Pattern of Circles

E. Dolibois John

Description

Pattern of Circles is a success story, for its author and his country. John E. Dolibois was born December 4, 1918, in Luxembourg. His mother died weeks later, and he was raised by an older sister until she left for Akron, Ohio, with her American husband. In 1931 John came to Akron with his father and thus began a fascinating life journey. He graduated from Miami University in 1942, in time for service as an Armored Force officer and then in Military Intelligence. In this latter station he assisted in the interrogation of the Nazi war criminals prior to the Nuremberg trials. His descriptions of Goering, Doenitz, Ribbentrop, et al. are perceptive, penetrating, and flavored with earthy humor. These chapters are set against the backdrop of war, the Holocaust, and attendant horrors. In 1981, after retirement from Miami University as Vice President for University Relations, Dolibois was called by President Ronald Reagan to become U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg. His appointment came fifty years to the day from his arrival in Akron. His four years as ambassador are an appropriate chapter of life given to the service of his adopted country.

Sujets

• Lettres et linguistique
• Diplomacy
• Diplomatie (homonymie)

Informations

• Publié par: The Kent State University Press
• Date de parution: 17 novembre 1996
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781612772912
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

Pattern of Circles

An Ambassador’s Story

JOHN E. DOLIBOIS

THE KENT STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS Kent, Ohio, and London, England

© 1989 by The Kent State University Press, Kent, Ohio 44242 All rights reserved Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 89-8008 ISBN 0-87338-389-3 (cloth) ISBN 1o: 0-87338-702-3 (paper) ISBN 13: 978-0-87338-702-6 (paper) Manufactured in the United States of America Second paper printing 2005.

07 06 05 7 6 5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dolibois, John, 1918- Pattern of circles : an ambassador's story / John E. Dolibois. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-87338-389-3 (cloth: alk paper) 00 ISBN o-87338-702-3 (paper: alk paper) 00 1. Dolibois, John, 1918- . 2. Luxembourg Americans-Biography. 3·World War, 1939-1945-Personal narratives, American. 4·College administrators-Ohio-

Biography. 5·Ambassadors-United States-Biography. 6. Ambassadors-

Luxembourg-Biography. 7·States-Luxembourg-Biography. 8. United

Biography. I Title. CT275.D835A3 1989 327-2'092-dc19 [B] 89-8008

British Library Cataloging-in-Publication data are available.

T O W INNIE

Foreword

May 31, 1982. A beautiful day in Western Europe! My wife and two daughters are seated with me among the dignitaries attending Memorial Day ceremonies at the American Military cemetery in the picturesque village of Hamm, Luxembourg. Behind us stretch the rows and columns of 5,074 white marble crosses and Stars of David marking the graves of American World War II dead. Among them the grave of General George S. Patton, Jr., is distinguished from the others only by its solitary place in the cemetery's first row. A gentle breeze ruffles the small flags—American Stars and Stripes and Luxembourg tricolor—placed before each marker. Before us stands the memorial shrine. Against a clear sky, its brilliant white and burnished bronze are dazzling in the morning sun. Lest the acres of graves be an inadequate reminder, one of the shrine's walls bears the inscription:

1941-1945 IN PROUD REMEMBRANCE

OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF HER SONS

AND IN HUMBLE TRIBUTE

TO THEIR SACRIFICES

THIS MEMORIAL HAS BEEN ERECTED BY

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

But the people of Luxembourg need no reminders. Row upon row of folding chairs are occupied by citizens and officials of the Grand Duchy. All are here to commemorate the American liberation of their tiny country from the Nazi scourge. On the plaza to the right of the chapel's entrance, beneath a blue and gold canopy, sit the participants in the day's proceedings. Among them are the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, the prime minister, the American ambassador, and a four-star general of the United States Air Force. More than three dozen floral wreaths, each sponsored by a private, civic, or government organization, have been formally presented. With military precision each has been laid along the broad, terraced walkway leading to the shrine's entrance. An expectant hush falls over the crowd. Even the breeze is still. The quiet is shattered by the thunderous roar of four U.S. Air Force F-15 fighters streaking, in tight formation, over the trees which guard the perimeter of the cemetery. With the scream of turbines pushed to full

