Victor Ashe

Victor Ashe - the former Knoxville Mayor - reflects on his time as U.S. Ambassador to Poland.

Below is a newsletter from the Ambassador describing his time in Poland, including his observations about new embassies going up around the world, which you may find interesting.

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Dear Friends,

Over five years ago, our family arrived in Warsaw to take up my new duties as the 24th American Ambassador to Poland. Little did we appreciate then what a fabulous experience this would be for the entire family, and how we would be impacted by the warmth and hospitality of the Polish people. We depart with an enriched appreciation of Polish-American relations and a lifelong commitment to their continuance and enhancement.

In this final personal farewell letter, I will reflect on some key moments and events, highlight a few persons I worked with and share some ideas.

Since arriving in Warsaw on July 23, 2004, I worked with four Prime Ministers, two Polish Presidents and two American Presidents, five Foreign Ministers, four Defense Ministers and three different coalitions in the Sejm. I visited over 185 Polish cities and gminas, traveling by air, train and car. I met countless Mayors, Bishops, Governors, Marshals and five Cardinals and the Sawa, not to mention artists, authors, business leaders and students.

Over the course of five years, my wife Joan and I hosted more than 320 overnight guests and welcomed over 28,500 guests to our Residence for various receptions. We welcomed official visits to Poland from President Bush, Vice President Cheney, two Secretaries of State, the Attorney General, the National Security Adviser, the Secretaries of Defense, Air Force, Labor, Commerce and Agriculture, the FBI Director, the CIA Director, two Supreme Commanders of NATO, two Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, former Vice President Al Gore, Senators Bill Frist, John Kerry, Carl Levin, Bill Nelson, Ben Nelson, Pat Roberts, Saxby Chambliss, Richard Burr, Arlen Specter, Richard Shelby and Susan Collins as well as many members of Congress including Tennessee’s Jim Cooper and John Duncan, Ellen Tauscher (now Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security), Marcy Kaptur, Robert Wexler, and Jim Sensenbrenner.

We welcomed several Presidential delegations, including those for commemorations of the 60th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising in 2004, the 60th liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp in 2005, the 25th anniversary of Solidarity in Gdansk in 2005, the 65th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising in 2008, the ground-breaking of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in 2008 and the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II on September 1, 2009.

Associate Supreme Court Justices Anthony Kennedy and Antonin Scalia visited and spoke with Polish audiences. We also hosted American authors such as Amy Tan, Steve Berry and Alex Berenson. Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois (now Governor), Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia and Governor Jim Doyle of Wisconsin also visited.

One of our most emotional moments occurred less than a year after arriving in Poland, when Pope John Paul II died on April 2, 2005. Poland came to a halt in somber reflection on the huge significance of his life to the Catholic Church, to Poland, and to the world. Every Pole felt as if they had lost a brother or close relative. In a crowd of over 1.5 million people at the Memorial Mass in Warsaw, I was truly inspired by the emotional outpouring of sadness.

My time here was distinguished by the emphasis I placed on public diplomacy and outreach to local governments. Only since 2002 have Polish Mayors been directly elected by the people, which is a real change in local politics. Polish Mayors feel empowered and represent a new source of national leadership in the future. I was impressed by the talent and caliber of Mayors across Poland; this bodes well for the future. Over 40 Polish cities have Sister Cities in the United States. These people to people contacts are important. Charlotte, Chicago, Knoxville and Seattle are among the American cities which have established relationships in Poland.

Many have asked me about my transition from being Mayor of Knoxville for 16 years to Ambassador. My time as Mayor gave me a good foundation and framework to understand the politics, public diplomacy, personal relationships, public relations and the need to reach out to all segments of the Polish society I encountered while Ambassador. Joan and I hosted both traditional representational events for national leaders, Ministers and the Parliament, but we also hosted receptions at our Residence for groups that included also Polish scientists, artists, World War II Veterans, athletes, rectors of Polish Universities, Park Directors and Mayors. I also started this monthly newsletter, which informs over 7000 persons about our wide-ranging activities.

Getting adjusted to the State Department way of doing things means adapting. I was impressed by the caliber of persons I worked with at the Embassy. DCM Cameron Munter (later Ambassador to Serbia) and DCM Pamela Quanrud (current Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs) were exceptionally able and helpful. As Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Dan Fried knew Poland very well; his experience as a former Ambassador to Poland was invaluable. Phil Gordon is a talented and able successor to Dan Fried as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.

Several persons who served both here at Embassy Warsaw and Consulate General Krakow throughout my five years stand out, such as Jim Wolfe, Mike Katula, Col. Stan Prusinski, Lt. Col Ray Wojcik, Eric Wenberg, John McCaslin, Edgar Fulton, Andy Schilling, Michael Sessums, Tom Palaia, Mary Curtin, Richard Rorvig, Mike Tulley, Col. Tim Burke, Lisa Piascik, Jeanne Briganti, Craig Conway, Michelle Riebeling, John Bienkowski, Charlie Tomaszewski, Anne Hall and Ken Fairfax to name several.

