Harold Henry Saunders served as the United States assistant secretary of state for Intelligence and Research between 1975 and 1978 and the United States assistant secretary of state for Near East Affairs between 1978 and 1981.
Saunders took part in numerous U.S. peace negotiations. He was involved in the Camp David Accords and was one of the negotiators during the Iranian hostage crisis when U.S. Embassy employees in Tehran were being held hostage. He participated in the Kissinger Shuttles under former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Saunders worked under every presidential administration from John F. Kennedy through Ronald Reagan. He served under Democrats, and he also worked with Republicans. Saunders shared some hard-earned wisdom in this book. At the time of this interview, he was still involved in negotiating peaceful solutions to conflicts all over the world while he worked with Dayton's Kettering Foundation.
As I am writing this, President Donald Trump is preparing to meet with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Alaska to try to negotiate a cease-fire in the Ukrainian conflict. I wish Trump and his negotiating team would read this book. Sustained dialogue is key. Peaceful solutions don't happen overnight.
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