Ambassador Pete Hart

Peter Hart was the ringleader of the malcontents.After the preliminary discussions about which prescription drugs they were taking, which of their friends had died or was playing dead, Peter would chime in with his favorite line, "If I were President of this country, things would be a hell of a lot different."

The other gentlemen, ex-patriots of England and Israel, took their cue and swore that if they were the Prime Minister of England and Israel, respectively, the entire free world would have a different look and feel.

Just as Peter was talking about the soaring price of crude oil and how he could make the US less dependent upon fossil fuels, three men in black approached their table.

"Are you Peter Hart?"one of the men said.

"Yeah, what's it to you?"Peter answered.

"Please come with us.The three of you are under arrest," the man continued.

"For what?Over-tipping?"Peter said and started laughing.

The FBI agents retained their stoic expression.They displayed their FBI badges and one of them began reciting the Miranda rights.

"Spare yourselves the right to remain silent garbage.I'm a retired lawyer.You've got nothing on the three of us and if you leave now, I won't sue your boss," Peter threatened.

"The sooner you cooperate, the sooner you will get back home," the taller of the men said like an annoyed camp counselor.

"And if we refuse?"Peter asked.

"You will be resisting arrest, and things will get a little sticky," he said."You and your friends can leave the café with or without handcuffs.We'll have you back home in a few hours."

"If I were president of the US, law abiding citizens wouldn't be hauled off by power hungry FBI agents," Peter said.
...
I've got years of experience fighting the big guys," Peter said.

The assistant director of the FBI walked out on stage."Sorry for the inconvenience, gentlemen.You've been chosen to take part in a simulation," he said.

"Chosen without our permission," Peter said.

"It's all legal.The FBI has lawyers too, you know," the assistant director said.

"So what's this all about?"Tom, the British ex-patriot said, uttering his first words since the ordeal began.

"Using our sophisticated computers, we are simulating a world in which Peter is the President of the United States, Tom is the Prime Minister of England, and Uri is the PM of Israel," he continued.
...
Peter asked.
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After some intense sulking, Peter made a few calls and the dynamic trio was up and running again.

Peter reasoned that history was a complex interplay of Destiny and human effort.

After Vienna, Ambassador Hart, universally known as "Pete" by his legion of friends, served in Brazil.
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Pete Hart earned a place in world history during his Ankara assignment for preventing war between Turkey and Greece, both of them members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, over sectarian strife in Cyprus.

Next, from 1968 to Feb. 1969, Ambassador Hart served as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern and South Asian affairs, the highest position in that geographic bureau.He was the first Arabic-speaking foreign service officer to serve in that position.He was replaced when Richard Nixon became president and Henry Kissinger, as national security adviser, followed Israeli-leaning Middle East policies that, in the opinion of many area specialists, accelerated a downward slide for U.S. national interests in the area from which the nation has never recovered.

Ambassador Hart's final assignment before retiring from the Foreign Service was as director of the Foreign Service Institute, the State Department's "university," for several months in 1969.

For two years thereafter he served as president of the Middle East Institute, a private foundation, in Washington, DC.Then, for 18 years, from 1972 to 1990, he was a consultant with offices in Washington, DC for the Bechtel Corporation.

Pete Hart always seemed to be available when things blew up in the Middle East.He was a counselor of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo during the Suez War in 1956 and was U.S. minister in Damascus in 1958, when the Iraqi monarchy was overthrown and simultaneous civil war in Lebanon led to the landing of U.S. Marines in Beirut.

Some of his most amusing reminiscences dated back to his three tours of duty in Saudi Arabia.There he frequently had matters to discuss with the legendary governor of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, Abdul Mohsin bin Abdallah Al-Jiluwi.No matter how urgent the American emissary's business, the pattern of his visit was in conformity with Bedouin tribal tradition.Pete Hart would spend three days in a comfortable government guest house.Only then would he be invited to an audience with the traditional tribal sheikh, who felt that he would be lax in his hostly duties if his guest had not enjoyed his generous hospitality for the requisite three days.

Ambassador Hart graduated from Dartmouth College in 1933 and earned a master's degree in diplomatic history from Harvard.He also earned a diploma from L'Institut des Hautes Etudes Internationales in Geneva, and in fact originally came into the Foreign Service as a French-language translator.Later he also completed a one-year course of study at the National War College.

