Lucius D. Battle
Encyclopedia
Lucius Durham Battle known as Luke Battle, was a career Foreign Service officer who served with distinction in Washington, Europe and the Middle East.
. He received his undergraduate (1939) and law (1946) degrees from the University of Florida
, and spent World War II
in the Navy serving in the Pacific theatre.
His wife, Betty Davis Battle (1924-2004), was a Stanford-educated political scientist, attorney, and arts foundation official at the Woodward Foundation, which placed works by American artists in embassies around the world.
in 1946, during the administration of President Harry S. Truman
. A chance encounter with Dean Acheson
led to his being elevated to the position of Special Assistant to the Secretary of State. He traveled with Acheson, served as his right-hand man, attended meetings, and saw every piece of paper that entered or left the Secretary’s office. Acheson grew quite fond of his “indispensable aide,” once noting with a nod toward Battle, that a successful diplomat needs “an assistant with nerves of steel, a sense of purpose, and a Southern accent.” The two men would remain close friends for the rest of Acheson’s life.
As Acheson’s tenure was coming to a close, Battle moved overseas to serve as First Secretary in the American Embassy, Copenhagen from 1953 to 1955. Then he moved to Paris for one year at North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters in Paris, under Lord Ismay before returning to the States in 1956 to work with the Rockefeller Family as Vice President of Colonial Williamsburg
.
After the election of President John F. Kennedy
in 1960, Battle returned to Washington to rejoin the State Department as Executive Secretary (until May 1962). He next served as Assistant Secretary of State for Education and Culture (June 5, 1962 to August 20, 1964), helping to coordinate cultural events in Washington and working with Senator J. William Fulbright
on the Fulbright Scholars program.
In September 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson
appointed him as U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Republic (Egypt). In Cairo, he faced a number of challenges, including the Thanksgiving Day attack on the U.S. Embassy Library, which was burned to the ground by a group of African students protesting U.S. policies. Battle was effective and well regarded by his Egyptian counterparts, despite increasing tensions between Gamal Abdel Nasser and U.S. officials.
On March 5, 1967, Battle left Egypt to return to Washington to take up the position of Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East and North Africa. (He has the rare distinction among Foreign Service officers of having held the position of Assistant Secretary twice.) Within weeks, Israel attacked Egypt and the Six Day War began.
).
Battle turned down two Ambassadorial posts: to Vietnam in the Johnson administration and to Iran in 1977, thereby avoiding captivity during the Iran hostage crisis.
He became president of the Middle East Institute
, from 1973 to 1975 before returning to Comsat until 1980. Next he started the Foreign Policy Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in 1980, and finished his career as president of the Middle East Institute from 1986 until his retirement in 1990.
In 1984, Ambassador Battle was awarded the Foreign Service Cup, an award given annually to a retired Foreign Service officer by Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired.
Early life
Battle was born on June 1, 1918 in Dawson, Georgia and his family later moved to Bradenton, FloridaBradenton, Florida
Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...
. He received his undergraduate (1939) and law (1946) degrees from the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and spent 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...
in the Navy serving in the Pacific theatre.
His wife, Betty Davis Battle (1924-2004), was a Stanford-educated political scientist, attorney, and arts foundation official at the Woodward Foundation, which placed works by American artists in embassies around the world.
State Department career
After the war, Battle moved to Washington with the goal of joining the foreign service. He had no prior connections and no Ivy league credentials, but with persistence he was finally hired to the Canada desk of the United States Department of StateUnited States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
in 1946, during the administration of President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
. A chance encounter with Dean Acheson
Dean Acheson
Dean Gooderham Acheson was an American statesman and lawyer. As United States Secretary of State in the administration of President Harry S. Truman from 1949 to 1953, he played a central role in defining American foreign policy during the Cold War...
led to his being elevated to the position of Special Assistant to the Secretary of State. He traveled with Acheson, served as his right-hand man, attended meetings, and saw every piece of paper that entered or left the Secretary’s office. Acheson grew quite fond of his “indispensable aide,” once noting with a nod toward Battle, that a successful diplomat needs “an assistant with nerves of steel, a sense of purpose, and a Southern accent.” The two men would remain close friends for the rest of Acheson’s life.
As Acheson’s tenure was coming to a close, Battle moved overseas to serve as First Secretary in the American Embassy, Copenhagen from 1953 to 1955. Then he moved to Paris for one year at North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters in Paris, under Lord Ismay before returning to the States in 1956 to work with the Rockefeller Family as Vice President of Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made colonial Virginia's capital. The capital straddled the boundary of the original shires of Virginia —...
.
After the election of President John F. 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....
in 1960, Battle returned to Washington to rejoin the State Department as Executive Secretary (until May 1962). He next served as Assistant Secretary of State for Education and Culture (June 5, 1962 to August 20, 1964), helping to coordinate cultural events in Washington and working with Senator J. William Fulbright
J. William Fulbright
James William Fulbright was a United States Senator representing Arkansas from 1945 to 1975.Fulbright was a Southern Democrat and a staunch multilateralist who supported the creation of the United Nations and the longest serving chairman in the history of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee...
on the Fulbright Scholars program.
