Page 261 - Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows

BECOMING A WHITE HOUSE FELLOW

furiously type up what I could remember from the meeting and then dis-
tribute the notes around to the entire delegation. In that way, the other
U.S. negotiators were informed immediately of progress and any signifi-
cant developments that had surfaced in Clayton’s meetings.” After the
Uruguay trip, Yu also went on trade missions and attended meetings in
Switzerland, France, and Canada during her Fellowship year.

PERSUASION IN PARIS
Another Fellow who kept his bags packed and his passport handy was
Dr. Gilbert S. Omenn (WHF 73–74), who, through his assignment to the
Atomic Energy Commission, played a major role in protecting the world
from nuclear catastrophe. Omenn, a physician who recently served as pres-
ident of the National Academy for the Advancement of Science (NAAS)
and currently serves as a professor of internal medicine, human genetics,
and public health at the University of Michigan, entered the AEC offices
during the 1973 Arab oil embargo, in which the members of OPEC, as well
as Egypt and Syria, suspended oil shipments to countries that were pro-
viding support to Israel during its conflict with Syria and Egypt. At the
Atomic Energy Commission, Omenn coauthored a report that served as a
foundation for U.S. energy policy and also participated in talks that pro-
moted nuclear nonproliferation. The French government had announced
that it would provide nuclear materials to Pakistan, and the AEC chair-
person, Dixy Lee Ray, arranged talks in Washington between herself and
the French energy minister. It was during those talks that the French offi-
cial marveled at Ray’s poodle, Jacques, and expressed his desire to get one
for his daughter. Ray sent one of Jacques’ puppies to the minister and then
sent Omenn on a diplomatic mission to Paris to follow up and persuade
France to withdraw its pledge of nuclear support to Pakistan. The minis-
ter was amenable, and the offer to Pakistan was rescinded.

FROM FELLOWSHIP TO SENATE CONFIRMATION
Because of his travel opportunities and access to high-ranking government
officials—including the president—Daniel Sullivan (WHF 02–03) classi-
fied his Fellowship year as being “off the charts.” Rather than serving as
an assistant to a cabinet official or a White House staff member, Sullivan,
who had graduated from Harvard and Georgetown universities and had
served in the Marine Corps, was given a senior post on the National

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