Charles Burke Elbrick
Encyclopedia
Charles Burke Elbrick, was a United States diplomat
and career foreign service officer
. During his career, he served three ambassador
ships in various parts of the world, in addition to many other minor postings.
Elbrick was the son of Charles Elbrick and his Irish wife, Lillian Burke. He graduated with a leading Bachelor of Arts
degree from Williams College
in 1929, and narrowly missed selection for a Rhodes Scholarship
.
Having joined the United States Foreign Service in 1931, Elbrick was initially appointed Vice Consul in Panama
. He continued on to Haiti and then acted as Third Secretary in Warsaw, Poland. In 1939, Elbrick had followed the Polish Government into exile. While leaving Warsaw in convoy, he was strafed by German planes. Elbrick returned to Poland in June 1945 to reopen the US Embassy. He was Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Havana in 1951.
He was promoted to Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
in 1957. Thereafter, Ambassador Elbrick was variously the representative of the United States to Portugal
(1958), Yugoslavia
(1964), and Brazil
(1969).
In August 1968, when Soviet-led forces invaded Czechoslovakia
, Elbrick, then Ambassador in Belgrade
, was summoned by Marshal Tito
to be asked what United States policy was toward Yugoslavia
in such a moment. “The same as always,” Elbrick said. “To support Yugoslav independence and integrity. Do you need any help?“ ”Not now,” said Tito, thanking Ambassador Elbrick for inquiring.
A year later, while stationed in Brazil, Charles Burke Elbrick was kidnapped for 78 hours by the Revolutionary Movement 8th October
(MR-8) in Rio de Janeiro
, on September 4, 1969. The incident formed the basis of the 1997 Bruno Barreto
film Four Days in September
(O Que É Isso, Companheiro?), starring Alan Arkin
, Pedro Cardoso and Fisher Stevens
. The storyline was adapted from the 1979 memoirs of Fernando Gabeira
, former member of revolutionary cell MR-8 and later a journalist and congressman in Brazil's Green Party
. After his release in exchange for 15 imprisoned leftists, Ambassador Elbrick coolly remarked, “Being an ambassador is not always a bed of roses.”
In 1969, he was honored by the President of the United States
with the 4-star rank of Career Ambassador, and, following his retirement in 1973, Ambassador Elbrick was awarded the Foreign Service Cup.
Elbrick spoke Portuguese as well as Spanish, French and German, and was regarded as an expert on Iberia
and Eastern Europe
.
, Washington DC, on July 27, 1932. Elbrick's mother-in-law was Caroline Gilbert Johnson (a direct descendant of the founder of Gilbertsville, New York
(1787) Abijah Gilbert
, and his grandson, also Abijah Gilbert
, United States Senator for Florida immediately following its return to the Union after the Civil War). Elbrick's father-in-law was Vice Admiral Alfred Wilkinson Johnson
, who was the son of Rear Admiral Philip Carrigan Johnson, a commander of the USS Constitution
, and the nephew of celebrated artist Eastman Johnson
.
Elbrick had two children: Alfred Johnson Elbrick and Valerie Burke Elbrick. He was survived by two grandchildren by his daughter Valerie: Charles Burke Hanlon and Nicholas Hanlon, and by four by his son Alfred (married to Fern Evelyn Bendall): Tristan, Sophie, Alexia, and Tony-nominated actress Xanthe
.
. He was also knighted in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Order of the Holy Sepulchre
) by the Grand Master Maximilian, Cardinal de Furstenberg
.
in Washington, D.C. His funeral was held at St. Matthew's Cathedral
, Washington D.C. His New York Times obituary described Ambassador Elbrick as "a tall, slender man of suave demeanor in exquisite suits...[who]...showed dash and bravery in moments of crisis".
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and career foreign service officer
United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
. During his career, he served three ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
ships in various parts of the world, in addition to many other minor postings.
