Lincoln Gordon
Encyclopedia
Abraham Lincoln Gordon was a United States
Ambassador
to Brazil
(1961–1966) and the 9th President of the Johns Hopkins University
(1967–1971). Gordon had a career both in government and in academia, becoming a Professor of International Economic Relations at Harvard University in the 1950s, before turning his attention to foreign affairs. Gordon had a career in business after his resignation as president of the Johns Hopkins University, but remained active at institutions such as the Brookings Institution
until his death.
, and later attended Harvard University
. As an undergraduate at Harvard, Gordon was involved with the university’s Glee Club
; because Prohibition
was still in place, wine was usually served at the Club’s parties.
While he was a student at Harvard, Gordon met his future wife, Allison Wright, at a film exhibition in Dunster House
. They married in 1937.
He received a BA from Harvard in 1933. He received a DPhil from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 1936.
from 1944 to 1945. He started in the Bureau of Research and Statistics of the War Production Board before joining the staff of the Requirements Committee, helping design the Controlled Materials Plan. This Plan regulated the conservation and allocation of critical materials such as steel
, copper
, zinc
, and aluminum--materials that were scarce or were in danger of becoming so during World War II
.
Gordon then worked for the US State Department as Director of the Marshall Plan
Mission and Minister for Economic Affairs and at the United States
embassy in London
(1952–55). "To let Western Europe collapse for want of some dollars," Gordon has stated in regards to his role in the Marshall Plan, “would have been a tragedy. It would have been repeating the terrible mistake after World War I
.”
, an aid program designed to prevent Latin America from turning to revolution and socialism for economic progress. To many experts, the foreign aid program was a sham since five times more dollars were leaving Brazil in the form of earnings, dividends and royalties paid to American companies than entering the country as direct investments. In his book Hidden Terrors
(Pantheon Books, 1978, p. 66), A. J. Langguth notes the way Brazilians sarcastically referred to the program as being one in which it was Brazil that was giving foreign aid to the United States -- after tax credits, assistance in locating and other privileges given to foreign firms were taken into account. In 1961, Time
reported that Gordon has "become Kennedy
's leading expert on Latin American economics. Gordon drew up the U.S. agenda for the July inter-American economic meeting approved last week by the Organization of American States."
Gordon served as U.S. Ambassador to Brazil
(1961–66), where he played a major role for the support of the opposition against the government of President João Goulart
and during the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état. On March 27, 1964, he wrote a top secret cable to the US government, urging it to support the coup of Humberto de Alencar Castello Branco with a “clandestine delivery of arms" and shipments of gas and oil, to possibly be supplemented by CIA covert operations. Gordon believed that Goulart, wanting to "seize dictatorial power," was working with the Brazilian Communist Party
. Gordon wrote: "If our influence is to be brought to bear to help avert a major disaster here--which might make Brazil the China
of the 1960s--this is where both I and all my senior advisors believe our support should be placed.”
Noam Chomsky
has been critical of the coup, as well as Gordon's role in it. At an address delivered at Harvard University on March 19, 1985, he stated:
In the years after the coup, Gordon, Gordon’s staff, and the CIA repeatedly denied that that they had been involved and President Lyndon B. Johnson
praised Gordon's service in Brazil as “a rare combination of experience and scholarship, idealism and practical judgment.” However, in 1976, Gordon stated that American military intervention in Brazil had been planned by the Johnson Administration in order to prevent a leftist coup there. Circa 2004 many documents were declassified and placed online at the GWU National Security Archive, indicating the involvement of Johnson, McNamara, Gordon, and others. In 2005 Stansfield Turner
's book described the involvement of ITT corporation president Harold Geneen and CIA director John McCone
.
Afterward, Gordon became Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (1966–68) in Washington DC and worked for the Alliance for Progress, which coordinated aid to Latin America.
in Johns Hopkins' undergraduate program.
During his tenure, students and faculty briefly occupied the university's executive offices to protest against the Vietnam War
despite the fact that Gordon had expressed opposition to the Vietnam War. During his tenure, the university was suffering a financial crisis, with an operating deficit of more than $4 million. The crisis caused Gordon to order budget cuts, which in turn caused faculty protests.
Gordon resigned in March 1971, attributing his resignation to growing criticism from the university’s faculty. The New York Times states that "Dr. Gordon's four years at Johns Hopkins were dogged by deteriorating finances, faculty complaints over pay and academic priorities, and students rebellious over the 'relevance' of their educations."
Gordon was a fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
at the Smithsonian Institution
from 1972 to 1975.
