ORGANIZATION FOR AMERICAN STATES (OAS) READER TABLE OF CONTENTS Alberto M. Piedra 1960-1962 Staff, OAS, Washington, DC 19 2-19 4 US Representative to the Economic and Social Council, OAS, Washington, DC John A. Ferch 1961-196, Staff, OAS, Washington, DC Curtis C. Cutter 1967-196 Special Assistant to Ambassador Sol .inowit0, OAS, Washington, DC 1enry E. Catto, Jr. 1969-1971 Deputy Representative, OAS, Washington, DC Joseph John Jova 1969-1971 Ambassador, OAS, Washington, DC James .. Morad 1970-1971 Public Affairs Advisor, OAS, Washington, DC David .a0ar 197, E3ecutive Officer of the Development Secretariat, OAS, Washington, DC Wade Matthews 1976-1977 Deputy Director of the US Mission to the OAS, Washington, DC 4ale Mc4ee 1977-19 1 Ambassador, OAS, Washington, DC Owen 5. .ee 197 -1995 Alternative Representative, OAS, Washington, DC 1erbert Thompson 19 0 Deputy Permanent Representative, OAS, Washington, DC Thomas J. Dunnigan 19 1 Deputy Chief of Mission, OAS, Washington, DC J. William Middendorf, II 19 1-19 5 Ambassador, OAS, Washington, DC 5ruce Mal9in 19 ,-19 6 Economic/Commercial Officer, OAS, Washington, DC Robert W. Dre3ler 19 ,-19 4 Director of Mission Operations, OAS, Washington, DC Douglas 4. 1artley 19 4-19 6 Mission Coordinator, OAS, Washington, DC John J. Crowley, Jr. 19 4-19 6 Deputy Chief of Mission, OAS, Washington, DC Richard T. McCormac9 19 5-19 9 Ambassador, OAS, Washington, DC Robert M. Sayre 19 5-19 7 Advisor, OAS, Washington, DC 19 7-199, Undersecretary for Management, OAS, Washington, DC Stephen F. Dachi 19 9-1990 Deputy Permanent Representative, OAS, Washington, DC ALBERTO M. PIEDRA Staff, OAS Washingt n, DC (1960-1962) U.S. Representative t the Ec n mic an. S cial C uncil, OAS Washingt n, DC (1912-1912) Alberto M. Piedra was born in Havana, Cuba and raised in Europe. After a brief stint in Fidel Castro‘s government, he left Cuba to finish his degree at Georgetown. Piedra wor ed for OAS, then was appointed Ambassador to Guatemala. Some of this other posts included special advisor to the General Assembly of the United Nations and a appointment on the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Piedra was interviewed by Charles Stuart Kennedy in 1991. PIEDRA: So, in September I left. I came bac9 to Washington and started loo9ing for a job. My wife did not leave because the baby was born in June and she wanted to wait a few months so she didn't leave until about December. In the meantime I got a job at the OAS, Organi0ation of American States. That is how I began my professional career in the States. Finally my wife joined me in December and we have stayed in Washington ever since. We have lived in Washington since 1959. Q, I ta e it that you were not part of the Cuban e.ile community that developed particularly around Miami/ PIEDRA: No, I was not. As you can well imagine I 9new many of the people who afterwards left Cuba and I maintain fairly close contact with some of them in Miami. 5ut I have never been part of that community in the sense that we have been in Washington and they have been in Miami. Q, 0he reason I mention this is for someone loo ing at this in the future, this group, as often an emigre group does, is much concerned with Cuba, internal politics and also the emigre politics within an area. PIEDRA: We were concerned with internal politics in Cuba because after all it was the country we were born in. 5ut I was not directly involved in any internal politics that too9 place in Miami. Q, I wonder if you would tal a little about your time on the OAS staff. 1ou were there from 1920422 and would return 20 years later. How did you see the OAS operating in the early 20s, the time when the Alliance of Progress was just getting started and all that/ And America7s role in the OAS, was there a change when you got into it later on/ PIEDRA: Well, obviously you have to reali0e that I was at an entirely different level when I was at the OAS the first time so therefore my approach was slightly different. Now I thin9 and have always maintained that the OAS has a role to play...it played it in the past and I thin9 it can play it in the future. When I was there the first time I thin9 the OAS was much more involved in economic matters. It was also involved in political matters, obviously, but I thin9 greater stress was placed on economic aspects. Maybe the reason for this was that at that time the Inter-American Development 5an9 was