The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 232

1 1 Thayer's Diplomat Harold Nicolson wrote that the foreign service has been considered a "kind of bird sanctuary for elegant young men arrayed in striped pants and spending most of their time handing sugar cookies to ladies of high All that has changed, says Fernando Perpina-Robert, consul general of Spain, a cheerful young man with graceful manners and a handsome house on Brattle street in Cambridge. Diplomats come from a wide variety of backgrounds now, and for the most part have specialist training in law, business, politics or journalism. In the Spanish foreign service a council made up of representatives democratically elected has made all appointments to consular and diplomatic posts since 1977. Expectations have changed in other respects as well. Beautiful manners and a clever way of turning aside hard questions are no longer thought to be all that is needed in order to represent one's country.

An old joke distinguishes between a diplomat and a woman: "When a diplomat says 'yes' it means 'perhaps; when a diplomat says 'perhaps' it means 'no'; when a diplomat says 'no' he's not a diplomat. When a lady says 'no' it means 'perhaps'; when a lady says 'perhaps' it means 'yes'; when a lady says 'yes' she's not a lady." Perpina-Robert says this is no longer applicable. "A diplomat should say no, should have per At a gathering of consuls in Boston: Panama's Cesar Aleman; Chile's Paul William Garber; Sweden's Wendell N. Gustafson; Patricia Dumas, representing Denmark's consulate; Germany's von Rnckenstein. twists his wrist when he sees that I am scientist get roped in to do the odds and ends of promotion, document pro senting his native country.

In Boston, 31 countries are served by honorary consuls, most of whom are not as closely connected to the old country ready for shaking, not kissing, and we both laugh. Orhan Gunduz. honorary consul cessing and VIP coddling? He was per suaded with difficulty after initially refusing, he says, because he felt nor as cozy as Orhan Gunduz. Many general for Turkey, is the sort of man obliged to the Swiss government for of them do their part-time consular duties out of law offices. in downtown who, metaphorically speaking, holds hands.

Mr. Gunduz is a Turkish citi zen. He savs he is an Hon because if he Boston, some with the help of full- time secretaries who deal with the routine work, the issuing of visas and per were paid by the Turkish government he'd be subject to re-location every three vears. Gunduz chooses to work mits, certification of pensioners, an gratis because of business and family swering letters of inquiry from tourists or Americans who are searching for sonal and active views, should not be ambiguous." The joke, he says, is out ties in Boston. Me sees himseit as an "honorary uncle" to the Turkish com moded.

what was once the ancestral stamping ground. munity, an arranger of cultural Senor Perpina-Robert, like Pablo Casals, is a Catalan and proud or it He is interested in music, literature, exchanges, a good and sympathetic listener, the sort of family man who sees to things in a crisis. His office is behind a screen in the back of his shop theater and ballet and as his job is pri marily one of promoting the cultural attractions of Spain, he feels he is well placed, feels that he has pulled a par ticularly delectable plum out or the democratically assembled diplomatic pie. Culturally, socially and intellectu ally, Boston is a rich mixture and he is very glad to be here on behalf 01 a constitutionally revitalized post-Iran his tree university and medical education. And now, having done it for so long, he enjoys it.

"It keeps me young. I become acquainted with religious philosophers, historians, writers, people whom I would not meet in my own work." A big man with a fine black beard, interested in music and literature and psychology, efficient in the way Swiss are said to be efficient, he has a voracious appetite for volunteer work. "The Swiss never volunteer," says Dr. Homburger, who seems able to pick and choose among his many intellectual and social hobbies. Obviously, being an honorary consul is the sort of fun that certain people like, a combination of service and style, ritual and recognition, an opportunity to play uncle to an adopted family, to don a variety of hats.

While it is true that this particular branch of volunteer work carries a certain cachet, it is not true that honorary consuls are in it for the consular plates that give them legal immunity from parking tickets, much less the chance for personal profit as in Graham Greene's The Honorary Consul. In any case, there can be very little harm in a bit of surrogate flag waving. One man I know lobbied unsuccessfully to become the honorary consul for the royal Laotian government in exile for the sake, he said, of its spectacular flag, a three-headed white elephant under a parasol on a red background. He keeps the flag in an attache case in his bedroom and is ready at a moment's notice to fly it on the front fender of his car as he drives turn to page 21 co Spain. But as I leave he is momen tarily in doubt as- to whether to kiss my hand.

Adjusting gracefully, he Honorary consuls have to be accredited by the State Department in Washington, just like their professional counterparts. Some of them take their responsibilities more seriously than others. Edward Masterman, president of the Boston Bar Association, learned German when he became honorary consul for Austria and began taking his family to Austria for holidays. He has served under three Austrian ambassadors in Washington and considers his own office a "mini-embassy." His is a suave, ambassadorial bearing. Dr.

Freddy Homburger, honorary consul for Switzerland, believes the Swiss government is getting a bargain. "It costs them nothing for my services, for two or three hundred hours a year." Dr. Homburger used to devote twice that time to the interests of Switzerland in Boston, most of it in the evening attending the sorts of social functions he can no longer fit into his busy schedule. Helped by a secretary, he does Swiss business in a small office on Boylston street during his lunch hour. There are 1 7 honorary consuls for Switzerland in the United States; many of them, like Dr.

Homburger, are dual citizens. But how did a busy research (gifts and imports; in Central square, Cambridge. Both he and his part-time volunteer secretaries, also Turkish, are available to Turkish nationals who may need help. They provide many legal services, visit hospitals, calm excited Turks in trouble, keep in touch with the community of Turkish students in Boston 40 at Boston University, 20 at Northeastern and so on. They organize conferences, lectures, concerts, receptions and a big celebration on April 23 for the national day of Turkey.

He offers me Turkish coffee (accepted), Turkish cigarettes and Turkish Delight (declined with thanks), a variety of brochures on tourist attractions and archeological digs, pamphlets explaining the Turkish position on the Cyprus question. As uncles go, Gunduz is one of the better sort, reassuring, cozy, around when needed. Orhan Gunduz does his duty on behalf of his adopted family in the country he adopted 15 years ago. As an honorary consul he does "many hours of work with no other recompense than the satisfaction of repre Germany's Finclc von Rnckenstein Globe photographs by Jawph Oamwhy.