In 1984, he became a scholar at the Brookings Institution
(he was an active associate there until his death) and also became director at the Atlantic Council
of the United States.
Gordon died at the age of 96 at Collington Episcopal Life Care, an assisted-living home, in Mitchellville, Maryland
. He was survived by two sons, Robert and Hugh, and two daughters, Sally and Amy and seven grandchildren (Laura Dickinson, Emily Gordon, Kate Gordon, Nick Lawson, Hugh Lawson, George Gordon, Jane Gordon); and two great-grandchildren (Julien Berman and Julia Segrè).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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....
to 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...
(1961–1966) and the 9th President of the Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
(1967–1971). Gordon had a career both in government and in academia, becoming a Professor of International Economic Relations at Harvard University in the 1950s, before turning his attention to foreign affairs. Gordon had a career in business after his resignation as president of the Johns Hopkins University, but remained active at institutions such as the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
until his death.
Early life
Born in in 1913 in New York City, Gordon attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in RiverdaleRiverdale
-Places:United States*Riverdale, California, in Fresno County*Riverdale, Mendocino County, California*Riverdale, Georgia*Riverdale, Chicago, Illinois*Riverdale, Illinois, in Cook County*Riverdale, Iowa*Riverdale, Anne Arundel County, Maryland...
, and later attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. As an undergraduate at Harvard, Gordon was involved with the university’s Glee Club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
; because Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
was still in place, wine was usually served at the Club’s parties.
While he was a student at Harvard, Gordon met his future wife, Allison Wright, at a film exhibition in Dunster House
Dunster House
Dunster House, built in 1930, is one of the first two Harvard University dormitories constructed under President Abbott Lawrence Lowell's House Plan, and one of the seven Houses given to Harvard by Edward Harkness. In the early days, room rents varied based on the floor and the size of the room...
. They married in 1937.
He received a BA from Harvard in 1933. He received a DPhil from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 1936.
Career in government (1944 - 67)
Gordon was program vice-chairman of the War Production BoardWar Production Board
The War Production Board was established as a government agency on January 16, 1942 by executive order of Franklin D. Roosevelt.The purpose of the board was to regulate the production and allocation of materials and fuel during World War II in the United States...
from 1944 to 1945. He started in the Bureau of Research and Statistics of the War Production Board before joining the staff of the Requirements Committee, helping design the Controlled Materials Plan. This Plan regulated the conservation and allocation of critical materials such as steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
, and aluminum--materials that were scarce or were in danger of becoming so during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Gordon then worked for the US State Department as Director of the Marshall Plan
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the large-scale American program to aid Europe where the United States gave monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to combat the spread of Soviet communism. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948...
Mission and Minister for Economic Affairs and at the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
embassy in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(1952–55). "To let Western Europe collapse for want of some dollars," Gordon has stated in regards to his role in the Marshall Plan, “would have been a tragedy. It would have been repeating the terrible mistake after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.”
Brazil and Latin America (1960 - 67)
In 1960, Gordon helped develop the Alliance for ProgressAlliance for Progress
The Alliance for Progress initiated by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1961 aimed to establish economic cooperation between the U.S. and South America.-Origin and goals:...
, an aid program designed to prevent Latin America from turning to revolution and socialism for economic progress. To many experts, the foreign aid program was a sham since five times more dollars were leaving Brazil in the form of earnings, dividends and royalties paid to American companies than entering the country as direct investments. In his book Hidden Terrors
Hidden Terrors
Hidden Terrors is book about American foreign policy in Brazil and Uruguay in the 1960s and early 1970s. It was written by A. J. Langguth and the ist edition was Published 1978 by Pantheon Books in New York.- See also :*History of Uruguay...
(Pantheon Books, 1978, p. 66), A. J. Langguth notes the way Brazilians sarcastically referred to the program as being one in which it was Brazil that was giving foreign aid to the United States -- after tax credits, assistance in locating and other privileges given to foreign firms were taken into account. In 1961, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
reported that Gordon has "become Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's leading expert on Latin American economics. Gordon drew up the U.S. agenda for the July inter-American economic meeting approved last week by the Organization of American States."
Gordon served as U.S. Ambassador to 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...