Two NATO Allies at the Threshold of War, Ambassador Hart's book on the Cyprus crisis during his ambassadorship in Turkey, was published by Duke University Press in 1990.His second book, Saudi Arabia and the United States, will be published in 1998 by Indiana University Press.

Ambassador Hart's widow, Jane Constance Smiley, who was herself in the Foreign Service when the Harts met while both were serving in Cairo, relates that in his final years her husband was driven to finish his last book despite his failing health.
...
Ambassador and Mrs. Hart had two daughters, Margaret Hart Espey of Lafayette, California and Judith Hart Halsema of Karachi, Pakistan; and four grandchildren.

After Vienna , Ambassador Hart , universally known as Pete by his legion of friends , served in Brazil.Then , in 1944 , he opened the first American consulate in Saudi Arabia at Dhahran , site of the newly discovered oil fields that were to change the history of the Arabian peninsula--and the world.

In 1952 he became the State Department's Middle East director in Washington , DC where , in 1954 , he helped this writer into hard-to-get Arabic language studies.

He moved rapidly up the career ladder to deputy assistant secretary for the Middle East , ambassador to Saudi Arabia and then ambassador to Turkey from 1965 to 1968.

Pete Hart earned a place in world history during his Ankara assignment for preventing war between Turkey and Greece , both of them members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization , over sectarian strife in Cyprus.

Next , from 1968 to Feb. 1969 , Ambassador Hart served as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern and South Asian affairs , the highest position in that geographic bureau.He was the first Arabic-speaking foreign service officer to serve in that position.He was replaced when Richard Nixon became president and Henry Kissinger , as national security adviser , followed Israeli-leaning Middle East policies that , in the opinion of many area specialists , accelerated a downward slide for U.S. national interests in the area from which the nation has never recovered.

Ambassador Hart's final assignment before retiring from the Foreign Service was as director of the Foreign Service Institute , the State Department's university , for several months in 1969.

For two years thereafter he served as president of the Middle East Institute , a private foundation , in Washington , DC.Then , for 18 years , from 1972 to 1990 , he was a consultant with offices in Washington , DC for the Bechtel Corporation.
...
Pete Hart always seemed to be available when things blew up in the Middle East.He was a counselor of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo during the Suez War in 1956 and was U.S. minister in Damascus in 1958 , when the Iraqi monarchy was overthrown and simultaneous civil war in Lebanon led to the landing of U.S. Marines in Beirut.

Some of his most amusing reminiscences dated back to his three tours of duty in Saudi Arabia.There he frequently had matters to discuss with the legendary governor of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province , Abdul Mohsin bin Abdallah Al-Jiluwi.No matter how urgent the American emissary's business , the pattern of his visit was in conformity with Bedouin tribal tradition.Pete Hart would spend three days in a comfortable government guest house.Only then would he be invited to an audience with the traditional tribal sheikh , who felt that he would be lax in his hostly duties if his guest had not enjoyed his generous hospitality for the requisite three days.

Ambassador Hart graduated from Dartmouth College in 1933 and earned a master's degree in diplomatic history from Harvard.He also earned a diploma from L'Institut des Hautes Etudes Internationales in Geneva , and in fact originally came into the Foreign Service as a French-language translator.Later he also completed a one-year course of study at the National War College.

Two NATO Allies at the Threshold of War , Ambassador Hart's book on the Cyprus crisis during his ambassadorship in Turkey , was published by Duke University Press in 1990.His second book , Saudi Arabia and the United States , will be published in 1998 by Indiana University Press.

...
Ambassador and Mrs. Hart had two daughters , Margaret Hart Espey of Lafayette , California and Judith Hart Halsema of Karachi , Pakistan ; and four grandchildren.

After Vienna, Ambassador Hart, universally known as "Pete" by his legion of friends, served in Brazil.
...
Pete Hart earned a place in world history during his Ankara assignment for preventing war between Turkey and Greece, both of them members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, over sectarian strife in Cyprus.

Next, from 1968 to Feb. 1969, Ambassador Hart served as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern and South Asian affairs, the highest position in that geographic bureau.He was the first Arabic-speaking foreign service officer to serve in that position.He was replaced when Richard Nixon became president and Henry Kissinger, as national security adviser, followed Israeli-leaning Middle East policies that, in the opinion of many area specialists, accelerated a downward slide for U.S. national interests in the area from which the nation has never recovered.

