The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project STEPHEN M. CHAPLIN Interviewed by: Charles Stuart Kennedy Initial interview date: January 16, 2001 Copyright 2013 ADST TABLE OF CONTENTS Background Born in South Carolina and raised primarily in ouisiana. Kenyon College; University of California, os Angeles (UC A); )eorge Washington University US Air Force President Kennedy assassination Headquarters, United States ,nformation Agency- Projects Officer .901 2artin uther King assassination; Washington riots Entered the US,A Foreign Service in .901 Headquarters, US,A- Public Affairs Officer Trainee .908-.909 2arriage Wife7s career Buenos Aires, Argentina- 8otation Officer .909-.910 Ambassador :ohn Davis odge Coup d7;tat Public opinion re US political developments European orientation Economy Environment Nelson 8ockefeller visit (see p. 25) 2exico City, 2exico- Assistant Public Affairs Officer .910-.913 Ambassador 8obert 2cBride )eography Environment American drug use 8egional security problems Perry William Hardy kidnapping 1 Student anti-Americanism 8elations Public attitude toAards US Criticisms of US Border problems US interests Exchange programs Echeverria .908 Olympics Embassy personnel Watergate )eorge Washington University- Sino-Soviet Studies .913-.914 Professors State Department- Foreign Service ,nstitute (FS,)- 8omanian .914 language study Bucharest, 8omania- Cultural Affairs Officer .914-.911 Ambassador Harry Barnes President Nicolai and 2adame Ceausescu Public attitude toAards US 8ichard Nixon .901 visit US Cultural Center 8omanian government restrictions Environment 8ussians Nixon resignation All the President7s 2en Public political thinking Film festivals 8elations US,A film programs Economy US commercial interests :ackson-Canik amendment US,A speakers program 8omanian elite Famous Americans of 8omanian descent Theater Clad )eorgescu Ceausescu7s US visit ,nternal travel Earthquake 2 Washington, DC- Headquarters, US,A- Desk Officer; Spain, .911-.980 Portugal and France Country operations Speakers program 8ussia 2issiles Foreign universities eader programs Cisiting leaders Choosing grant candidates NATO 8elations Aith other )ovt. Departments Chirac French :aDD programs Fulbright Program 2itterrand Human 8ights President Carter US,A name change proposal Teheran Embassy hostage taking Soviet invasion of Afghanistan 8elations Aith Pentagon Washington, DC- Headquarters, US,A- Policy Bureau .980-.982 Operations State Dept. briefings )uidance for COA and TC 8elations Aith Press Corps Briefing the press State Dept. Public Affairs Advisors Spokesman7s EbookF Evaluating State Dept. Press Spokesman Secretary of State Haig Watergate Daily schedule State Department- Foreign Service ,nstitute (FS,); Portuguese .982 language studies isbon, Portugal- Counselor for Public Affairs .982-.980 Ambassador 8ichard Bloomfield Ambassador Frank Shakespeare 8elations )overnment 3 Former colonies Communists Political environment Portuguese in the US ajes ADores US Air Force base negotiations US )ulbenkian Foundation Congressman Barney Frank visit 2ayor EdAard Koch visit ocal press President 8eagan visit Washington, DC- Headquarters, US,A- Chief of Foreign Service .980 Personnel Open bidding assignment process Total personnel anguage and other training 2inorities Career counseling Assessing qualifications Washington, DC- Headquarters, US,A- Executive Assistant to .980-.988 the Director Director, Charles Wick 2ode of operation Personality 8elations Aith Soviets 8elations Aith US ambassadors Activities 8elations Aith President Nixon Office organiDation and personnel Worldnet Concept Operations Effectiveness Briefing room changes 8adio/Television 2arti Foreign visiting delegations 8eagan7s Etrust but verifyF policy US,A Soviet Union treatment National EndoAment for Democracy William Safire 8eagan7s :apan speech tour Washington, DC- Headquarters, US,A- Executive Assistant to .988-.990 the Deputy Director 4 2arvin Stone Change of Administrations Transition Team Director Bruce )elb Eugene Kopp 8ussia Caracas, CeneDuela- Counselor for Public Affairs .990-.994 President Carlos Aires Peres Oil 8elations Ambassador and 2rs. 2ichael Skol President )eorge Bush visit Baseball Corruption Caracas NationaliDations Hugo ChaveD Environment Foreign population Trade and economic investment KuAait invasion EA (Americas ,nitiative) Coups Press CeneDuela/Europe relationship US strategic oil reserve Cuba NAFTA Washington, DC- Headquarters, US,A- Chief, 2anagement .994-.995 Committee Staff Program resource management Budget cuts Operations Washington, DC- Director, Bureau of atin American Affairs .995-.991 Bureau organiDation Staff Operations US,A media 8elations Aith other Agencies Public Diplomacy Budget cuts 8esource Allocation )roups 5 Cuba