David Newsom
 David Newsom     (diplomat) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | David Dunlop Newsom January 6, 1918 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | March 30, 2008 (Age 90) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | US | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Berkeley, Columbia University, American Academy of Diplomacy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Jean C. Newsom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of | Council on Foreign Relations/Historical Members | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
US diplomat who attended the 1979 Bilderberg as US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
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David Dunlop Newsom was an American diplomat. He was United States Ambassador to Libya from 1965 to 1969, the United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from 1969 to 1974, the United States Ambassador to Indonesia from 1973 to 1977, where he gave General Suharto the go-ahead for the invasion of East Timor[1], and the United States Ambassador to the Philippines from 1977 to 1978.[2]
He attended the 1979 Bilderberg as US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
Education
After school, Newsom studied English at the University of California at Berkeley, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts (AB English) in 1938. He then completed postgraduate studies in journalism at Columbia University in 1940 with a Master of Science (MS Journalism). After doing his military service in the US Navy during World War II between 1942 and 1946, he entered the diplomatic service after attending the American Academy of Diplomacy.
Career
He was Vice Consul in Karachi, Pakistan, between 1947 and 1950. After a subsequent assignment as vice consul in Oslo, he was consul in Baghdad from 1951 to 1955 and at the same time from 1953 to ]]1955]] public affairs officer for the newly founded US Information Agency.
After his return to the USA he was from 1955 to 1959 the responsible officer for affairs of the Arabian Peninsula in the State Department and after a further assignment in the State Department from October 1965 to June 1969 as the successor to E. Allan Lightner, Jr. Ambassador to Libya. He then returned to the State Department, where he was Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs between July 1969 and January 1974. In February 1974 he was first succeeded by Francis Joseph Galbraith as ambassador to Indonesia and then in November 1977 by William H. Sullivan as ambassador to the Philippines.
Most recently, from April 1978 to February 1981, Newsom was Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, the third highest-ranking post in the United States Department of State. In this capacity, he played a key role in the negotiations to end the Tehran hostage-taking.
In October 1979, when Mohammad Reza Pahlavi checked into the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, he used "David D. Newsom" as his temporary codename without Newsom's knowledge.
Newsom was Acting Secretary of State in May 1980, and held the same position in January, 1981. [3]
After leaving the diplomatic service, Newsom, who was also on the Council on Foreign Relations, became associate dean of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. From 1991 to 1998 he was Professor of International Studies and Diplomacy at the University of Virginia and at the same time Director of the Institute for Diplomatic Studies there.
Newsom was also the author of six books and a regular columnist for The Christian Science Monitor, contributing over 400 columns from 1981 to 2005.
On June 16, 2004, he joined a group of twenty-seven called Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change opposing the Iraq War.
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1979 | 27 April 1979 | 29 April 1979 | Austria Baden Clubhotel Schloss Weikersdorf | 27th Bilderberg, 95 guests, Austria |