Elbrick was the son of Charles Elbrick and his Irish wife, Lillian Burke. He graduated with a leading Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
in 1929, and narrowly missed selection for a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
.
Having joined the United States Foreign Service in 1931, Elbrick was initially appointed Vice Consul in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. He continued on to Haiti and then acted as Third Secretary in Warsaw, Poland. In 1939, Elbrick had followed the Polish Government into exile. While leaving Warsaw in convoy, he was strafed by German planes. Elbrick returned to Poland in June 1945 to reopen the US Embassy. He was Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Havana in 1951.
He was promoted to Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs is a position within the American Department of State that leads the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs charged with implementing American foreign policy in Europe and Eurasia, and with advising the Under Secretary for...
in 1957. Thereafter, Ambassador Elbrick was variously the representative of the United States to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
(1958), Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
(1964), and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
(1969).
In August 1968, when Soviet-led forces invaded Czechoslovakia
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
, Elbrick, then Ambassador in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, was summoned by Marshal Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
to be asked what United States policy was toward Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
in such a moment. “The same as always,” Elbrick said. “To support Yugoslav independence and integrity. Do you need any help?“ ”Not now,” said Tito, thanking Ambassador Elbrick for inquiring.
A year later, while stationed in Brazil, Charles Burke Elbrick was kidnapped for 78 hours by the Revolutionary Movement 8th October
Revolutionary Movement 8th October
The Revolutionary Movement 8th October is a Brazilian political movement, formerly an urban guerrilla group...
(MR-8) in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, on September 4, 1969. The incident formed the basis of the 1997 Bruno Barreto
Bruno Barreto
Bruno Barreto is a Brazilian film director born in Rio de Janeiro. He has been making feature-length films ever since he was seventeen years old and remains one of Brazil’s most accomplished and popular directors to this day...
film Four Days in September
Four Days in September
Four Days in September is a 1997 Brazilian thriller film directed by Bruno Barreto and produced by his parents Lucy and Luiz Carlos Barreto. The film is based on the 1979 memoir "O Que É Isso Companheiro?" written by politician Fernando Gabeira...
(O Que É Isso, Companheiro?), starring Alan Arkin
Alan Arkin
Alan Wolf Arkin is an American actor, director, musician and singer. He is known for starring in such films as Wait Until Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marley & Me, and...
, Pedro Cardoso and Fisher Stevens
Fisher Stevens
Fisher Stevens is an American actor, director and producer. His most recent successes include the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film The Cove and 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film Crazy Love...
. The storyline was adapted from the 1979 memoirs of Fernando Gabeira
Fernando Gabeira
Fernando Paulo Nagle Gabeira is a Brazilian politician, author and journalist. He has been a federal deputy for the State of Rio de Janeiro since 1995....
, former member of revolutionary cell MR-8 and later a journalist and congressman in Brazil's Green Party
Green Party (Brazil)
The Brazilian Green Party was constituted after the military dictatorship period and, like other Green Parties around the world, is committed to establishing a set of policies on ensuring social-democracy and sustainable development...
. After his release in exchange for 15 imprisoned leftists, Ambassador Elbrick coolly remarked, “Being an ambassador is not always a bed of roses.”
In 1969, he was honored by the President of the United States
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
with the 4-star rank of Career Ambassador, and, following his retirement in 1973, Ambassador Elbrick was awarded the Foreign Service Cup.
Elbrick spoke Portuguese as well as Spanish, French and German, and was regarded as an expert on Iberia
Iberia
The name Iberia refers to three historical regions of the old world:* Iberian Peninsula, in Southwest Europe, location of modern-day Portugal and Spain** Prehistoric Iberia...
and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
.
Family
He married Elvira Lindsay Johnson (1910–1990) at St. Matthew's CathedralCathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle
The Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington D.C., most commonly known as St. Matthew's Cathedral, is the seat of the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. As St...
