Jonathan Talbot / National Security Seminar

"Not to promote war, but to preserve peace."
- motto of the U.S. Army War College

Part I:
How it all Began

When the mail brought JT an invitation to participate in a National Security Seminar at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, he thought someone must have made a mistake. He imagined the Department of the Army had confused him with some other "Jonathan Talbot." He had no military experience, knew little about national security, could not imagine what he could contribute to the dialogue or why he had been invited. But the opportunity seemed too good to be missed. He knew that if he attended, he would learn a lot. But he didn't imagine how rich an experience it would be and how much he would learn.

JT's first task was to "let go" of not knowing how or why he had been selected. That sounds easy enough to do but in actuality it took some effort. He filled out the questionnaire which came with the invitation and returned it, along with his curriculum vitae, to the organizers. Then he waited for what he imagined would be a letter explaining that an error had been made.

No such letter arrived. Instead, there were travel and accomodations instructions along with a letter informing JT that he was welcome to bring his spouse. Marsha agreed to join him and they made plans to spend a week in Carlisle.

JT's second task was to get clear on my views of what the role of the military is. While his anti-war activism during the Viet Nam era had focused on the government rather than the military, he had lingering uncertainties regarding the role of the military and its relationship to himself and his family. He shared his doubts with a number of friends including his Mystery School colleague Michael Ladwig who reminded him that traditional societies have always had "warriors" whose task it is to guard the camp and protect the rest of the members of the tribe. This image allowed JT to accept the invitation more comfortably than he might have otherwise.

How had it happened that JT had been invited to this event? 'Though he did not know it, it had all started back in the 1978 when JT created an etching titled "Through the Pass" which pictured a biplane flying through some snow-covered mountains. Most of the signed and numbered impressions of this etching were sold to an art dealer in New York and JT promptly forgot about them.

It seems that the dealer in New York sold some of the impressions of his etching to a dealer in Germany who was running art auctions at U.S. Military installations in Europe. At one of those auctions a young American officer purchased an impression of "Through the Pass."

For years this officer enjoyed the artwork he had puchased. Sometime in 2000 he decided to check out the artist (JT) on the internet. If he was disappointed to find that JT was still alive and that "Through the Pass" had not increased astronomically in value he was far to polite to say, but he did send JT a complimentary e-mail and, since his name, Kevin Cunningham, and his phone number were on the e-mail, JT called him and told him how muchhis message was appreciated. A pleasant conversation ensued and JT added Kevin's and his wife Linda's name to his mailing list and then, as he had twenty-two years before, went on to other things. When the invitation from the Department of the Army arrived JT did not connect it and his conversation with Kevin. Unbeknowst to JT, Kevin was, at the time of the conversation, Assistant Dean of the War College. It was he who had placed JT's name on the list of "invitees."

That's the "how" of it... but what about the "why?" Why would the Department of the Army invite an artist to a National Security Seminar?

In order to answer this question it helps to understand what the War College is. Unlike West Point, where young civilian men and women are educated to become officers, The U.S. Army War College is where the Army educates seasoned U.S. military officers, Colonels and Lieutenant Colonels to become Generals. A number of officers from outside the U.S. also attend. This is a major step for these career soldiers. They have spent most of their lives in a close military environment following orders. When they graduate from the War college they have to be able to formulate policy, interact with civilians, and assume responsibilities unprecedented in their careers. For this reason, at the end of their year at the War College, the faculty of the College invites a group of civilians of diverse backgrounds to participate in a weeklong series of discussions with the soon-to-graduate officers. These civilians are invited to afford the officers an opportunity to gain insights into the attitudes, ideas, and feelings of the folks whom they have choosen to defend. In the process the civilians also gain new insights into the concerns of the brave men and women who have made it their life's work to defend the United States.

The Army puts it this way:

The objectives of the National Security Seminar are:

a. To provide a privileged forum in which distinguished speakers may discuss their views on issues of importance to the nation's security and welfare with students, faculty, and guest participants from across the country.

b. To provide an extended opportunity from free and candid dialogue on these issues and others indentified by the students and guest participants.

c. And finally, through all the activities of the seminar, to enable representative American citizens to get to know some of the prospective leaders of their armed forces and officials of other government agencies and, in turn, to permit the students to better understand the society they serve.

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