just beginning, as you 9now. It was in its very initial stages. As the 5an9 developed it too9 over many of the economic functions of the OAS. Therefore that particular role of the OAS has definitely declined, in my opinion. I may be wrong. That does not mean that the OAS does not have a role to play, but I don't thin9 it is as significant as it was before. Nevertheless, from a political point of view, on a regional basis, I thin9 it has solved problems. I thin9 it has solved problems, maybe of what you might call on a global level of a minor importance, but from the point of view of the area, it has played a significant role in the 1onduran and Salvadoran conflict as well as other territorial conflicts. So from that point of view it did play a role, it is still playing a role and I thin9 it can continue from our point of view to play a role. *** Q, How did your appointment to be the number two person in the US Delegation to the OAS come about/ 1ou served there from 1982484. PIEDRA: In all honestly it is difficult to tell. I guess it came about because I had contacts in the Senate and Congress. I suppose they needed somebody in .atin American affairs and in a very special way I also 9new Ambassador Middendorf. Q, Who was the chief of the delegation. PIEDRA: Apparently they tal9ed to Ambassador Middendorf and they said he needed somebody who would be a specialist in .atin American affairs. 1e called me one day and said, "Alberto I would li9e you to become my second at the OAS." I thought about it and since I am very much interested in the area I said, "Aes." When I mentioned before that one of my wea9 spots is teaching, I have to be fran9 and say that diplomacy has always attracted me, not politics. One must ma9e the distinction. Diplomacy has always attracted me. I li9e dealing with people. I am very socially inclined. 4etting involved with persons...I have always enjoyed that. And let me add that we did maintain through all these years very close contacts with the different .atin American embassies, so we had close contacts with ambassadors, etc. Q 0his is the early Reagan Administration which had been ta ing a jaundiced loo at the United Nations, etc. Did this carry over in its attitude towards the Organization American States/ PIEDRA: I do believe for many problems, especially in the region areas it was easier for the United States to get bac9ing within the OAS than a global institution li9e the United Nations where at that time there were the Soviet bloc countries, third world blocs, etc. which would for various reasons often vote against the United States. So for us it was easier to get the results we wanted by operating within a regional organi0ation. Q, So it wasn7t quite the same attitude as it was towards the United Nations44almost an attitude of disdain/ PIEDRA: No, no, I definitely would not say that. It is not a Buestion of disdain. It is a Buestion maybe of tactics if you wish, but it would be easier in many ways, I suppose, when a regional issue came up to get support within the hemisphere then it would be to go to the United Nations when you 9new beforehand that you were going to get the opposition of 3 number of votes. 1ere, within our region, there was a greater possibility of us being able.... Q, 1ou could wor with the situation. PIEDRA: I do want to clarify it doesn't mean disdain. Not at all. Q, No, I was tal ing about disdain more for the United Nations. PIEDRA: I wouldn't call it disdain, I would call it for tactical reasons it was easier for us to get the results... .et's be very fran9 about this. .et's put the case of Cuba. Any issue involving Cuba would be much more difficult at that time, today things have changed, to get the support of whatever members of the UN than it would be of the OAS. Q, Were there any issues that occupied this two year periods/ What were they/ PIEDRA: The Malvinas issue. The Fal9land islands. Q, Could you e.plain what it was and what was the American role/ PIEDRA: We were in this particular incidence divided between our allegiance towards .atin America...most .atin American countries too9 the side of the Argentine...and on the other hand we also had our allegiances towards 5ritain for obvious reasons that we don't have to go into, plus the fact that it was an invasion. It was a territorial invasion of an area of the world that was under the 5ritish flag and they used military force and power to do it.