Country programs Congressional interest Ambassador coordination Public Affairs Officers (PAOs) North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Summit of the Americas 8adio/TC 2arti US,A/ State coordination Non-)overnment OrganiDations (N)Os) Senator :esse Helms 2exico Chile Central America Florida 2ike KoDak Cuba dissidents Havana environment Washington, DC- Headquarters, US,A- 8esource 2anagement/ .991-.999 Steering Committee, State-US,A merger Process of merger Budget cuts Use of internet Civil Service Personnel issues Cultural exchange programs A,D Bureau of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Domestic public diplomacy 8etirement .999 Post 8etirement .999- State Department, Foreign Service ,nstitute (FS,)- Director of 2exican Area Studies Course INTERVIEW HNote- This intervieA Aas not edited by 2r. Chaplin.I Q: Today is January 16, 2001. This is an interview with Stephen M. Chaplin. This is being done on behalf of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, and I am 6 Charles Stuart Kennedy. Do you go by Steve) CHAP ,N- Steve. Q: Let's go at the beginning. ,hen and where were you born) CHAP ,N- , Aas born in Charleston, South Carolina, December 28, .940. 2y father Aas a journalist. The year , Aas born he had a year long felloAship up at Harvard, so at age six Aeeks , left Charleston and Aent up to Cambridge. Q: -our family is basically South Carolinian. CHAP ,N- 8ight. Q: ,hat was your father's bac.ground) CHAP ,N- Well, he Aent to Clemson University as a chemical engineer, discovered the school neAspaper and a particularly prominent English teacher. From the day he graduated, he became a reporter in 8ingo, South Carolina and folloAed journalism for more than 50 years thereafter, editing neAspapers in different cities. His last job Aas he Aas editor of the morning neAspaper in Honolulu, HaAaii. He had gotten to HaAaii originally in WW,, and started the Pacific edition of Stars and Stripes. EveryAhere he Aent after the Aar, he Aould Arite editorials and columns in favor of HaAaiian statehood. He edited a paper in NeA Orleans Ahich Aent out of business in .958. At that time they Aere looking for a neA editor in Honolulu. They remembered him, and got in touch Aith him, so he arrived back in HaAaii just before statehood Aas voted. ,t Aas still a territory. Q: Did the family go bac. a long time in South Carolina on your father's side) CHAP ,N- 2y fatherJs father emigrated from Poland. The name originally Aas Chaplinski. He came at about age .4, speaking no English, Aith about five dollars in his pocket and the name of one person in 2assachusetts. He, like millions of others, passed through Ellis ,sland. He met a very helpful immigration official Aho suggested that he change his name in order to fit in, so Chaplinski became Chaplin. TAo years later a younger brother came over, similar story, by himself, knoAing no English. Another immigration official gave the same advice. He cut off the first part of the name, so his name Aould be inski. So you had tAo brothers in the country Aith different names. A couple of years later, Ahen they realiDed there Aas no prospect of being deported, they flipped a coin, heads came up and the family became Chaplin instead of inski. Q: Do you .now where in Poland they came from) CHAP ,N- Yamistok. That Aas on my fatherJs side. 2y motherJs side, her parents had come from 8ussia, late .9th. century and got to South Carolina. 2y fatherJs father started out in NeA England, Aent doAn to South Carolina, ran a shoe factory, had several sales 7 along the road. The depression came, Aiped him out. He picked up the family and moved from Columbia, South Carolina to )reenville. He opened a paAn shop, and Aent to Aork six days a Aeek for most of the rest of his life, Aas a Aise investor in certain Aays. 2y father told a story that as a child in the depression, Ahen he graduated from high school he discovered his family Aas poor. For that reason he couldnJt go to the University of Cirginia as he aspired to, and he Aent about 40 miles doAn the road to Clemson Ahich Aas a military school. He graduated second in his class. Q: ,ell, your mother's family, did she have an education) CHAP ,N- 2y mother didnJt go beyond high school. Her family, Ahich Aas in the furniture store business in Charleston on L Street, Aere very orthodox. None of the children, my mother Aas one of seven, Aas sent to college from the fear of her father more than her mother, that they Aould go to school and kosher food AasnJt served at all at the time and so forth, so none of the children ever Aent to college. She Aorked for a feA years, married young. She Aas 2. and my father Aas 23 Ahen they got married, so her education finished there. 2y father graduated from Clemson. He had the Harvard year, and