*EPF114 01/14/2002
Text: Death of Former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance
(Powell recalls contributions of secretary of state to President Carter) (370)

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell remembered one of his predecessors, former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, as "the pride of a generation of Americans who valued public service as the highest good."

Vance died on January 12 in New York City at age 84.

Vance served as Secretary of the Army and Deputy Defense Secretary under President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s, and as Secretary of State in the administration of President Jimmy Carter (1977-1980). As a private citizen, he undertook diplomatic and mediation efforts in Yugoslavia, the Caucasus, and South Africa.

In a statement issued January 13, Secretary Powell said, "He was a man of principle whose quiet contributions were often the difference between success and failure, as at the historic Camp David Conference of 1979."

Following is the text of Secretary Powell's statement:

(begin text)

U.S. Department of State
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell
Washington, D.C.

January 12, 2002

Death of Cyrus Vance

With the passing of Cyrus Vance, America has lost a true patriot. Cy Vance was the pride of a generation of Americans who valued public service as the highest good. Whenever his country called, Cy was there -- as a naval officer in World War II, as a Senate counsel at the start of the Space Race, as Secretary of the Army and Deputy Secretary of Defense, or as a civilian called upon to grapple with the nation's toughest foreign policy problems.

Cyrus Vance laid aside his private career to serve three Presidents. As Secretary of State to President Jimmy Carter, he was the first to take up post-Cold War issues even as he dealt with the Cold War world. He was a man of principle, whose quiet contributions were often the difference between success and failure, as at the historic Camp David Conference of 1979.

Even after leaving government for the last time in 1980, Cy Vance continued to serve the country he loved. In Yugoslavia, in the Caucasus, and in South Africa, he wielded his wisdom and principled humanity for the greater good.

America depended on Cy Vance. He will be missed.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

Return to Public File Main Page

Return to Public Table of Contents