throttle one of the planes accelerates, negotiates a vertical climb, and disappears into the cloudless sky over Luxembourg. The three remaining jets continue in the broken-chevron, "missing flyer" formation. We on the ground are deeply moved. Unexpectedly, this traditional flyers' tribute to their countrymen lost in battle has stripped us of the insulating mantle of time and insular concerns. Suddenly the emotions of World War II are thrust upon us. We are overwhelmed by the horrors, waste, and sacrifices of war. We grieve. We remember valor and heroism. We are proud. We exult in the triumph of a free people over their oppressors. We are thankful. The jets' thunder fades. A bugler solemnly ascends the chapel's steps. He sounds taps. Hidden in the distant woods, a second trumpeter echoes the haunting melody. At the podium the deputy chief of mission of the American embassy introduces the next speaker: "I now present his Excellency, the Ambassador of the United States of America, the Honorable John E. Dolibois. . . . " My father steps to the microphone (despite the intimidating title, to me he's still just "Dad"). Obviously moved, he begins his first Memorial Day address as an American ambassador. As Dad opens with formal greetings, I am proud to be in the audience. I sense that this place, this ceremony, and my father's role symbolize completion of another circuit of his life—a life characterized by multiple, interlocking circles. Many of the intersections among those circles are represented by nearby sites. Less than two miles from the podium from which Dad speaks stands the house in which he was born on December 4, 1918. A corner of this now sacred cemetery was once a soccer field on which he played as a boy. One hundred yards from the lectern is the grave of General George S. Patton, Jr.—my father's wartime hero. It was from General Patton Dad received his army commission as a second lieutenant. Months later, under Patton's command, Dad would play a role in rescuing the famous Lipizzaner horses from Czechoslovakia—an adventure which, years later, would result in Dad's being honored by the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, and which Walt Disney would immortalize on film. In December, 1945, Dad attended another ceremony at this same cemetery, General Patton's burial services. A leisurely hour's drive from Hamm is the resort spa, Mondorf. It was there that the highest-ranking Nazis were interned after World War II as they awaited trial in Nuremberg. Lieutenant John E. Dolibois of U.S. Military Intelligence, native of Luxembourg, fluent in German, was their interrogator. During his many months in Mondorf, Dad maintained a diary; he compiled a scrapbook; he collected memorabilia. Often dismayed by those who would deny Hitler's Holocaust, Dad has frequently pledged to someday publicize his unique, firsthand impressions. In the heart of nearby Luxembourg City is theMiami University European Center, a reminder of Dad's commitment to international education and a symbol of his thirty-four years on the staff of his alma mater in Oxford, Ohio. He began his years with Miami in 1947 as the university's first full-time alumni secretary. He went on to become vice president ofMiami UniversityAs a result of his innovative fund-raising,its chief development officer.  and scholarship, and building programs, Miami's development effort became a yardstick by which many other public institutions of higher education in the United States measured themselves. Several buildings on Miami's main campus, numerous research and educational grants, various

