William J. vanden Heuvel is the son of post WWII Belgian immigrants. He had a Zelig-like career you might have expected from an old New York Dutch family.
Thank you Charlie (my older son) for the gift of the WJvH memoir: Hope and History. It is fascinating even though (maybe because) it relies for much of its narrative on his contemporary reports.
One report included in the book was for the Donovan Commission of the International Refugee Commission (IRC) after the 1956 Hungarian uprising against the Soviet Union. Reflecting on that report, he wrote: “America’s embrace of refugees has been an inspiring part of our country’s history. …. America has been and must be the leader of the international community in seeking solutions…. We must make special allowances for children …. “ Heartrending comments for our times.
Less visible, but heartbreaking in its own right, vanden Heuvel comments on the good qualities of the current leader of the IRC – David Milliband, former foreign minister of England. David Milliband was the more moderate candidate for Labour Party Leader running against his younger brother, Ed in 2010. David lost the party vote to Ed by a fraction of a vote. Labour lost the election in 2015. Ed resigned to be replaced by Jeremy Corbyn. Had David won that vote in 2010, Labour might be in power and Brexit might not be a problem.