Quiet Diplomacy: From Cairo to Tokyo in the Twilight of Imperialism

Armin Meyer's distinguished career in public service spanned more than thirty tumultuous years of hot and cold war, beginning in World War II with a secret mission to Eritrea. In the postwar Foreign Service, he served in Afghanistan, and his twenty-year involvement in the quest for Middle East peace included postings in Baghdad, Beirut, and in Washington, D.C. in the State Department's Near East Bureau, where he dealt with Nasserism, Hawk missiles, and Arab refugees. Meyer served as President Kennedy's ambassador to Beirut, assisting in Lebanon's first peaceful presidential transition; as President Johnson's ambassador to the Shah's Iran, dealing with arms, oil, and the Gulf median line challenges; and as President Nixon's ambassador to Japan where he presided over negotiations for Okinawa's reversion to Japanese administration, which ensured the extension of the U.S.-Japan mutual security treaty, and mellowed the Nixon "China shock." He also served as State's first coordinator for combating terrorism. In Quiet Diplomacy, Ambassador Meyer analyzes experiences and lessons learned, and offers valuable guidance for today's diplomacy.