Ural Alexis Johnson (October 17, 1908 – March 24, 1997) was a United States

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

Background

Ural Alexis Johnson was born in

Falun, Kansas Falun is an unincorporated community in southwestern Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the community and nearby areas was 83. It lies southwest of Salina and northwest of Lindsborg at the interse ...

, into a family of Swedish descent. His mother named him for the mountain range, of which she learned from a geography book. He had a rural upbringing and schooling until 1923, when the family moved to

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

. He graduated from

Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldes ...

in Los Angeles in 1931, majoring in economics.

Career

Johnson entered the United States Foreign Service in 1935. After serving in Tokyo, Seoul, South Korea, Mukden (now

Shenyang Shenyang (, ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly known as Fengtian () or by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a major China, Chinese sub-provincial city and the List of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Lia ...

, where he was interned at the start of World War II), and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he was assigned as Consul and later Consul General at Yokohama,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

from 1945 to 1949. From 1949 to 1953, he served in various positions in the Department of State's Far East Bureau, mainly concerned with Japan and Korea, rising to be Deputy Assistant Secretary of State with responsibilities for the entire bureau." He played a role in the armistice in the Korean War. He was ambassador to Czechoslovakia from 1953 to 1958, Thailand from 1958 to 1961, and to

from 1966 to 1969. While Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, he represented the United States in a long series of meetings in Geneva with the Chinese Communists. In the absence of diplomatic relations these were the principal point of contact between the two governments. He was Deputy Under Secretary for Political Affairs and in the Excomm from 1961 to 1964. From 1964 to 1965, he was Deputy Ambassador to the Republic of Vietnam. In 1965, he returned to the position of Deputy Under Secretary for Political Affairs from 1965 to 1966. He also served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 1969 to 1973. After the

Independence of Bangladesh Independence of Bangladesh was declared on 26 March 1971, celebrated as Independence Day, from Pakistan. The Independence Day of Bangladesh is celebrated on 26 March when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the Independence of Bangladesh. The Bangladesh ...

, he said Bangladesh would be always an ''international basket case''. He was chief United States delegate to the

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) were two rounds of bilateral conferences and corresponding international treaties involving the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War superpowers dealt with arms control in two rounds of ta ...

from 1973 until retirement in 1977. His memoir ''

The Right Hand of Power ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' was published in 1984. As Under Secretary for Political Affairs at the

U.S. State Department 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 ...

, Johnson was involved in the Apollo 11 lunar landing ceremonial activities. He suggested that a plaque be placed on the surface of the Moon. After several changes in a high level committee, it stated, "we came in peace for all mankind." Johnson was also sensitive to the idea of raising a

U.S. flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...

on the surface of the Moon, as it might symbolize territorial acquisition. Later, the Congress decided that a U.S. flag would be placed on the Moon by

Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. ...

and Buzz Aldrin. Ural Alexis Johnson died on March 24, 1997, from pneumonia. His last residence was at Cary, North Carolina. However, he was buried at the Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, District of Columbia. In 1995 Johnson was presented the Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award by 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 ...

Selected works

*''Economic assistance and progress in Thailand'' (1960) *''The emerging nations of Asia'' (1962) *''The meaning of Vietnam'' (1965) *''Prospects for a more rational world: Reflections on international relations'' (1972) *''Arms Control and the Gray Area Weapons System'' (1978) *''The present and future role of the United States in Asia'' (1978) *''The Right Hand of Power, The Memoirs of an American Diplomat'' (1984) (with Jef McAllister)

Media

Appearances * ''Cuban Missile Crisis Revisited''. Produced for The Idea Channel by the

Free to Choose Network Free To Choose Network, sometimes referred to as Free to Choose Media, is a Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania. Free To Choose Network has three main initiatives: * Free To Choose Media, which produces televis ...

, 1983. *
Phase I (U1015)
(January 22, 1983) *** Featuring McGeorge Bundy, Richard Neustadt, Edwin Martin, Dean Rusk & Donald Wilson in Atlanta, Georgia. *
Phase II, Part I (U1016)
(June 27, 1983) *** Featuring

McGeorge Bundy McGeorge "Mac" Bundy (March 30, 1919 – September 16, 1996) was an American academic who served as the U.S. National Security Advisor to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 through 1966. He was president of the Ford Founda ...

, Richard Neustadt, Robert S. McNamara &

George W. Ball George Wildman Ball (December 21, 1909 – May 26, 1994) was an American diplomat and banker. He served in the management of the US State Department from 1961 to 1966 and is remembered most as the only major dissenter against the escalation of ...

in Washington D.C. *
Phase II, Part II (U1017)
(June 27, 1983) *** Featuring

, Richard Neustadt, Robert S. McNamara &

in Washington D.C.

References

Other sources

* *

External links

Foreign Service Journal article on his Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award.

(Johnson, U(ral) Alexis - Hutchinson encyclopedia article about Johnson, U(ral) Alexis)Cooperative Research
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, U. Alexis 1908 births 1997 deaths People from Saline County, Kansas Occidental College alumni Under Secretaries of State for Political Affairs United States Career Ambassadors Deaths from pneumonia in North Carolina Lyndon B. Johnson administration personnel Nixon administration personnel Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni American people of Swedish descent Writers from Kansas Recipients of the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service 20th-century American diplomats