In September 1964, 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...
appointed him as U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Republic (Egypt). In Cairo, he faced a number of challenges, including the Thanksgiving Day attack on the U.S. Embassy Library, which was burned to the ground by a group of African students protesting U.S. policies. Battle was effective and well regarded by his Egyptian counterparts, despite increasing tensions between Gamal Abdel Nasser and U.S. officials.
On March 5, 1967, Battle left Egypt to return to Washington to take up the position of Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East and North Africa. (He has the rare distinction among Foreign Service officers of having held the position of Assistant Secretary twice.) Within weeks, Israel attacked Egypt and the Six Day War began.
Later career
In 1968, Battle resigned from the Foreign Service to work as Vice President of Communications Satellite Corporation (ComsatCOMSAT
The Communications Satellite Corporation is a global telecommunications company, based in the USA, and with branches in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and several other countries in the Americas. It is present also in Turkey...
).
Battle turned down two Ambassadorial posts: to Vietnam in the Johnson administration and to Iran in 1977, thereby avoiding captivity during the Iran hostage crisis.
He became president of the Middle East Institute
Middle East Institute
The Middle East Institute is a non-partisan think tank and cultural center in Washington, DC. Founded in 1946, MEI is the oldest institution in Washington dedicated exclusively to the study of the Middle East. Its founder, architect and philanthropist George Camp Keiser, assembled a team of...
, from 1973 to 1975 before returning to Comsat until 1980. Next he started the Foreign Policy Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in 1980, and finished his career as president of the Middle East Institute from 1986 until his retirement in 1990.
In 1984, Ambassador Battle was awarded the Foreign Service Cup, an award given annually to a retired Foreign Service officer by Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired.
Affiliations
Battle served on the board of directors of a number of institutions, including:- Trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing ArtsJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing ArtsThe John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
- Trustee, Washington Gallery of Modern Art
- President of the American Foreign Service Association
- Vice Chairman of Meridian House International
- Chairman of Governing Board at St. Albans SchoolSt. Albans School (Washington, D.C.)St. Albans School is an independent college preparatory school for boys in grades 4–12, located in Washington, D.C. The school is named after Saint Alban, traditionally regarded as the first British martyr. Within the St...
- Member of the Chapter of the Washington National CathedralWashington National CathedralThe Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in...
- President of Bacon House Foundation
- Trustee of the George C. Marshall Foundation
- Director of the Foreign Policy Association and the World Affairs Council
- National Board of the Smithsonian Associates
- Board of Governors of the Metropolitan Club
- American Academy of Diplomacy
- First chairman of the Johns Hopkins Foreign Policy Institute
- Trustee of the American University in CairoAmerican University in CairoThe American University in Cairo is an independent, non-profit, apolitical, secular institution of higher learning located in Cairo, Egypt...
- Chairman of the Visiting Committee for the Center for Middle Eastern Studies of Harvard College
- Member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies of Georgetown University
- Advisory Committee, American Near East Refugee AidAmerican Near East Refugee AidThe American Near East Refugee Aid is an American 5013 non-governmental organization that provides humanitarian and development aid to the Middle East, specifically, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Jordan...
Writings
- Communications and the Economy: Communications and Peace, by Lucius D. Battle, 1975
- "Peace: Inshallah", article in Foreign Policy, No. 14, Spring 1974.
- Reminiscences of Lucius D. Battle, Oral History. 51 pp., 1974 http://www.inthefirstperson.com/firp/firp.detail.documents.aspx?documentcode=OHI0016471-11914
External links
- Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum: Lucius D. Battle papers and oral history
- John F. Kennedy Presidential Library: oral history
- Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library: oral history
- The Library of Congress: Two interviews in the Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training: July 10, 1991 and November 14, 1968
- U.S. Department of State: Lucius D. Battle official biography
- CNN Cold War series
- Columbia University International Negotiations Project: oral history about Cyprus crisis 1968
- National Council on US Arab Relations
- The First Resort of Kings: American Cultural Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century by Richard T. Arndt, Chapter on Battle’s tenure in cultural affairs in ’61 and his work to bolster the Peace Corps: http://books.google.com/books?id=qqaB_Of9kwQC&pg=PA338&lpg=PA338&dq=%22Luke+Battle%22+-poncho+-jedi&source=web&ots=TKvLBVKenW&sig=IszI2C4vf5yph2zhRdf4zlxiBAk&hl=en
- University of Virginia archives: transcript of interview with Paige Mulholland about the Johnson administration
- Cairo Ambassador’s Residence photo, website showing the home of the American chiefs of mission to Egypt
- Lucius D. Battle scholarship at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
- Obituary at The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...