, Washington DC, on July 27, 1932. Elbrick's mother-in-law was Caroline Gilbert Johnson (a direct descendant of the founder of Gilbertsville, New York
Gilbertsville, New York
Gilbertsville is a village in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 375 at the 2000 census. The village is named after its founder, and early landowner Abijah Gilbert of Nuneaton, England, father of the eponymous United States Senator from Florida.The Village of Gilbertsville...
(1787) Abijah Gilbert
Abijah Gilbert
Abijah Gilbert was a United States Senator from Florida.Born in Gilbertsville, New York, Gilbert attended Gilbertsville Academy and graduated from Hamilton College in 1822. He spent 1822 to 1850 engaged in mercantile pursuits in New York City before moving to St...
, and his grandson, also Abijah Gilbert
Abijah Gilbert
Abijah Gilbert was a United States Senator from Florida.Born in Gilbertsville, New York, Gilbert attended Gilbertsville Academy and graduated from Hamilton College in 1822. He spent 1822 to 1850 engaged in mercantile pursuits in New York City before moving to St...
, United States Senator for Florida immediately following its return to the Union after the Civil War). Elbrick's father-in-law was Vice Admiral Alfred Wilkinson Johnson
Alfred Wilkinson Johnson
Vice Admiral Alfred Wilkinson Johnson was an officer of the United States Navy who served in the Spanish-American War and World War I, commanded several ships, and served as Director of Naval Intelligence, and in various other posts, before his retirement in December 1940. Recalled to duty during...
, who was the son of Rear Admiral Philip Carrigan Johnson, a commander of the USS Constitution
USS Constitution
USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the world's oldest floating commissioned naval vessel...
, and the nephew of celebrated artist Eastman Johnson
Eastman Johnson
Eastman Johnson was an American painter, and Co-Founder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, with his name inscribed at its entrance...
.
Elbrick had two children: Alfred Johnson Elbrick and Valerie Burke Elbrick. He was survived by two grandchildren by his daughter Valerie: Charles Burke Hanlon and Nicholas Hanlon, and by four by his son Alfred (married to Fern Evelyn Bendall): Tristan, Sophie, Alexia, and Tony-nominated actress Xanthe
Xanthe Elbrick
Xanthe Elbrick is an Anglo-American Tony Award-nominated stage actress. The youngest of four children, Xanthe was born in London, England, and attended Benenden School in Kent and Edinburgh University. She is the granddaughter of U.S...
.
Honors
Ambassador Elbrick was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry. He was knighted in the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta (Sovereign Military Order of Malta)] by the Prince and Grand Master, Fra’ Angelo de Mojana di ColognaAngelo de Mojana di Cologna
Fra' Angelo de Mojana di Cologna was the 77th Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta from 1962 to 1988...
. He was also knighted in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Order of the Holy Sepulchre
Order of the Holy Sepulchre
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is a Roman Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the pope. It traces its roots to Duke Godfrey of Bouillon, principal leader of the First Crusade...
) by the Grand Master Maximilian, Cardinal de Furstenberg
Maximilien de Furstenberg
Maximilien Louis Hubert Egon Vincent Marie Joseph, Freiherr von Fürstenberg-Stammheim also Maximilian Kardinal von Fürstenberg was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and was Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.He was born in the castle of Ter Worm, Heerlen, The Netherlands,...
.
Death
Elbrick died April 15, 1983, aged 75, at Georgetown University HospitalGeorgetown University Hospital
Georgetown University Hospital is one of the national capital area's oldest academic teaching hospitals and is affiliated with Georgetown University School of Medicine. GUH is a not-for-profit, acute-care teaching and research facility located in Northwest Washington, DC...
in Washington, D.C. His funeral was held at St. Matthew's Cathedral
Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle
The Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington D.C., most commonly known as St. Matthew's Cathedral, is the seat of the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. As St...
, Washington D.C. His New York Times obituary described Ambassador Elbrick as "a tall, slender man of suave demeanor in exquisite suits...[who]...showed dash and bravery in moments of crisis".