Ambassador Hart's final assignment before retiring from the Foreign Service was as director of the Foreign Service Institute, the State Department's "university," for several months in 1969.

For two years thereafter he served as president of the Middle East Institute, a private foundation, in Washington, DC.Then, for 18 years, from 1972 to 1990, he was a consultant with offices in Washington, DC for the Bechtel Corporation.

Pete Hart always seemed to be available when things blew up in the Middle East.He was a counselor of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo during the Suez War in 1956 and was U.S. minister in Damascus in 1958, when the Iraqi monarchy was overthrown and simultaneous civil war in Lebanon led to the landing of U.S. Marines in Beirut.

Some of his most amusing reminiscences dated back to his three tours of duty in Saudi Arabia.There he frequently had matters to discuss with the legendary governor of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, Abdul Mohsin bin Abdallah Al-Jiluwi.No matter how urgent the American emissary's business, the pattern of his visit was in conformity with Bedouin tribal tradition.Pete Hart would spend three days in a comfortable government guest house.Only then would he be invited to an audience with the traditional tribal sheikh, who felt that he would be lax in his hostly duties if his guest had not enjoyed his generous hospitality for the requisite three days.

Ambassador Hart graduated from Dartmouth College in 1933 and earned a master's degree in diplomatic history from Harvard.He also earned a diploma from L'Institut des Hautes Etudes Internationales in Geneva, and in fact originally came into the Foreign Service as a French-language translator.Later he also completed a one-year course of study at the National War College.

Two NATO Allies at the Threshold of War, Ambassador Hart's book on the Cyprus crisis during his ambassadorship in Turkey, was published by Duke University Press in 1990.His second book, Saudi Arabia and the United States, will be published in 1998 by Indiana University Press.

Ambassador Hart's widow, Jane Constance Smiley, who was herself in the Foreign Service when the Harts met while both were serving in Cairo, relates that in his final years her husband was driven to finish his last book despite his failing health.
...
Ambassador and Mrs. Hart had two daughters, Margaret Hart Espey of Lafayette, California and Judith Hart Halsema of Karachi, Pakistan; and four grandchildren.

After Vienna, Ambassador Hart, universally known as "Pete" by his legion of friends, served in Brazil.
...
Pete Hart earned a place in world history during his Ankara assignment for preventing war between Turkey and Greece, both of them members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, over sectarian strife in Cyprus.

Next, from 1968 to Feb. 1969, Ambassador Hart served as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern and South Asian affairs, the highest position in that geographic bureau.He was the first Arabic-speaking foreign service officer to serve in that position.
...
Pete Hart always seemed to be available when things blew up in the Middle East.He was a counselor of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo during the Suez War in 1956 and was U.S. minister in Damascus in 1958, when the Iraqi monarchy was overthrown and simultaneous civil war in Lebanon led to the landing of U.S. Marines in Beirut.

Some of his most amusing reminiscences dated back to his three tours of duty in Saudi Arabia.There he frequently had matters to discuss with the legendary governor of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, Abdul Mohsin bin Abdallah Al-Jiluwi.No matter how urgent the American emissary's business, the pattern of his visit was in conformity with Bedouin tribal tradition.Pete Hart would spend three days in a comfortable government guest house.Only then would he be invited to an audience with the traditional tribal sheikh, who felt that he would be lax in his hostly duties if his guest had not enjoyed his generous hospitality for the requisite three days.

Ambassador Hart graduated from Dartmouth College in 1933 and earned a master's degree in diplomatic history from Harvard.He also earned a diploma from L'Institut des Hautes Etudes Internationales in Geneva, and in fact originally came into the Foreign Service as a French-language translator.Later he also completed a one-year course of study at the National War College.

Two NATO Allies at the Threshold of War, Ambassador Hart's book on the Cyprus crisis during his ambassadorship in Turkey, was published by Duke University Press in 1990.His second book, Saudi Arabia and the United States, will be published in 1998 by Indiana University Press.
...
Ambassador and Mrs. Hart had two daughters, Margaret Hart Espey of Lafayette, California and Judith Hart Halsema of Karachi, Pakistan; and four grandchildren.