THE PEACE CORPS WANTS YOU

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000400220016-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 19, 2004
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: October 11, 1970
• Content Type: NSPR

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Xes, it was one of those Epic with a mild smile, quick-frozen on mark. (During another talk at his
moments-of-a-fine-lifetime for his ruddy. profile. A grand clay in Georgetown home, his large ges-
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Joe Blatchford: the President the Rose Garden then, but (rand turing hands rt)oment4rily still,
arose and smiled at him across days in political. Washington have 1 he turned to his wife , and said "I
the magnificent, blue and gold a way of being followed by mon- may be talking myself out of a
carpeted _ office. The President soons, and quickly. 'job.")
was in a congratulatory mood. Joe Joe Blatchford still has that Still, a near-feverish optimism
Blatchford had trudged past the smile, but it comes a little less generally. continues to course
inquisition of Henry Kissinger, often now, according to friends. through Joe Blatchford's talk.
past the patient questioning of The near year and a half that he And well it might: his whole life,
Secretary of State William Rog- has spent administrating down at his whole philosophy has been
ers, past tho quiet checks of J. Connecticut Avenue has roller- built on hopes for the future, for
Edgar Hoover's agents. He had coastered into a confusing, de- achievement; and those hopes
trudged up.from the false glare- inanding period, have brottglit him along way
our of life as a tennis burn, up Some of the resident Washing- from the boring life of. a disgrun-
from the shoe-string economies of ton staff, heavily Democratic, tied Berkeley law student. Not for
running a private miniature have bellowed quite publicly nothing was Joe Blatchford
Peace Corps (named ACCION) in about the agency's. "New Direc- raised as. a Christian Scientist.
Latin America, up from defeat as tions." Congress barely refrained Not for nothing does he still be-
a 1968 congressional candidate in from gutting the $98 million ap- lieve in the perfectability of'
Los Angeles. He had for years' propriation. Volunteers have man." That may sound suspi-
impressed the President's good embarrassed the administration ciously like the "raised on Whea-
friend, Don Kendall, head ' of with . anti-war protests. The un- . ties" shallowness some liberal
Pepsi Cola. And now the Presi- fortunate Famous Memo, promis columnists have been trying to
dent was telling Joe Blatchford ing Congress less politicized Vol- pin on square-jawed, inch-under,
that the mantle of leadership of unteers in the future, hit the .6-foot, blue-eyed Joe Blatch-
the real Peace Corps was to be press. Lots of people have started ford. But Joe Blatchford is, if
conferred on him. talking of Peace Corps as hope- anything, a mixed man. Even
Joe Blatchford stood agog in lessly outdated. And even the long-time friends still seem a lit-
the Executive office: "It's really Director's office has been occu- tie mystified by the various facets
awesome,"he says ... "when you pied by ,returned Volunteers who of his character. He is endowed
'walk into the room you expect or- flew the Viet Cong flag out the with all the attributes that a cer-
gans; you can't think." Later, he window. taro type of Republican legislator
was more at ease when the Presi- These and other tribulations brings to Washington: the whiff
dent announced his appointment have left Joe Blatchford with a of the jock (schoolboy tennis
in an outdoor ceremony. A pho- heightened-sense of transcience. champ) and of Big Business
tographer caught the scene: a Recently he told a Peace Corps (backed by mogul Kendall); the
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bright May day in 1989, the Presi- magazine interviewer: "I serve at trace of the idealist (big on Wil-
dent, looking exceptionally fit, is the pleasure of the President . liam James) and of the frat man
grinning paternalP AYJiieRe eatieli~9?btft/42 thfa~Aa BB; t3$ii15 OOobh O' tb even a bit of the
Joe's gorgeous wife, is smooching never know how long you're going Quiet American thrown in. (Right
Joe and Joe is accepting the kiss to be here." Little chips of sadness _..~-~;.~ ~?,.
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