William H. Luers, Diplomat Who Backed Czech Dissident Leader, Dies at 95

At 95, William Luers never stopped believing in a US-Iran détente

Ambassador William H. Luers, whose active promotion of American diplomacy as a primary component of U.S. foreign policy continued well into his 90s, died Saturday at his home in Connecticut at the age of 95.After a 31-year career in the foreign service, the Quincy Institute was proud to count him as a distinguished non-resident fellow. His post-retirement career was certainly active: Luers served as president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art an…

Former US ambassador to Czechoslovakia William Luers has died at the age of 95, The New York Times (NYT) reports, citing the diplomat's wife Wendy Luers. Luers spent 29 years in the US diplomatic service, including serving as ambassador to Prague from 1983 to 1986. He was a strong supporter of dissident, playwright and the first post-revolutionary president Václav Havel, whom he tried to protect from the communist government by inviting prominen…

William H. Luers, Diplomat Who Backed Czech Dissident Leader, Dies at 95

In 1983, William H. Luers, a new American ambassador to Czechoslovakia, bet on a long shot for its future: Vaclav Havel, the often-imprisoned poet-playwright and enemy of the Communist state. But after leading a peaceful revolution to oust the regime, the long shot cultural leader became the democratically-elected last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of its successor, the Czech Republic. The ambassador’s contribution to Mr. H…

William H. Luers, Diplomat Who Backed Czech Dissident Leader, Dies at 95 - Overpasses For America

In 1983, William H. Luers, a new American ambassador to Czechoslovakia, bet on a long shot for its future: Vaclav Havel, the often-imprisoned poet-playwright and enemy of the Communist state. But after leading a peaceful revolution to oust the regime, the long shot cultural leader became the democratically-elected last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of its successor, the Czech Republic. The ambassador’s contribution to Mr. H…