Although my meeting or encounter with JFK was very brief, about 30 seconds, I was very much impressed with him. Of course, he was the very first true VIP that I had ever met in my young life at that time. Still, he struck me as being a very confident person, extremely sharp, and with a very domineering and commanding presence about him. He was, well... for lack of better words, very "presidential." There was no doubt as to who was in charge! Jackie struck me as being not only very beautiful, but very much a "First Lady." She too had great presence about her. The next President and the First Lady that I met gave a totally different impression.
In May of 1979 I arrived at our Embassy in Tokyo as a Foreign Service Officer (FSO). Shortly after my arrival, that summer, President Jimmy Carter, First Lady Rosalynn, and their youngest child Amy arrived in Tokyo.
Most people can't imagine what a strain on resources it is for an embassy to have to host a visiting VIP. At posts such as Tokyo, a very popular place for "boondoggles" by congressmen and other VIPs, there is a constant stream of visitors. It is a tremendous expense on the taxpayers dollar! Instead of doing normal work, the embassy staff has to drop everything and "babysit" and cater to the wishes of the visiting VIP or VIPs. You can well imagine what a presidential visit would do! Being at some backwater post, you don't have to face such nonsense, but at popular places like Tokyo, Paris, London, Rome, Hong Kong, Athens, Cairo, etc., there is a constant stream of visitors!
Upon their arrival, Jimmy Carter announced that he and Rosalynn always wanted to see a traditional Japanese Kabuki play. But, and it was big "but," they didn't want to sit through a normal 3 or 4 hour performance. They wanted the embassy to arrange with the Japanese National Kabuki Theater to have a show that would last may be a half an hour! That's like asking the Shakespearean Theater to put on Hamlet that would last 15 minutes! Amy, they said, was not interested in seeing a Kabuki play but would like to visit various stores that sold dolls! However, as it turned out, Amy did attend the Kabuki performance. I don't mind telling you that there was an awful lot of scrambling around, meeting with Japanese from the Kabuki Theater and so on.
Much to their credit, the Japanese said not to worry, that they would put on a show that would last about half an hour. They apologized and said that they would not be able to present the full scope of Kabuki art, just a tiny bit, but they would do their best. A good friend, Phyllis Anderson, was the FSO assigned to be with Amy 24/7, escorting her to doll shops, etc. Of course, they would also be accompanied by security, in this case a Diplomatic Security Officer from the embassy.
For some reason, I was selected to be the "announcer" at the Kabuki Theater. I was to make announcements about proper protocol for everyone who was there, before the arrival of Jimmy and Rosalynn. I was to tell the audience when to rise from their seats, and when to sit, etc. It is a bit of a puzzle to me as to why I was chosen for that role. It was somewhat reminiscent of my time in the army at Gabriel Demonstration Area some 16 years earlier! At least I didn't have to make the announcements in Mongolian!
After everything and everyone was in place, I made my initial announcements. Shortly, Jimmy and Rosalynn arrived. Jimmy surprised the Japanese, who tend to be on the formal side, by showing up in a blue blazer, khaki trousers, and brown loafers! I think he started a fashion trend in wearing brown shoes with a blue blazer! To the Japanese, Kabuki is somewhat like Opera in the West and men usually attend the shows in formal kimono or suits. I think it surprised the Japanese that Jimmy, the President of the United States, was so informal. At any rate, the abbreviated and chopped classic show was put on and the Carters seem to enjoy it. I made my final announcements for the crowd to wait before leaving their seats. Then all of the embassy detail scrambled out to form a protective barrier for Jimmy and Rosalynn to pass through on their way out of the theater.
Apparently Jimmy was told that the barrier would be formed by embassy personnel, for as he left the theater, he stopped and shook hands with as many of us as he could. He shook my hand and asked me where I was from. He had that famous, perpetual grin showing his teeth, the "toothpaste smile." I said I was from California, and he just said, "good, good." I don't think he even heard me.
The Carters stayed in Tokyo for several days and kept the embassy personnel hopping. Jimmy's staff, the infamous "Georgia Mafia," was the most demanding, obnoxious, and arrogant group I had ever run across in my time in the Foreign Service! Rosalynn was very demanding, that's all I'll say about her. Amy, as it turned out, according to my friend Phyllis, was really a sweet, normal girl! Jimmy was, well...Jimmy.
Before their departure, Jimmy met with some of the embassy staff in the embassy auditorium. He gave a brief standard politician's speech and told us that we were all doing a great job, so on and so forth. Then as he left the auditorium he shook hands with those closest to the aisle. I happened to be by the aisle so he shook my hand again, and asked me again where I was from! I had heard before that Jimmy Carter had a photographic memory, or something like that. One article claimed that he never forgot a name or a face. Well, obviously, my name or face was not worth remembering!
I remember my thoughts after that. I thought "God help the United States of America, because this guy is going to get us into trouble!" I am certainly no prophet, nor have any special insight into things, but Jimmy Carter's bungled handling of the infamous "Desert One" Iranian hostage rescue attempt which took place shortly after, didn't surprise me at all. I remember talking to colleagues about that fiasco of rescue attempt and how White House had micro managed, or I should say micro mismanaged the affair. It didn't surprise me or my colleagues. In fact, some of my colleagues who said that they had voted for Jimmy ended up voting for Reagan in the following election!
No comments:
Post a Comment