endowed professorships, and many student scholarships owe their existence to Dad's tireless service to Miami University—now highly regarded among the "public ivys." Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford consecutively appointed Dad to the prestigious Board of Foreign Scholarships which administers the Fulbright Cultural and Educational Exchange Program. He became the panel's senior member and a leader in international educational exchange. Accordingly, he was instrumental in establishing Miami's Center in Luxembourg. Already considering early retirement from Miami in 1981, Dad and Mom were vacationing in Europe when the White House tracked them down and President Ronald Reagan requested Dad's services as United States ambassador to his native land of Luxembourg. Never before in American history had a naturalized American returned to the land of his birth in such a capacity. Dad said, "Yes. . . . " With the triple retorts of a twenty-one-gun salute the 1982 Memorial Day ceremonies in Luxembourg are winding down. The American ambassador has concluded his brief remarks with the words: ''Join with me in renewing our pledge to keep our two nations united, free, and at peace. There can be no better way of honoring our military heroes, both living and dead." During the remaining three and one-half years of my father's tenure as United States ambassador to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg he would approach his duties with the same tenacity, creativity, indefatigability, and loyalty which characterized his successes in the Boy Scouts during his "Americanization," his military service in the United States Army, and his many years at Miami University. There would be formal visits to Luxembourg by high-ranking American officials. Never before had so many of such stature visited "little" Luxembourg. With Dad and Mom as host and hostess, Luxembourg's royal family—the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess—would visit the United States and be received at the White House during a formal State Visit, a first-time-ever event for them. In Luxembourg Dad and Mom would attend two royal weddings, a royal funeral, and meet the Pope during his State Visit to Luxembourg. These were but "bonuses" on the busy daily calendar of a full-time, working ambassador. Dad resigned his post in Luxembourg after four years. He retired with a sincere sense of accomplishment. He had successfully placed Luxembourg on Washington's map of Europe. He brought credit to Miami University, in whose service he had dedicated a major segment of his life. He earned love, respect, and admiration among the citizens of the tiny, but proud, country of his birth. He continues to provide a model of integrity, honor, dedication, and loyalty for his three sons to emulate. This book is John E. Dolibois's story. For some, it will be the heartwarming tale of a youthful immigrant growing up in Akron, Ohio. He overcomes language and social barriers to become the first in his large family to attend a university. He succeeds in his chosen profession. Ultimately, he becomes a folk hero in the land of his birth when he returns as his adoptive country's highest representative. Others might read this story as a firsthand, anecdotal history. It provides previously unpublished insights into the minds and machinations of the architects of Hitler's Third Reich. At the same time it offers its readers a rare and intriguing look at the inside workings of a contemporary American embassy in Europe. Many may find this work a fascinating geography lesson. They will learn about one of Europe's oldest independent countries—theGrand Duchy of Luxembourg. Founded in 963 A.D., Luxembourg was once the most impregnable fortress in Europe. Today, this tiny land is

populated by a proud, industrious, and prosperous people. It enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the world. Highly industrialized, a major international banking center, and home to numerous international organizations, Luxembourg, like its larger neighbors— Belgium, France, and West Germany—has a full vote in the United Nations, NATO, and the European Community. As of this writing, it remains one of the United States' friendliest allies. To his family and friends, this is the story of a humble, sensitive, perceptive, patriotic, and very human man. John E. Dolibois is a rare individual who, in his lifelong pursuit of excellence, has lived an American dream.

J. Michael Dolibois, M.D. Oxford, Ohio

Acknowledgments

I AM GRATEFUL to a number of people who have shown an interest in the completion of this book. My friend of more than fifty-seven years, Francis J. "Grassy" Grassbaugh, provided the initial stimulus. Albert Stoltz, of Olingen, Luxembourg, prodded my memory and helped me recall scenes of our youth, and facts about the war. Our dear neighbor, Cissy Hoover, and our family doctor, Bill Beck, read the first draft and gave essential encouragement. William Beckett scrutinized my writing for the proper choice of words, and saved me from embarrassing errors. My former English professor and lifelong friend, Walter Havighurst, graded my effort and gave me an 'A.' Professor Dwight L. Smith literally opened the door that led to publication, and gave me much needed technical advice. Ethelwyn Fox Martello typed the manuscript with personal care and precision. Miami friend Harold Apel rendered yeoman service in reading proof. Some of the photographs herein are courtesy of John Weyrich of theLuxemburger Wort. Others were taken by Claude Michels, our faithful embassy driver for four years. The official portrait of an ambassador in "grand tenue" is by Ron Stevens of Oxford. My heartfelt thanks to Luxembourg artist Mars Schmit for the handsome watercolor on the front cover, and to Jack Steinman of Deluxe Engraving in Cincinnati for the color reproductions. Dr. John T. Hubbell, director of the Kent State University Press, produced a penetrating critique of the first draft, and then guided the project to satisfying fulfillment. Editor Julia J. Morton contributed her exacting talent, tactful attention to detail, and, along with John Hubbell, heartwarming encouragement. The most steadfast support came from my wife Winnie, friend, and critic. She endured my up-and-down moods, helped me recall incidents, and, in remembering, shared laughter or a tear with me. Finally, Ralph and Bonnie Fey are very much a part of this story. We attended Miami University together. We enjoyed fraternal fellowship in Beta gatherings and at conventions. Together, we experienced campus trials and tribulations. We traveled all over Europe, celebrated mutual anniversaries. When Winnie and I came home again to Oxford in 1985, their loyal support helped us make the difficult adjustment. Their friendship inspired the writing of this memoir. Ralph Norman Fey died in January 1989, exactly fifty years from the day on which we first met in Beta Theta Pi. Ours was a friendship that did "last through life." Vale, mi frater!