Leonard Seidman Unger (December 17, 1917 – June 3, 2010) was a diplomat and United States Ambassador to Laos (1962–64), Thailand (1967–73), and was the last US ambassador to the Republic of China (Taiwan) (1974–79).[1]
Leonard S. Unger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 10th United States Ambassador to the Republic of China | |
| In office May 25, 1974 – January 19, 1979 | |
| President | Richard M. Nixon Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Walter P. McConaughy |
| Succeeded by | William Andreas Brown (Chief of mission) |
| 8th United States Ambassador to Thailand | |
| In office October 4, 1967 – November 19, 1973 | |
| President | Lyndon B. Johnson Richard M. Nixon |
| Preceded by | Graham A. Martin |
| Succeeded by | William R. Kintner |
| 6th United States Ambassador to Laos | |
| In office July 25, 1962 – December 1, 1964 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Winthrop G. Brown |
| Succeeded by | William H. Sullivan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Leonard Seidman Unger December 17, 1917 San Diego, California |
| Died | June 3, 2010 (aged 92) Sebastopol, California |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
Personal life
editUnger was born in San Diego, California and graduated from Harvard College with a Bachelor of Arts in 1939.[2] He was the co-author of The Trieste negotiations and co-editor of Laos : beyond the revolution. After retiring from the foreign service, he taught at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.[3] He died on June 3, 2010, in Sebastopol, California.[4]
Diplomacy career
editUnger was a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy and Council on Foreign Relations. He began his career in government as a part of the National Resources Planning Board.[5] He was also the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs in the Johnson administration.[6] and the head of the Interdepartmental Vietnam Coordinating Committee, a committee set up by President Johnson to explore various 'use of force' options in the period before United States involvement in the Vietnam war escalated.[7][8] Prior to his involvement in South-East and East Asia, Unger was the United States Political Advisor to the Free Territory of Trieste.[9]
References
edit- ^ "U. S. Envoy in Taiwan Defends Policy on Peking". The New York Times. June 23, 1974.
- ^ "Dr. Conant Twits Alumni 'Wailers'; A Couple Of Old Classmates Get Together". The New York Times. June 22, 1939.
- ^ Roosa, John (Winter 1985). "Tufts University: Students Counter Spies". The National Reporter. CIA at Tufts University. Archived from the original on 2002-11-13. Retrieved 2011-08-01.
- ^ "State Magazine". U.S. Department of State. December 2010 – via Scribd.
- ^ "The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR LEONARD UNGER" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. 10 May 1989. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ "Raids Will Go on, Rusk Reasserts; Shift by Reds Could Bring Halt, He Says in Detroit". The New York Times. April 20, 1965.
- ^ "Ex-Envoy to Laos Named To Special Vietnam Panel". The New York Times. January 9, 1965. Archived from the original on Apr 12, 2022.
- ^ Helsing, Jeffrey W. (2000). Johnson's war/Johnson's great society: the guns and butter trap. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 24.
- ^ "THE-CONSULATE-OF-THE-UNITED-STATES-OF-AMERICA-IN-TRIESTE". docstoc.com. Retrieved August 1, 2011.[dead link]