Lionel Alexander Rosenblatt (born December 10, 1943) is a former American diplomat, Refugee Coordinator at the United States
Embassy
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...
in
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, and President of
Refugees International
Refugees International (RI) is an independent humanitarian organization that advocates for better support for displaced people (including refugees and internally displaced people) and stateless people. It does not accept any United Nations or gove ...
, an advocacy organization for refugees. Rosenblatt was one of the foremost advocates for resettling
Indochinese refugees in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s.
Early life
Rosenblatt was the son of David B. and Carol Blumenthal Rosenblatt. His father was a nuclear scientist who worked at
Brookhaven National Laboratory. Rosenblatt graduated from
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
and attended
Stanford Law School for a year before joining the
Foreign Service of the
Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
. In the 1960s and early 1970s he was stationed in
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, and
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
. He married Ann Grosvenor in April 1971.
Fall of Saigon
In early 1975, Rosenblatt was one of a small group of officers at the State Department who pushed for the evacuation of significant numbers of Vietnamese associated with the U.S. war effort in South Vietnam. With the
North Vietnamese army advancing to capture
Saigon
, population_density_km2 = 4,292
, population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2
, population_demonym = Saigonese
, blank_name = GRP (Nominal)
, blank_info = 2019
, blank1_name = – Total
, blank1_ ...
, Rosenblatt and fellow diplomat
L. Craig Johnstone
L. Craig Johnstone (born September 1, 1942) is an American former diplomat who served as the U.N. Deputy United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, High Commissioner for Refugees.
Education
Johnstone earned his bachelor's degree in 1964 fro ...
were concerned about the slow place of evacuating Vietnamese who had worked for or with the United States in
South Vietnam
South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
. In April, defying State Department orders, they flew to Saigon and arranged for the evacuation of 200 Vietnamese friends and colleagues.
Returning to Washington, Rosenblatt and Johnstone were called to the office of
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...
who sternly rebuked them for their unauthorized visit to Saigon, then smiled, shook their hands, and offered them their choice of jobs in the Department of State. Rosenblatt chose to continue working with refugees.
Refugee Coordinator
From 1976 to 1981, Rosenblatt spent most of his time in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
as the Refugee Coordinator of the U.S. Embassy. Working under the leadership of Shepard C. Lowman at the State Department, Rosenblatt presided over a large organization that processed hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian refugees for entry into the United States and protected and provided aid to hundreds of thousands more who resided in refugee camps scattered all over Southeast Asia. He retired early from the Foreign Service in 1988.
Refugees International
In 1990, Rosenblatt became President of Refugees International, a Washington-based advocacy organization, and served in that position until 2001. With colleagues such as
Yvette Pierpaoli
Yvette Pierpaoli (18 March 1938 – 18 April 1999) was a French humanitarian who lived in Cambodia and worked in many countries around the world. John le Carré dedicated his novel ''The Constant Gardener'' to her.
Early life
Pierpaoli was bo ...
, he traveled to humanitarian crisis areas worldwide, advocating assistance to refugees and durable solutions to humanitarian problems. Pierpaoli was killed on a Refugees International mission in
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
in 1999.
In 1995, Rosenblatt traveled to
Chechnya
Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...
in a fruitless search for the missing humanitarian
Fred Cuny
Frederick C. Cuny (November 14, 1944 – April 15, 1995) was an American humanitarian whose work spanned disaster relief, refugee emergency management, recovery from war and civil conflict as well as disaster and emergency preparedness, mitigation ...
. Cuny's body was never found.
Awards and honors
In 1975, Rosenblatt received the William R. Rivkin award from the
American Foreign Service Association
American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), established in 1924, is the professional association of the United States Foreign Service. With over 15,000 dues-paying members, American Foreign Service Association represents 28,000 active and retir ...
for his work rescuing Vietnamese refugees.
In 1981, Rosenblatt received the Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant from the Royal Government of Thailand for his refugee work.
In 1982-1983, Rosenblatt was selected for a sabbatical leave by the
Una Chapman Cox Foundation
The Una Chapman Cox Foundation is a non-profit organization that works to support the effectiveness and professionalism of the United States Foreign Service through various projects and initiatives.
Amb. (ret.) Lino Gutierrez serves as the current ...
. He devoted his sabbatical to assisting Indochinese refugees.
The 1990 made-for-television movie, "Last Flight Out" had a character named "Larry Rose" based on Rosenblatt. The movie dramatized Rosenblatt's visit to Saigon in April 1975.
In 2009, Rosenblatt received the
Julia Taft
Julia Ann Vadala Taft (July 27, 1942 – March 15, 2008) was a United States official who was involved in international humanitarian assistance, and who served as Director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance from 1986 to 1989, and a ...
award for "outstanding contributions to the humanitarian and development community."
In 2010, Rosenblatt was declared an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by
Concordia University
Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...
. The award recognized his work with the indigenous people of Southeastern Asia, especially
Hmong refugees in Thailand.
Publications
*Rosenblatt, Lionel A. and Thompson, Larry (1995), "Humanitarian Emergencies: Ten Steps to Save Lives and Resources," ''SAIS Review'', Vol. 15, No. 2, p. 91-109.
*Rosenblatt, Lionel and Thompson, Larry (1998), "The Door of Opportunity: Creating a Permanent Peacekeeping Force," ''World Policy Journal'', Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 36–42.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenblatt, Lionel
1943 births
Living people
Harvard University alumni
20th-century American diplomats
Experts on refugees
American humanitarians
United States Foreign Service personnel
American human rights activists
American people of the Vietnam War
Stanford Law School alumni