(1961–66), where he played a major role for the support of the opposition against the government of President João Goulart
João Goulart
João Belchior Marques Goulart was a Brazilian politician and the 24th President of Brazil until a military coup d'état deposed him on April 1, 1964. He is considered to have been the last left-wing President of the country until Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in 2003.-Name:João Goulart is...
and during the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état. On March 27, 1964, he wrote a top secret cable to the US government, urging it to support the coup of Humberto de Alencar Castello Branco with a “clandestine delivery of arms" and shipments of gas and oil, to possibly be supplemented by CIA covert operations. Gordon believed that Goulart, wanting to "seize dictatorial power," was working with the Brazilian Communist Party
Brazilian Communist Party
Brazilian Communist Party is the oldest political party still active in Brazil, founded in 1922, and one of the only Brazilian parties with a Stalinist orientation...
. Gordon wrote: "If our influence is to be brought to bear to help avert a major disaster here--which might make Brazil the China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
of the 1960s--this is where both I and all my senior advisors believe our support should be placed.”
Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
has been critical of the coup, as well as Gordon's role in it. At an address delivered at Harvard University on March 19, 1985, he stated:
In the years after the coup, Gordon, Gordon’s staff, and the CIA repeatedly denied that that they had been involved and President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
praised Gordon's service in Brazil as “a rare combination of experience and scholarship, idealism and practical judgment.” However, in 1976, Gordon stated that American military intervention in Brazil had been planned by the Johnson Administration in order to prevent a leftist coup there. Circa 2004 many documents were declassified and placed online at the GWU National Security Archive, indicating the involvement of Johnson, McNamara, Gordon, and others. In 2005 Stansfield Turner
Stansfield Turner
Stansfield M. Turner is a retired Admiral and former Director of Central Intelligence. He is currently a senior research scholar at the University of Maryland, College Park School of Public Policy....
's book described the involvement of ITT corporation president Harold Geneen and CIA director John McCone
John McCone
John Alexander McCone was an American businessman and politician who served as Director of Central Intelligence during the height of the Cold War.- Background :...
.
Afterward, Gordon became Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (1966–68) in Washington DC and worked for the Alliance for Progress, which coordinated aid to Latin America.
Career in academia
Gordon was a Professor of International Economic Relations at Harvard University in the 1950s, before turning his attention to foreign affairs.Johns Hopkins University (1967 - 71)
He then served as president of the Johns Hopkins University between 1967 and 1971. In 1970, he introduced coeducationCoeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
in Johns Hopkins' undergraduate program.
During his tenure, students and faculty briefly occupied the university's executive offices to protest against the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
despite the fact that Gordon had expressed opposition to the Vietnam War. During his tenure, the university was suffering a financial crisis, with an operating deficit of more than $4 million. The crisis caused Gordon to order budget cuts, which in turn caused faculty protests.
Gordon resigned in March 1971, attributing his resignation to growing criticism from the university’s faculty. The New York Times states that "Dr. Gordon's four years at Johns Hopkins were dogged by deteriorating finances, faculty complaints over pay and academic priorities, and students rebellious over the 'relevance' of their educations."
Later career
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars , located in Washington, D.C., is a United States Presidential Memorial that was established as part of the Smithsonian Institution by an act of Congress in 1968...
at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
from 1972 to 1975.
In 1984, he became a scholar at the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
(he was an active associate there until his death) and also became director at the Atlantic Council
Atlantic Council
The Atlantic Council is a Washington, D.C. think tank and public policy group whose mission is to "promote constructive U.S. leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic community in meeting the international challenges of the 21st...
of the United States.
Gordon died at the age of 96 at Collington Episcopal Life Care, an assisted-living home, in Mitchellville, Maryland
Mitchellville, Maryland
Mitchellville is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,611 at the 2000 census. It is home to the Six Flags America theme park, Country Club at Woodmore, and Freeway Airport. The Capital Centre was located in...
. He was survived by two sons, Robert and Hugh, and two daughters, Sally and Amy and seven grandchildren (Laura Dickinson, Emily Gordon, Kate Gordon, Nick Lawson, Hugh Lawson, George Gordon, Jane Gordon); and two great-grandchildren (Julien Berman and Julia Segrè).
Books
- A New Deal for Latin America (1963)
- Growth Policies and the International Order (1979)
- Energy Strategies for Developing Nations (1981)
- Eroding Empire: Western Relations with Eastern Europe (1987)
- Brazil's Second Chance: En Route toward the First World (Brookings Institution Press, 2001).
External links
- The American elite, William BlumWilliam BlumWilliam Blum is an American author, historian, and critic of United States foreign policy. He studied accounting in college. Later he had a low-level computer-related position at the United States Department of State in the mid-1960s. Initially an anti-communist with dreams of becoming a foreign...
- Oral History Interview with Lincoln Gordon, from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library