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It led to further contacts with the most important educators
in Japanese universities. Perhaps the highest ranking educator in
Japan is Dr. Nobumoto Ohama, former president of Waseda University.
His reputation is worldwide in educational circles. He is to speak
at Ambassador College in Pasadena this coming September.
Incidentally, these meetings are beginning to result in
bringing many world leaders to Ambassador College to speak before
our students.
Also my acquaintance with Prince Mikasa led to my 45-minute
private conference with Prime Minister Sato in December. Privately
and confidentially, Mr. Sato requested me to go to Okinawa in
February (the tension was too hot to go on the December trip). And
I did go. This has already been reported in The PLAIN TRUTH.
I think it pertinent to say to you, here, that private
meetings with heads of state on this high level are something
vastly different than a handshake with a crowd of tourists -- or,
for that matter, even magazine or newspaper correspondents. A
magazine correspondent or editor may, on occasion, have a private
conference with a head of state. But he does not meet the ruling
official on an equal level.
An interesting example of this, was an incident that occurred
during a reception at the residence of the United States Ambassador
to Nepal this past February. With Mr. Rader and Mr. Gotoh
accompanying me, I had just returned from a visit with King
Mahendra at the palace. We were hosting a dinner for important
local men and their wives at the hotel that evening, but stopped
off at the reception to which we had been invited.
The Ambassador in Katmandu happens to be a lady, and her
husband is Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker at Saigon -- U.S. Ambassador
to South Vietnam. He and his four or five chief assistants were in
Katmandu for the weekend.
On learning that we had just come from meetings with the King,
and with the Crown Prince the evening before -- following meetings
with President Giri of India, and Prime Minister Golda Meir of
Israel -- and on the previous trip with Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi of India -- at which time King Leopold was traveling with us
-- and that two days later we were to have a private meeting with
the King of Thailand (Siam) -- this government official looked
puzzled, and asked, "Well how in the world do you do it? We've
been trying for six months to arrange meetings with some of these
people, and yet we haven't been able." And they had the power and
prestige of the U.S. government!
I couldn't tell him how I arranged these meetings -- because
I DIDN'T! Could you believe a Higher Power than the United States
Government opened these doors?
I had been invited to visit Katmandu, the capital of Nepal,
and visit King Mahendra, because my good friend Dr. Singh, official
Secretary to President Giri of India, had wanted me to do so, and
UNREQUESTED BY ME, had arranged it.