Viron P. Vaky
Viron Peter Vaky (September 13, 1925 – November 22, 2012[1]) was an American diplomat who was United States Ambassador to Costa Rica (1972–74), Colombia (1974–76), and Venezuela (1976).[2] He was a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy and Council on Foreign Relations.[3]
Military service: US Army (1944–46)
University: BS, Georgetown University (1947) University: MA, University of Chicago (1948) Professor: Georgetown University
US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs (1978–79) US Ambassador to Venezuela (1976) US Ambassador to Colombia (1974–76) US Ambassador to Costa Rica (1972–74) US National Security Council (1969–70) American Academy of Diplomacy Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Council on Foreign Relations Inter-American Dialogue
Documents declassified and made available in 2013 show that in September 1970, when Vaky was the top deputy to Henry Kissinger, Vaky took a stand against Kissenger's plan to overthrow Salvador Allende who was the democratically elected president of Chile. According to the account published on the National Security Archive, Vaky wrote a memo to Kissinger arguing that coup plotting would lead to "widespread violence and even insurrection." He also argued that such a policy was immoral: "What we propose is patently a violation of our own principles and policy tenets .… If these principles have any meaning, we normally depart from them only to meet the gravest threat to us, e.g. to our survival. Is Allende a mortal threat to the U.S.? It is hard to argue this." [4][5]
Vaky was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. He had three sons Peter, Paul, and Matthew.
Peter Vaky was a Managing partner in a Private Equity firm in Atlanta, Georgia, VVS Capital. Peter had three children with Debra Thompson. Benjamin Vaky is a Business Development Manager at AIG in Chicago, IL. He married Stephanie Solley in Chicago in the Summer of 2011. Christopher Vaky is a Private Banking Trader with Morgan Stanley in Atlanta. Katie Vaky is a college student in Indiana.
Paul Vaky is a Spokesperson for the US Department of Justice in Bogata, Colombia.
Matthew Vaky is an accomplished actor/teacher. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh with both a BFA and an MFA in Theatre. Currently is a Spanish and Theatre Teacher in Washington D.C.
References
- ↑ Schudel, Matt (8 December 2012). "Viron P. Vaky, ambassador who helped shape Latin American policy, dies at 87". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- ↑ Pear, Robert (5 December 1989). "AFTER THE SUMMIT; Soviet Sway in Cuba and Nicaragua Called Slight". New York Times. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
- ↑ http://www.cfr.org/about/membership/roster.html?letter=V
- ↑ http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB437/
- ↑ http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB437/docs/Doc%202%20-%20Vaky%20to%20Kissinger%20Sep%2014%201970%20-%20Chile--40%20Committee%20Meeting%20Monday%20-%20Sep%2014.pdf
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Terence Todman |
Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs July 21, 1978 – November 30, 1979 |
Succeeded by William G. Bowdler |