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Theodore C. Achilles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 12thCounselor of the United States Department of State | |
| In office March 24, 1960 – February 15, 1961 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy |
| Preceded by | G. Frederick Reinhardt |
| Succeeded by | George C. McGhee |
| United States Ambassador to Peru | |
| In office July 24, 1956 – January 27, 1960 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Ellis O. Briggs |
| Succeeded by | Selden Chapin |
| Director of theUnited States Department of State Operations Center | |
| In office 1961–1962 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Theodore Carter Achilles (1905-12-29)December 29, 1905 Rochester, New York |
| Died | April 8, 1986(1986-04-08) (aged 80) Washington, D.C. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
Theodore Carter Achilles (December 29, 1905 – April 8, 1986) was an Americandiplomat who served asAmbassador to Peru and the first director of theDepartment of State Operations Center.[1][2]
Achilles was born 29 December 1905 inRochester,New York, to Gertrude Strong, the daughter ofEastman Kodak presidentHenry A. Strong, and Henry L. Achilles. Achilles's uncle,George R. Carter, was the secondGovernor of Hawaii, married to Helen Strong, another daughter of Henry A. Strong. Theodore Achilles graduated fromStanford University in 1925 with an AB and endeavored in postgraduate studies atYale University until 1928. During his time at Yale, he was married inLos Angeles to Mrs. Louise Lord Coleman. In February 1933, Louise filed a divorce suit against her husband on grounds of cruelty. Achilles was married to Marian Field four months later, with whom he had four children.
After his studies at Yale, Achilles became involved in newspapers inCalifornia andJapan. In 1932, he began a career in government as the U.S. Vice Consul inHavana. The following year, he held the same position inRome and was assigned theDepartment of State in 1935 to work with the general disarmament conference inGeneva. In 1939, he was assigned as third secretary at the American embassy inLondon. The following year, he served as U.S. representative to the governments in exile ofPoland,Belgium, theNetherlands andNorway. In 1941, Achilles returned to the Department of State, and was appointed assistant chief at the division of British Commonwealth Affairs, before becoming chief. In 1945, he returned to London, where he was first secretary in the American embassy.[3] He held the same position the following year inBrussels.
Achilles returned toWashington, D.C., in 1947 to head the Office of Western European Affairs, at the Department of State. In, 1950, he became U.S. vice deputy of theNorth Atlantic Council in London. Achilles served as Minister toParis, from 1952 to 1960; and as Ambassador to Peru, from 1956 to 1960. He returned to Washington again in 1960, whenPresidentEisenhower made him counselor of the Department of State. In this capacity, he was in charge of a special task force preparing for theBay of Pigs Invasion. From 1961 to 1962, he was special assistant toSecretary of StateRusk. He retired from the State Department in 1962. Before his retirement, Achilles worked with the State Department towards the establishment of the Operations Center and served as its first director in 1961.[1] In the same year, PresidentKennedy appointed Achilles as his representative at a ceremony marking the independence ofAlgeria.
During his earlier days at the State Department, Achilles was a victim of Vincenzo Bafaro, who faked his signature on forged government documents. Achilles was an importantFBI informant, against members of the State Department, during theSecond Red Scare.
After his retirement from government, Achilles became a director and Vice Chairman of theAtlantic Council of the United States, a promoter of global governance. He also became a governor of theAtlantic Institute (1969–1973); a consultant forNASA (1963–1960); and Vice Chairman of the International Management and Development Institute. He was a major player in the drafting of theNorth Atlantic Treaty in 1949, and much of the later years of his life were spent pushing for further integration of NATO. Achilles also sought further integration of theInternational Monetary Fund.
He was a member of a number of conferences throughout his life, particularly those influential in reconstructing the world after World War II. He was a member of the U.S. delegation to the International Labor Organization Conference, 1941; the U.N. Conference on Food and Agriculture, 1943; the U.N. Conference on International Organization, 1945; the Council of Foreign Ministers, 1945; the first session of the U.N. Assembly, 1946, the second session of the U.N. Assembly, 1947; the Paris Conference, 1946; the North Atlantic Pact Negotiations, 1948–1949; NATO, 1950–1952, 1960; andCENTO,SEATO andColombo Plan Conferences, 1960.
Achilles was co-editor ofThe Atlantic Community Quarterly, from 1963 to 1975.
As with many of his close relatives, he served on the board of theEastman Kodak Co. from 1965.
Achilles was a member of the secretiveAlibi Club,Beta Theta Pi, Brook Club of New York,Chevy Chase Club,Council on Foreign Relations, theMetropolitan Club of Washington and had attended theBilderberg Group.
He died on 8 April 1986 of an embolism in Washington, D.C. He was laid to rest at the Saint John's Episcopal Church Cemetery.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
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| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Peru 24 July 1956–27 January 1960 | Succeeded by |
| Chargé d'Affaires | |
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| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | |
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
