Synopsis
A Washington, D.C. insider traces the ascent of his career--from head of the U.S. delegation to the Geneva negotiations on nuclear and space arms to counsel to Hubert Humphrey
Reviews
Kampelman tells the story of his Bronx boyhood, his pacifism and his years on Hubert Humphrey's staff; but the main attraction here is his experience in the past decade in negotiating with the Soviets. His success as ambassador and head of the U.S. delegation to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) and as head of the delegation to the Geneva negotiations on nuclear and space arms paralleled his rise as a human-rights advocate, especially on behalf of Jews in the Soviet Union. The CSCE, a stage-setter for the detente that followed, gave the author, by his own reckoning, "special insight into the vulnerability of totalitarianism in the face of the modern communications revolution," a vulnerability he capitalized on at the Geneva talks. His account of how the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) and Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) reductions were obtained without having to give up the "Star Wars" program makes for particularly instructive reading. Ambassador Kampelman retired from government service in 1989.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Washington lawyer Kampelman, chief US negotiator during the Helsinki human-rights conferences and the more recent Geneva arms negotiations, offers an opinionated though informative autobiography. Kampelman writes of his struggling youth in the Depression-era Bronx, his noncombat duties as a conscientious objector during WW II, his early activism as a ``social democrat'' opposing the noisy and power-seeking US Communist Party, and his foray into liberal Democratic politics as counsel to and close friend of Hubert Humphrey. Particularly interesting is his account of his dealings with the Soviets regarding their violations of the Helsinki Accords. After confronting Soviet inflexibility during formal meetings, the author explains, he patiently invested over 400 hours at private dinner parties with Soviet officials. Regrettably, while Kampelman details his formal meetings, he reveals little about those private talks. He does, though, venture judgment on a number of issues--argues, for instance, not surprisingly, that the nuclear policies of the West have helped to keep the peace among the superpowers. On the domestic front, he criticizes the primary system of choosing presidential candidates, finding that it, unlike the old consensus method, allows fringe groups to win excessive power. He also knocks the press--which, he says, is irresponsible, a destroyer of good reputations, and arrogantly self-righteous about First Amendment rights. In fact, Kampelman holds that journalism is not a real profession at all and points out that, unlike law, medicine, accounting, etc., it is free of government restraints and is unbound by a strict code of ethics, peer reviews, or disciplinary boards. Of most interest for Kampelman's insider's take on US-Soviet maneuverings; of least interest for his excessive, sometimes ill- advised, counselings. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Starting from an immigrant neighborhood in Brooklyn, Kampelman capped his diplomatic career as head of the U.S. delegation for the Intermediate Nuclear Forces treaty in 1988. He was party to many of the significant events of American public life over the past four decades and shares his insights on them. Although he presents his role in these events with modesty and self-deprecating humor, readers will concur with his own assessment: "I look back knowing I did my best, having followed my heart and my conscience, in pursuit of worthy goals." Despite his accomplishments, he remains a thoroughly likable human being who lived his life with a consistency of moral principle and genuine compassion for his fellow humans. Thus he could move from the liberal wing of the Democratic party to serve as an arms control negotiator in the Reagan administration. Recommended for public and academic libraries.
- James Rhodes, Luther Coll., Decorah, Ia.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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