Historical figure, diplomat speaks on Bruin campus

By Dexter Gauntlett
Daily Bruin Staff

Patiently standing to take pictures with old friend Chancellor
Albert Carnesale and signing books for fans, one would never guess
that the 76-year-old former secretary of state was the stone-faced,
determined negotiator responsible for the release of 52 American
hostages in Iran 20 years ago.

Iran was just one stop along the way for Christopher, who
traveled more than 780,000 miles during his term ““
light-years more than any man in the history of his post ““
and had a local impact as well.

Not bad for a USC graduate.

“The only reason I went to USC was because the military
sent me there,” Christopher said.

Despite being a crosstown rival, few people have contributed as
much to the city of Los Angeles than the former Clinton aid.

“He symbolizes the cause of police reform in Los
Angeles,” said Fifth District Councilman Jack Weiss, who was
a Federal Prosecutor in Los Angeles.

Christopher served as vice chairman of the Governor’s
Commission on the Los Angeles riots in 1965-66. In 1991,
Christopher was again called, this time to chair the Independent
Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department. And due in most
part to the incidents of racism and police brutality reported in
the commission, several reforms were added to the LAPD.

The fact that the police chief does not have his job for life,
but instead must go through a reappointment process, was
Christopher’s doing, Weiss said.

After seeing action in the Pacific during World War II,
Christopher attended Stanford Law School and served as president of
the school’s Law Review until 1949.

Upon graduating, Christopher served as a law clerk to Justice
William O. Douglas of the Supreme Court, an instructor that heavily
influenced Christopher later in life.

The justice once instructed his pupil, “Get out in the
stream of history and swim as fast as you can!” ““
advice to which Christopher adhered.

When his various governmental positions, such as deputy attorney
general, would end, Christopher found it comforting that he had a
home in Los Angeles.

“I looked all over the country and I love it here in
Southern California,” he said.

From 1977-81, Christopher served as deputy secretary of state
under then-President Jimmy Carter. It was in this ““ the
second of his many governmental stints ““ that he freed
American hostages in Iran. In 1981, he was awarded the Medal of
Freedom, the nation’s most prestigious civilian award.

It was while serving as secretary of state that Christopher
encountered would-be Bruin Carnesale, who was a nuclear strategist
working with the government. The two worked together on stopping
weapons proliferation.

In 1992, Christopher headed the search for Clinton’s vice
presidential candidate and performed the same service for a less
successful Gore in his attempt at the presidency.

Though Christopher opted to not serve a second term when Clinton
was re-elected, he continued to serve as director of the Los
Angeles World Affairs Council ““ one of the nation’s
leading public forums for the discussion of global issues.

He is also a member of the Board of Directors for Burkle Center
for International Relations at UCLA and is currently working on a
project that explores the role of Russia in the War on
Terrorism.

“He is an amazing man with an amazing background,”
said political science professor Michael Intriligator, who also
directs the Burkle Center.

And though he made it clear he did not deserve complete credit
for the “best day” of his career when he and Clinton
established NAFTA and furthered the importance of international
economic diplomacy, he said: “Being secretary of state is to
take part in history’s relay race.”

Christopher could be considered the anchor in the world relay
that required his expertise from Bosnia to Somalia, Rwanda to China
and all over the Middle East.

And now without a president to tend to, Christopher has found
the time to publish his memoirs next month and to speak at
universities like UCLA ““ a place in the center of the city
this great relay runner calls home.