I appreciated the excellent staff assistants assigned to me, including Jess Sanders, Andrew McDonald and Barbara Szczpaniak. They had a tough job planning my travel and daily calendar. They met the challenge gracefully and effectively.

Lenese Walls was my Office Management Specialist (OMS) here in Warsaw. After being spoiled at City Hall in Knoxville with Jeri Parker, Carolyn Worley and Diana Hall, I did not believe anyone would match them, but Lenese did it gracefully and in a determined manner. She has become a good friend to both Joan and me in addition to an indispensable support. Whomever she works for in the future will be a lucky individual.

We are extremely active with several U.S. – sponsored programs which help promote mutual understanding and reinforce the close ties between the United States and Poland. The International Visitors Leadership Program offers promising Polish leaders in government, politics, media, education, the arts, national parks management, business, and other fields an opportunity to talk with U.S. counterparts all over the United States, and gives visitors the chance to see America up close. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is one among many prominent alumni of the program.

The Fulbright Scholarship program, now in its 50th year in Poland, is especially valuable. Several thousand Poles and Americans have studied and done research in the United States and Poland since the program’s inception. Alumni of this program include former Polish Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers and Rectors of Universities.

At the initiative of Senator Richard Lugar, an advocate of youth exchange, the U.S.-Poland Parliamentary youth exchange program kicked off last year, and brings Polish and American High School students into each others homes, schools, and cities for 4 weeks of study, internship, civic education, and home stays. This initiative has reaped solid dividends for our relations.

The Senate has adopted a resolution by Senator Durbin of Illinois and others to grant honorary citizenship to Polish military commander and American Revolutionary War hero Kazimierz Pulaski. It is now pending in the House Judiciary Committee. If adopted, he would become only the 8th person in the history of the United States to receive such an honor. If the resolution passes, it will be a proud day in Poland and the United States.

I will now share some personal observations which reflect only my own views which were shaped by 16 years as a Mayor who took the City Design Institute course led by Charleston Mayor Joe Riley.

In the course of my five years as Ambassador, I have observed American embassies being built around the world at a rapid pace with new post – September 11, 2001 security requirements. While some locations certainly require substantially enhanced security provisions (such as a four-sided 100 foot setbacks), others do not have such needs.

The cost to the taxpayers if these standards are implemented worldwide will be huge. The design of many of these buildings quite often create a fortress-like atmosphere and the impression given to host nations can be less than friendly; not the warm, welcoming impression we should offer as Americans. Many of these new embassies and consulates are located far outside the hub of activity in the center of the city, making it difficult for employees and visitors to the Embassy to get there due to lack of public transportation.

In the early 1960s, the American government demolished a beautiful historic Residence here in Warsaw to build our current structure, which many regard as an eyesore. On either side of our current building stand the truly historic structures occupied by the Swiss Embassy to the south and the Bulgarian Embassy to the North. Our architecture has not set a good example in the historic neighborhood where we are.

Given different security situations in virtually every nation, wide flexibility in construction design and location is needed as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach. As such, different sites and designs can be adopted at less cost and with greater architectural warmth. Where possible and when consistent with the security environment, we should avoid locating American residences in gated communities, as it reduces interaction with citizens of the host nation.

We need to review our current building policy from the standpoint of cost, security, location and architectural design.

In Poland, I am frequently asked what might be different to help acquire additional American investment. The answer: better transportation infrastructure. Poland needs more four lane motorways to connect all its major cities. High speed trains are needed to connect Warsaw to Berlin, to Wroclaw, to Gdansk and to Rzeszow. Terminal Three at the Warsaw airport needs to be completed now that the new Terminal Two is operational. Commercial airports in Lublin and Bialystok would benefit Eastern Poland. Their absence impacts decisions on investment.

In conclusion, I want to express appreciation to President Bush for appointing me as Ambassador in 2004 and to President Obama for retaining me for the first eight months of his Administration. It has been an honor to serve both Presidents.

I also want to thank my predecessors who were uniformly helpful and kind to me when nominated and during my time as Ambassador. They include Tom Simons, Nick Rey (who died in January), Dan Fried and Chris Hill. They gave me good advice and support.

Finally, Joan and I extend our warmest best wishes to Ambassador-designate Lee Feinstein (who was confirmed by the Senate on September 22), his wife, Elaine and their two young children. We hope their mission and time in Poland is as positive as ours has been.

Joan and I are returning home to Knoxville, Tennessee. I plan to take a few months before determining what I do next. A few months without obligations will be a welcome break from the past forty years of non-stop endeavors.

Stay in touch. We hope our paths cross again, and do come see us in Knoxville should your travels bring you there. As always feel free to email me at my above personal email address.

Sincerely yours,

Victor Ashe