USA Embassy launch John Adams Society

The John Adams society was formally launched by the US ambassador Louis B Susman at his prestigious residence in Regents Park last Thursday.

The Secretary of State Hilary Clinton sent her best wishes to the new group.

The society will be for those individuals who have participated in the USA’s International Visitor Programme (IVP) – Individuals are sent either on their own or in a group to travel the USA to meet politicians, activists, and the business community to learn more about the USA and to foster better relations between the two nations.

Former participants include Former Prime Ministers’ Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Margaret Thatcher.

The brain child of putting together an association for IVP alumni was Muddassar Ahmed. He and other founder board members decided to call the alumni group the John Adams Society because of the fact that the great man of democracy had lived both here in London as well as the USA.

Speaking at the launch Ahmed informed distinguished guests that there was too much talent to be wasted: Such a grouping could hold events important events that could benefit both the USA and the UK.

Over the years three members of OBV staff have been chosen to participate on this transatlantic programme. The first to go was myself in 2001. In fact I left four days after the Sept 11th attack on New Year and Washington DC.  I informed the pre-meeting before the society’s launch that my 2001 trip was very special. After such an attack the USA was incredibly raw, somewhat shaken, but humane in a way we hadn’t witnessed before and probably since.

I was welcomed with open arms, not least because my visit at that time represented ‘business as usual’.

Deputy Director Ashok Viswanathan and Faizal Hakim participated in subsequent years.

Simon Woolley