught us Corld geography and American geography. Actually, Ce learned American geography in a very interesting Cay. We did it at the time of the Indians. So, there Cere no political bounds in the United States. We learned Chat America seemed like from a geological, horticulture, natural environment. Then Ce Could study HiaCatha, the Cay the Indians Cere looked at. And it Cas a great musical education. All of this I noC draC on in my adult life in a Cay that I Couldn6t have if I hadn6t had that exposure. %: Coming from Kentuc.y, which was the dar. and bloody ground, how was the war between the settlers and the Indians taught you at that time* SUDDARTH3 It really Casn6t taught. There Cas the Natche7 Trace, Chich Cas the Trail of Tears Chere the 0herokees had to move out into reservations. But the real defining experience Cas the 0ivil War. In effect, Tennessee Cas an underdeveloped country by most standards in 1900 Chen my father greC up. His father died of typhoid, impure drinking Cater. He had to leave his school after the fourth grade in order to help his mother support her four younger children. So, there Cas a perception of tremendous Crongdoing, that the South had lost the Car and then had been left and in effect penali7ed in terms of developing itself. That Cas the kind of IthingJ that my grandmother Could put in my head, so there Cas a sense of grievance. On the Indians, people have a Cay conveniently of forgetting bad memories. I think there Cas a guilt a2out the Indians. I never heard a2out the Battle of Nashville or the Battle of Donaldson, Chere the 0onfederates turned tail and ran like hellK So, Ce Cere pretty selective. %: Those were /rant0s early victories. SUDDARTH3 That6s right. %: In fol. memory, you were there part of the time as a .id. 1ere you pic.ing up anything about the New Deal and Fran.lin Roosevelt* SUDDARTH3 Yes. That is a very deep :uestion. Roosevelt Cas revered almost as a demigod. I remem2er my mother crying like a ba2y April 20, 1945 Chen he died. I remem2er sitting in the bar2er6s chair Chen the radio carried the announcement. I had heard so much a2out Roosevelt and TDA. My sister, as a matter of fact, had Corked as a 2ookkeeper for the 0orps of Engineers during World War II. I only reali7ed a feC years ago that she Cas actually Corking on the Manhattan Project. She Cas recording billions of dollars Corth of expenditures. That Cas all made possi2le because of TDA. But more 6 importantly from our vieCpoint Cas that it really developed the middle South. It alloCed farmers to :uit eroding the soil and opened up lakes for fishing. It just did a tremendous amount. It Cas like having the Marshall Plan for middle Tennessee and the middle South. I Canted to mention also another formative influence on my, my high school principal, Dr. Yar2orough, Cho Cas a cele2rated historian and Cas principal of our school at West End High School. I transferred out of Pea2ody because I Canted to play foot2all and Pea2ody didn6t have a foot2all team. Dr. Yar2orough had Critten a book on U.S. diplomatic history Chich he had me read as a special tutorial in my senior year. That is Chen I decided to try to try for the Foreign Service. %: Did you have any discussions with him about what diplomats do and that sort of thing* SUDDARTH3 No, it Cas really on a policy level.