George Ball (diplomat)
| George Ball | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| United States Ambassador to the United Nations | |
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In office June 26, 1968 – September 25, 1968 |
|
| President | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Arthur Goldberg |
| Succeeded by | James R. Wiggins |
| United States Under Secretary of State | |
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In office December 4, 1961 – September 30, 1966 |
|
| President |
John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Chester Bowles |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas Katzenbach |
| Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment | |
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In office February 1, 1961 – December 3, 1961 |
|
| President | John F. Kennedy |
| Preceded by | C. Douglas Dillon |
| Succeeded by | Thomas C. Mann |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
George Wildman Ball December 21, 1909 Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | May 26, 1994 (aged 84) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Northwestern University (BS, JD) |
George Wildman Ball (December 21, 1909 – May 26, 1994) was an American diplomat and banker. He served in the management of the State Department from 1961 to 1966 and is remembered most as the only major dissenter against the escalation of the Vietnam War. He refused to publicize his doubts, which were based on calculations that South Vietnam was doomed. He also helped determine American policy regarding trade expansion, Congo, the Multilateral Force, de Gaulle's France, Israel and the Middle East, and the Iranian revolution.
Ball was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He lived in Evanston, Illinois and graduated from Evanston Township High School and Northwestern University with a B.S. and a Juris Doctor (JD). Ball joined a Chicago law company in which Adlai Stevenson II was one of the partners, and became a protégé of Stevenson.
During 1942, he became an official of the Lend Lease program. During 1944 and 1945, he was director of the Strategic Bombing Survey in London.
During 1945, Ball began collaboration with Jean Monnet and the French government in its economic recovery in its negotiations regarding the Marshall Plan. During 1950 he helped draft the Schuman Plan and the European Coal and Steel Community Treaty.
Ball had a major role in Stevenson's presidential campaign during 1952. He was the liaison between Stevenson and President Truman and helped publicize Stevenson's opinions in major magazine articles. He was also the executive director of the Volunteers For Stevenson, concerned mainly with enlisting independent and Republican voters. He was also a speechwriter in the Stevenson campaign. Ball likewise had a major role in Stevenson's 1956 presidential campaign and unsuccessful 1960 bid to gain the Democratic nomination.
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