Passage to Pakistan: Marsahll Coyne's Journey to Pakistan, August 1987 ~ Diplomacy US Foreign Relations ~ Reagan Administration ~ Zia-ul-Haq

Title: Passage to Pakistan: Marsahll Coyne's Journey to Pakistan August 24 through 30, 1987

Author: Marshall B. Coyne

Description: Inscribed and singed by Coyne on his Madison Hotel letterhead stationery. Forest green wraps with the Urdu script 'Friendship' in gilt and the English title in black on front cover. Crease to upper corner of front cover, else fine. 9 x 6 inches. pp. vi. 37. Rare. No copies located on OCLC.

The travel diary of hotelier-to-the-presidents Marshall B. Coyne (1910-2000), documenting his weeklong trip to Pakistan in the summer of 1987 at the personal invitation of Pakistan's Foreign Minister, General Sahabzada Yaqub-Khan. Although Coyne and his guests did not officially represent the U.S. government on this trip, it was preceded by ''private, substantial conversations with top-level State Department officials'' and a number of senators on key committees.

Coyne meets with Foreign Minister Yaqub-Khan, President Zia-ul-Haq, and other high level government officials, including the Minister of Defense, the Director of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and the Commissioner for Refugees. He details the subjects of their conversations and briefings, which including the ongoing status of U.S. aid, the conflict in Afghanistan, relations with the Soviet Union, the work of Pakistan's Planning Ministry, the situation with refugees, support for Afghanistan's freedom fighters, and the need for AWACS.

The trip commenced in Islamabad, and continued to President Zia-ul-Haq's residence in Rawalpindi for a dinner in honor of U.S. Senator John Tower, to Peshawar and the Kachagari Refugee Camp, to the Khyber Pass and the arms bazaar town of Darra where they examined a variety of weapons, and Lahore before returning to Islamabad.

Coyne's guests on this trip were M. Jon Vondracek (1938-2005), Washington representative for the Foreign Policy Association, advisor to the president for the Georgetown Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and future managing director of the World Affairs Council of Washington, D.C., and John E. Sumter, Jr. (1917-2003), D.C. banker, former president of the District of Columbia Bankers Association and treasurer of the Defense Orientation Conference Association.

The diary provides an interesting snapshot of US-Pakistan relations during the latter years of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. In addition, the trip occurred almost exactly one year prior to President Zia-ul-Haq's death in an airplane crash, an event which would put strain on the two countries' relationship.


Binding: Softcover
Condition: VG+

Publisher: [privately printed]
Place: Washington, D.C.
Year: 1988

Keywords: Jon Vondracek, John E Sumter, diplomacy, foreign relations, United States, Reagan administration,