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TEN ROMEO NEWSLETTER Report 59
August 20, 1995 Dear Friends: A brief news flash broke into the program with an ominous ring. "Three members of the US negotiating team were killed on their way into Sarajevo today! More details will follow." I was preparing for bed, but stopped and concentrated on the TV set. My immediate thought was, "Bob is in that area, but it couldn't be him! We need him too much to leave us now!" I sat on the foot of the bed -- focusing, concentrating, holding my breath -- in anticipation of the details that would soon come. Critical times while flying create a time warp when moments seem like hours. I was in such a warp now. The devastating news came. "Robert C. Frasure, Envoy of President Clinton, dead at 53." The man I had worked with so closely in Tallinn, the man whose mediation successes carried the mark of human dynamic skills and understanding laced with magic, was gone! I spent the night writing the following tribute to Bob.
TRIBUTE TO A FALLEN AMERICAN HERO On August 19th America lost one of its most effective diplomats when Ambassador Robert C. Frasure was killed on his way into Sarajevo. In 1992 I was in my second year as advisor to the Estonian government, (an assignment recommended by the Moscow "'Think Tank", the Institute for the Study of USA and Canada), when I met Ambassador Frasure as he arrived as the first US Ambassador to Estonia in fifty years. Bob became my friend and colleague as we worked together toward the mutual goal of bringing Estonia quickly and firmly into the western community of nations. Ambassador Frasure brought to Tallinn the power and interest of the United States government in westernizing Estonia as the eastern military flank facing Russia where there are long-range concerns about a government with a nuclear arsenal which might come under control of an irresponsible Zhirinovsky. Bob was an effective implementer of US interests, and his skills brought unusual success with Russian leadership in negotiating the removal of all Russian soldiers from Estonian soil. He opened a supply line to US military resources in Frankfort where needed equipment and medicines could be moved quietly and quickly into Tallinn to meet Estonian needs via frequent C-130 flights from Germany. He worked with the Estonian and Russian governments to take immediate steps to clean up Lake Pepsi, purported to be the most polluted lake in the world due to raw sewage being dumped into it from both countries. Bob's achievements were never chronicled in the news media since this was not his nature. Following the election of President Clinton, I immediately contacted the chairman of the Democratic transition team. My message was simple. "I respectfully request that Ambassador Robert C. Frasure remain 'on station' in Tallinn. His time in Estonia has been short, but he is now becoming effective. To remove him because of the change in the presidency would hurt US interests in Estonia and disappoint Estonian leaders." Estonian friends and I rejoiced in the news that Ambassador Frasure would remain the US Ambassador to Estonia under the new Democratic president. Some months later I was in Tallinn on my 45th trip to that beautiful city when the first Russian commercial airliner to be hijacked following the Soviet coup landed in Tallinn. On that day the Estonian FAA Administrator, Mati Sormus, and many of his top staff were in the United States undergoing "Crisis Training", as arranged by Bob, to handle just such an eventuality. Ambassador Frasure went to the Tallinn Airport and provided the expertise Estonian police needed to deal with the hijack problem. That crisis was brought to a close with no loss of life or equipment. My message to President Clinton said, "Your wise decision, Mr. President, to leave Ambassador Frasure 'on post' in Tallinn was graphically justified yesterday as he brought to a successful conclusion the hijacking of the Russian TU-164 on the ramp at Tallinn. Ambassador Frasure earned his salary for the next four years for his part in defusing that critical situation!" It may still be too early, for security reasons, to completely chronicle Bob's effective service in Tallinn during his ambassadorship. Suffice it to say that when Undersecretary Talbott traveled to Moscow, Tallinn became a stopping point for briefing by Bob on his perception of conditions in Moscow. On these visits Talbott "took the measure" of this unusual man. When Talbott was promoted to the number two position in the State Department, he initiated the process to bring Frasure to Washington for increased responsibility. My Estonian friends and I were disappointed, but knew the pioneering work Bob had done in Estonia had a firm foundation and would stand. Bob's innovative skills were needed in other troubled locations around the globe. The best news coming out of Washington for three years was the announcement that Ambassador Robert C. Frasure, then Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, would go to the former Yugoslavia as "Special Envoy of President Clinton". Those of us old enough to have served in World War II recall the promise made fifty years ago to never again allow a "holocaust", or "pogrom", to occur on this planet. Three years ago letters to the UN, Congress, and other world leaders fell on deaf ears as we attempted to counter the Serb's proudly advertised intent and execution of "ethnic cleansing" in areas they conquered. The Yugoslavian "disaster" was a problem worthy of Bob Frasure's unusual skills. I spoke with Bob just before he left for Yugoslavia. Some weeks ago a most unusual turn of events began surfacing in media reports from that troubled area. Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic seemed to accept the role of "peace advocate" for his troubled area, a position quite contrary to his previous comments and actions. With those early reports, it seemed obvious to me that Bob Frasure's miraculous, effective negotiations were bringing forth success in that troubled part of the world. Verification came in a small, hardly noticeable "Frasure" quote in a recent AP release. "And when, Mr. President (Milosevic) we gather to sign the 'Peace Treaty' I'll provide the beer - and it will be iced!" To me, this was the quintessence of Bob at work. Bob knew how to deal at the basic level with one's fellow man and relate positively. In perceiving recent news reports with a third ear or inner eye since Bob's interesting quote, it is easy to understand the thrust of Envoy Frasure's negotiations with President Milosevic. The "carrot" was the economic assistance being offered by President Clinton for rebuilding that devastated land once fighting ceased. The "big stick" was US quiescence toward the Croatian Army retaking Serb-held territory bit by bit if the peace proposal was not accepted. On August 19th I lost a dear friend and our country lost a brilliant public servant, but the peace process which Ambassador Frasure so skillfully instituted under President Clinton's direction will continue, and will result in success. Today our prayers should be focused upon Bob's wife, Katharina, and his two beautiful daughters as they deal with this unexpected tragedy. We should also keep in our prayers the US Diplomatic Team which will continue to quietly work toward bringing to a halt the tragedy we have watched unfold during three long, terrible years. "Goodbye, Bob. You have fought the good fight and are now in a better place. We miss you, but our world is a far better place for your having been with us for a time much too short!" -------------- Professor Harmon is a retired academic administrator who operates a small independent "Think Tank" in Delmar, NY. He has been to Moscow and Tallinn, Estonia, 50 times in the past twelve years. (Prepared for the Times Union.) ----------------- EPILOGUE Bob Frasure came into my life as a breath of fresh air. For eight years before his arrival, I had made frequent visits to Tallinn, had come to love the city, and had developed a wide circle of Estonian friends. At the suggestion of Moscow colleagues I offered my services to the Estonian leadership as an advisor. I had unraveled a number of misunderstandings which is possible when a mediator is from "out of town" and even-handed with both sides. I had an active part in events during the coup in August, 1991. Those who have received many or all of the previous 58 TEN ROMEO NEWSLETTERs, know that as I pursued my self-styled missionary goal of creating increased understanding between Americans and Russians these last twelve years, I operated outside of government constraints. As a former federal/state bureaucrat, early retirement freed me from the red tape endemic to such responsibilities. Freedom from such frustration is precious. Bob and I developed an immediate rapport, perhaps because of my previous government experience. My work within the Estonian society and Bob's commitment to make US involvement in Estonia reap maximum benefits enabled use to forge a close partnership. Bob was a dedicated government official, and I enjoyed working with him as we became close friends. My heart rejoiced with recent media indications of the visible progress Bob was making in the former Yugoslavia. Many of us have been frustrated to desperation in reading of massacres in that troubled part of the world which continue unabated. For the first time in three years, a light appeared at the end of the carnage tunnel. And now the process must continue without Ambassador Frasure.
PROLOGUE In my view the future looks bright! With the miraculous start that Bob has made, the process will continue. Two factors have brought us to this point in time. One was Bob's superb mediation skills. The second was President Clinton's outstanding plan with two thrusts: his commitment to provide economic aid for rebuilding the area once the fighting stops, coupled with his "tough decision" to condone, if not support, fighting by locals (the Croatian Army) under well defined limits to be enforced by US air power. The President's innovative plan CAN be a winner. He will continue to support that plan. We cannot replace Bob, but the President's thrust is sufficiently brilliant to be successful with a lesser light than Ambassador Robert C. Frasure at the helm. ----------------- NOTE: Each of the 350 daily US newspapers should carry an in-depth reference to Bob's outstanding work. Attempts to place my TRIBUTE on both the Hearst and AP wires, where I've had warm working relationships during TEN ROMEO exploits, seem not to be successful. Sooooo ---- please share this report with friends. The appropriate window of opportunity for praising Bob may be with us for three weeks. During that time, we should make sure all Americans know the magnitude of our loss. |