Senator Advocates Public Service, Diplomacy

Promising he would not emulate the afternoon-long debate that dominated Harvard’s first Commencement in 1642, Senator George J. Mitchell was the epitome of brevity at yesterday’s Kennedy School of Government (KSG) graduation speech.

Mitchell spoke for less than 25 minutes to KSG graduating students about his career in politics and diplomacy and stressed the importance of public service.

“The more successful you are,” he said, “the more evident it will become to you that there is more to life than status and wealth.”

Mitchell, the former Senate majority leader, focused on his efforts in international conflict resolution after he decided in 1994 not to seek another term as Maine’s Democratic senator.

In addition to chairing the all-party peace negotiations in Northern Ireland in the mid-1990s, Mitchell was President Clinton’s envoy to lead a fact-finding committee on the faltering Middle East peace process.

Drawing on his diplomatic experience, Mitchell noted that significant parallels exist between the current situation in the Middle East and the tension that greeted him on his arrival in Northern Ireland.

Through his plan for the simultaneous return of home rule and paramilitary arms decommissioning, Mitchell brought peace and stability to the troubled British province with the support of local politicians.

“The leaders in Northern Ireland showed the world the meaning of political courage,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the current crisis in the Middle East could be similarly resolved if both sides were willing to “give up some illusions.”

“Two proud peoples share a land and a destiny,” he said.

Not all of Mitchell’s speech was upbeat, however, as he stressed that the recent increasing antagonism between Europe and the U.S. “could lead to a serious deterioration in relations over the next few years” and cautioned against the U.S. patronizing its allies.

Mitchell, a lifelong baseball fan, did introduce some levity, talking about his new part ownership of the Boston Red Sox and challenging KSG graduates to a multiple choice “quiz.”

“What is the smallest: an atom, a neutron, a particle or my ownership share of the Red Sox?” he quipped.

KSG Dean Joseph S. Nye also mentioned Mitchell’s challenge as a Major League Baseball owner, saying the real question for the former senator was whether this would at last be the year for the Sox.

In his introductory remarks, Nye made light of the recent financial troubles at KSG, claiming they had caused him to miss Tuesday’s Class Day events.

“Those of you who watch the news will know that I was actually across the river scrounging contributions at the Business School,” he joked.

—Staff writer Anthony S.A. Freinberg can be reached at freinber@fas.harvard.edu.