In the 1970s, a U.S. Foreign Service Officer William A. Brown came in contact with a diplomat from the People’s Republic of Mongolia. After the State Department decided to move ahead with opening a U.S. Embassy in Mongolia, Mr. Brown was sent to the University of Leeds in the UK to learn the Mongolian language and prepare to be the ambassador. But when the U.S. expressed interest in opening an embassy, Mongolian diplomats went silent. What happened? The answer to this question lies in the memoir, “Unen Uchryg Oguulbees” (NEPKO Publishing, 2016), of a famous Mongolian diplomat, Yondon D. This lecture is based on the aforementioned book and in-person interviews with Mr. William A. Brown, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Thailand from 1985 to 1988 and U.S. Ambassador to Israel from 1988 to 1992. Additionally, the presenter will share some documents of Dilowa Khutugtu’s attempt to establish relations between the US and Mongolia, in the 1930s.
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