Deane R. Hinton

Deane Roesch Hinton (March 12, 1923 – March 28, 2017) was an American diplomat and ambassador.

Deane R. Hinton
U.S. Ambassador to Panama
In office 9 January 1990 – 12 February 1994
President	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Arthur H. Davis, Jr.
Succeeded by	Oliver P. Garza
U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica
In office 17 November 1987 – 4 January 1990
President	Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Lewis Arthur Tambs
Succeeded by	Robert O. Homme
17th U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan
In office 21 November 1983 – 9 November 1986
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Ronald I. Spiers
Succeeded by	Arnold Lewis Raphel
U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador
In office 28 May 1981 – 15 July 1983
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Robert White
Succeeded by	Thomas R. Pickering
U.S. Ambassador to Zaire
In office June 20, 1974 – June 21, 1975
President	Richard Nixon Gerald Ford
Preceded by	Sheldon B. Vance
Succeeded by	Walter L. Cutler
Personal details
Born	Deane Roesch Hinton March 12, 1923 Fort Missoula, Montana
Died	March 28, 2017 (aged 94) San Jose, Costa Rica
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Chicago
Occupation	Diplomat

Biography

Hinton was born March 12, 1923 in Fort Missoula, Montana. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1943 and joined the U. S. Army, serving as a 2nd Lt. during World War II. After the war he attended Harvard University from 1951–52 and the National War College from 1961-62.

A career Foreign Service Officer, his postings included Syria 1946-1950,[1] Mombasa, Kenya 1950-1952, Guatemala 1954-1969, France 1954-1955, and Chile 1969-1973. Hinton was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Zaire in 1974. Poor relations with Mobutu Sese Seko led to him being declared persona non grata on June 18, 1975.[2] He later served as U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador in 1981-83, Pakistan in 1983-86, Costa Rica from 1987–90, and Panama from 1990-94. He was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and American Academy of Diplomacy. Hinton died on March 28, 2017.[3]

Hinton was no stranger to controversy. In 1949, while serving at the US embassy in Syria, he became aware of the US plan to support a coup overthrowing the democratically elected government. His prescient comment was, “I want to go on record as saying that this is the stupidest, most irresponsible action a diplomatic mission like ours could get itself involved in, and that we’ve started a series of these things that will never end.” However, the new government, led by Husni al-Za'im, did the US's bidding and allowed the trans-Syrian oil pipeline, instigated talks with Israel and imprisoned left-wingers and trade unionists. He was executed in his pyjamas within the year, much as predicted by Hinton.

References

1. Adam Curtis (16 June 2011). "The Baby and the Baath water". Adam Curtis Blog- The Medium and the Message. BBC. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
2. Young, Crawford; Thomas Turner (1985). The Rise and Decline of the Zairian State. Madison, Wisc.: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 373. ISBN 0-299-10110-X. OCLC 11548384.
3. Deane Hinton, Envoy Who Denounced Salvadoran ‘Death Squads,’ Dies at 94

• This article incorporates facts obtained from: Lawrence Kestenbaum, The Political Graveyard