H. Allen Holmes

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Henry Allen Holmes (born January 31, 1933)[1] was the United States Ambassador to Portugal from 1982 to 1985 and a career diplomat.[2]

H. Allen Holmes
Holmes in December 1993
9th Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs
In office
July 19, 1985 – August 8, 1989
Preceded byJohn T. Chain Jr.
Succeeded byRichard A. Clarke
United States Ambassador to Portugal
In office
October 15, 1982 – June 26, 1985
Preceded byRichard J. Bloomfield
Succeeded byFrank J. Shakespeare
Personal details
Born
Henry Allen Holmes

(1933-01-31) January 31, 1933 (age 91)
Bucharest, Romania
Children2
EducationSt. Paul's School
Princeton University (AB)
Sciences Po
ProfessionDiplomat
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Marine Corps

Biography

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Born in Bucharest, Romania to American parents,[3] Holmes received his high school education at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, graduating in June 1950.[1]

He earned his A.B. in 1954 at Princeton University, where he was a classmate of Donald Rumsfeld[3] and participated in the NROTC program.[1]

Holmes then joined the US Marine Corps, leaving as an infantry captain in 1957 to study at Sciences Po in Paris. He graduated with a certificate in 1958 and was hired as an intelligence research analyst for the US Department of State that same year. Holmes began his diplomatic career by joining the Foreign Service in 1959; his first posting was as a consular and political officer in Yaoundé, Cameroon. He continued to advance through various State Department positions for the next two decades, including posts in Rome and Paris, until his appointment as Ambassador to Portugal in 1982. From 1985 to 1989, he served as US Assistant Secretary of State for Politico-Military Affairs.

In 1989, he was appointed Ambassador at Large for Burdensharing in which he ensured balanced security responsibility among NATO members, Japan, and other US allies. Following this he was nominated by President Clinton to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict.[4] During this time his office generated a plan for the Department of Defense to launch new national counterterrorism strategy to respond to "the gauntlet the international terrorists have thrown at our feet." But as mentioned in the 9/11 Commission Report, the paper never went beyond the Office of the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.[5]

He is currently an adjunct professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service[6] and a member of Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change.[7]

Family

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H. Allen Holmes is married and has two children.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Nominations Before the Senate Armed Services Committee, First Session, 103d Congress: Hearings Before the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate". Vol. 103, no. 414. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1994. pp. 1432–1435. ISBN 978-0-16-043611-6.
  2. ^ "The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR HENRY ALLEN HOLMES" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. 9 March 1999. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b Scarborough, Rowan. Rumsfeld's War: The Untold Story of America's Anti-Terrorist Commander. Regnery Publishing, 2004. ISBN 0-89526-069-7 p. vi.
  4. ^ Clinton Presidential Center Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ 9/11 Commission Report. W. W. Norton & Company, 2004; ISBN 0-393-32671-3, pg. 121.
  6. ^ Georgetown profile
  7. ^ Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change Official Statement Archived October 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

Allen died May 4, 2019. He was a distinguished Foreign Service officer. https://paw.princeton.edu/memorial/h-allen-holmes-54

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  • Princeton University, Memorial

H. Allen Holmes ’54 [1]

Government offices
Preceded by Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs
July 19, 1985 – August 8, 1989
Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Portugal
1982–1985
Succeeded by