GEORGE KILPATRICK TANHAM
MEMORIAL SERVICE
CHRIST CHURCH, GEORGETOWN
MAY 13, 2003
It is a great privilege to have been asked to say a few words about George Tanham. In reflecting on what to say, it seemed to me that George would not want me to talk about his accomplishments - the positions he held, the books he wrote, the government and academic honors he achieved, but about the person he was.
First, I think he would want to be remembered as a father. Whenever we were together, he never failed to talk about his children. He wrestled constantly with the dilemma all conscientious parents are familiar with of how to give them support and guidance while allowing them to spread their wings and discover who they are and what they could be, to make their own decisions, and, if necessary, their own mistakes, so they could learn and grow and become their own persons.
Second, George would want to be remembered as a thoughtful person. He would agree with Francis Bacon when he remarked: "if a man will begin with certainties he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties". George positively relished beginning with doubts. He was never happier than when embarking on an intellectual inquiry in a new subject area, be it nation building and security issues in emerging countries, strategic thinking in India, Pakistan, or the Southwest Pacific, or the role of Islam in today's world, long before 9/11 got us all thinking about it. He brought to bear an incisive, analytical mind to each new intellectual challenge. George conveyed his thoughts in a dear, concise, unpretentious manner. lie was so understated a listener might fail to appreciate the acuity and breadth of his insights until you took some time to reflect on what he had said.
Third, George would want to be remembered for the very high standard of personal integrity he set for himself. The standards be expected of himself were higher than any outside authority could impose. George often alluded to his conviction that honor was more important to him than his reputation because honor is what he thought about himself, while reputation was only what others thought about him
George had broad influence, which is the all the more extraordinary because he never held positions commensurate with the degree of influence he exercised. That was because his influence was based on his qualities as a person and not on the power or resources he could command as a consequence of high government or private sector position. Ibis influence was all the stronger because it was something he neither sought nor asserted.
George spent more than 40 years in Washington and during that time was a thoughtful observer and active participant in the affairs of the nation's capital. But in a town where people seek fame, wealth and power, George sought none of these.
George did hold responsible jobs for our government in Vietnam and Thailand and played a valuable role as head of the Rand Corporation's Washington office for many years. But it was not through the power or reach of those offices, or the institutions he represented, that gave George his extraordinary influence. His low-key blend of insight and wisdom and the common sense be brought to bear on the most challenging issues of the day, coupled with his personal integrity and his ability to relate to other cultures, was what commanded respect.
George had no foreign aid, major US. investment, trade or military benefits to offer, just himself. And here I will let George talk a bit about himself and his approach, in comments he made at an interview on his retirement from RAND. "I am very averse to going abroad and telling people what to do in their own countries.... I might discuss issues with them, and sometimes use the Socratic method to suggest a certain direction, but that is as far as I was going to go. Telling foreign peoples what to do is a losing proposition... the important thing is to understand and respect the priorities of the nations we axe dealing with, and these are often very different from ours.... The fundamental differences in thinking must be acknowledged and understood before a meaningful dialogue can be pursued between taro different peoples and cultures. Americans have newt been very good at this." For those of us who knew him, George was the exception to his own observation about Americans trying to deal with other cultures.
George was a modest person with a twinkle in those penetrating blue eyes that let you know he did not take himself too seriously even while be took the substantive issues he was discussing with you very seriously. His lifelong foes were pretense, hypocrisy, selfimportance, and sophistry. George would have agreed with what Aristotle said about the Sophist School of Greek teachers: they were clever rather than wise; they pursued success not excellence; and they valued intellect over character. I think George, with his wry sense of humor would be pleased to be remembered by turning Aristotle's elegant put-down of the sophists on its head. George Tanham A man who was wise rather than clever, who pursued excellence, not success; who valued character over intellect, and who sought honor, not reputation. God bless you, George, and may He keep you in his grace and comfort forever.
From the Eulogy Given by Middleton A. Martin
at the Memorial Service for George Kilpatrick Tanham
Christ Church, Georgetown May 13, 2003
GEORGE KILPATRICK TANHAM
1922-2003
George Tanham led a life of integrity and contribution. He held important U.S. government positions in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and was a senior executive of the RAND Corporation thereafter, but this scholar-diplomat's enduring contributions flowed from his acute insights into seminal strategic issues. His insights percolated through a large network of senior decision-makers worldwide who knew and admired George--as much. for his integrity, modesty and understated personal style as for his scholarship and his wisdom in applying it.
George Tanham was raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, and attended public schools and Princeton University. After graduating in 1943, he joined the U. S. Army and served in the 7th Armored Division under Patton as it raced eastward through Europe. He was decorated several times by the Army, and was also awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government. After the war, he attended Stanford University, where heearned a Ph.D. in history. He then taught military history at the California Institute of Technology,. becoming a tenured professor and Master of Student Houses.
George spent most of his career with the RAND Corporation, the prestigious California-based think tank, where he was corporate vice-president in charge of RAND's, Washington. office and trustee from 1971 to 1982. He also served as divisional vice-president in charge of Project Air Force and held other positions at RAND over more than four decades. He: continued to serve as a consultant and advisory trustee until his death.
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