September 02, 1999
"NATO: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow," a three-day public conference sponsored by the Robert J. Dole Institute for Public Service and Public Policy at the University of Kansas, opens Thursday, Sept. 9, with events at Fort Leavenworth and at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park. The program observes NATO's 50th anniversary.
A full day of discussions focused on "Ukraine, NATO and European Security" begins Thursday, Sept. 9, at 9 a.m. at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Bell Hall, Fort Leavenworth.
Retired Adm. William J. Crowe (rhymes with NOW), former U.S. ambassador and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will speak on "NATO and the New Millennium" at the Johnson County Community College convocation at 11 a.m. Sept. 9 in the Carlsen Center theatre in Overland Park.
Friday's speakers at KU's Kansas Union Woodruff Auditorium include Cold War analyst John Gaddis, who is Yale University's Robert A. Lovett professor of history, and Russia and arms control specialist retired Brig. Gen. John C. Reppert, with Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback will speak at a 6 p.m. dinner for invited guests at the Adams Alumni Center.
Saturday's program at Johnson County Community College's Cultural Education Center Theatre includes retired Brig. Gen. Carl Reddel (red-DEL), Eisenhower World Affairs Institute, Washington, D.C.; U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts; and John Lough (sounds like LUFF), NATO headquarters, Brussels.
All sessions are public. Saturday's events require registration.
Conference co-sponsors include KU's Center for Russian and East European Studies; KU's Chancellor's Office; Johnson County Community College; Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation in Topeka; Kansas Inc. in Topeka; Ft. Leavenworth Command and General Staff College; Harry S. Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Mo.; Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene; and the International Relations Council of Kansas City.
The conference marks the second time this year NATO officials have gathered in the Kansas City area. In March 1999, NATO officials and diplomatic representatives met in Kansas City as the first former Communist nations officially joined NATO. The foreign ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary met with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at the Truman Library in Independence, Mo., to sign the official documents to join the alliance.
A complete program of events is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.ku.edu/~dole98. For more information, call the Dole Institute (785) 864-9033.
Contact: Mary Jane Dunlap, (785) 864-8853 or mjdunlap@ukans.edu.