[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 177 (Thursday, October 7, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S6996]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               REMEMBERING AMBASSADOR GEORGE S. VEST, III

  Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I would like to bring to the attention 
of colleagues the recent passing of long-time U.S. diplomat George 
Southall Vest, III, a long-time resident of Bethesda, MD. He was 102 
years old. His career with the State Department spanned the Cold War 
era, from 1947 to 1989. As chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, I 
want to draw particular attention to Ambassador Vest's representation 
of the United States at the initial multilateral discussions of 35 
countries that led to an historic summit in Helsinki, Finland, from 
July 30 to August 1, 1975, where the Helsinki Final Act was signed.
  An all-European summit was not a priority for the United States in 
the early 1970s. Indeed, it was a long-standing Soviet proposal, and 
Washington was wary of its use to confirm the division of Europe, give 
added legitimacy to communist regimes in Eastern Europe, and provide an 
opportunity for Moscow to divide the United States from its European 
allies. Washington agreed to engage but saw little value in the effort. 
As Ambassador Vest himself was quoted as saying, ``This was the first 
time after World War II where all the Eastern European countries, all 
the Western European countries, together with Canada and the United 
States, sat down to talk about security and cooperation . . . I had 
very, very few instructions. I was left pretty much to feel my own 
way.''
  The early work of Ambassador Vest and his team and that of his 
immediate successors led to the Helsinki Final Act, which included 10 
principles guiding relations between states that serve as a basis, to 
this day, of our response to events in Europe, including Russia's 
aggression against Ukraine and other neighbors. The Final Act provided 
a comprehensive definition of security that includes respect for human 
rights and fundamental freedoms, the basis for us to address today's 
brutal crackdown on dissent in Belarus and authoritarianism elsewhere. 
It also provided for a follow-up to the Final Act with regular reviews 
of implementation and development of new norms, a multilateral effort 
now represented by today's 57-country Organization for Security and 
Cooperation in Europe, with its important institutions and field 
missions.
  Ambassador Vest, left pretty much to feel his own way, may not have 
intended to make such an impact on European security. Keep in mind that 
he represented the United States in these negotiations during the 
tumultuous time of U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam, an oil crisis on the 
horizon, the growing Watergate scandal at home, and a rising Soviet 
threat across the globe. Nevertheless, his initial efforts contributed 
to an end of the Cold War division of Europe rather than a confirmation 
of it. That is quite a turnaround. I should add that the Congress later 
played a major role in shaping the U.S. contribution to this result 
when it created the Helsinki Commission in 1976. While things have 
changed since then, the Commission does now what it did in the late 
1970s: ensure that human rights considerations are central to U.S. 
foreign policy and U.S. relations with other countries.
  Given the challenges we face today, I hope it is useful to remind my 
colleagues of Ambassador Vest's legacy as a diplomat. Both before and 
after the negotiations, he served in positions in which he worked to 
strengthen ties with Europe, including through the NATO alliance and 
dialogue with a growing European Union. He was also a mentor to new 
generations of American diplomats. All of this followed his combat 
service as a forward artillery observer in Europe during World War II.
  George Vest joined the Foreign Service in 1947, after using the G.I. 
Bill to earn his master's degree in history from the University of 
Virginia, where he had received his B.A. in 1941. He served as 
Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs under President 
Carter and as U.S. Ambassador to the European Union from 1981 to 1985. 
His last assignment at the State Department was as Director General of 
the Foreign Service. He retired in 1989 as a ``career ambassador,'' a 
rank requiring a Presidential nomination and Senate confirmation.
  George Vest's father was an Episcopal priest and Vest graduated from 
the Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA, before attending U-Va. He 
was as dedicated to his church as he was to our Nation. He served on 
the vestry at St. Albans Episcopal Church and volunteered in its 
Opportunity (thrift) Shop, both located on the Close of Washington 
National Cathedral. He also tutored students in DC public schools. Two 
sons, George S. Vest, IV of Fairfax, VA, and Henry Vest of Broomfield, 
CO, and two granddaughters survive him. I send my condolences to his 
family and thank them for his life of service. Let us be inspired by 
Ambassador George Vest and plant our own seeds for a better world 
tomorrow.

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