Adolph Dubs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Adolph Dubs
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| 10th United States Ambassador to Afghanistan | |
| In office July 12, 1978 – February 14, 1979 |
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| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Theodore L. Eliot Jr. |
| Succeeded by | J. Bruce Amstutz (as chargé d'affaires) Robert Finn (as Ambassador, 2002) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 4, 1920 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | February 14, 1979 (aged 58) Kabul, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Spouses |
Jane Wilson
(m. 1945; div. 1976)Mary Anne Parsons
(m. 1976) |
| Children | 1 (adopted) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Rank | Lieutenant commander |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Adolph Dubs (born August 4, 1920 – died February 14, 1979) was an American diplomat. He was also known as Spike Dubs. He served as the United States Ambassador to Afghanistan from 1978 until his death in 1979. He was sadly killed during a rescue attempt after being kidnapped.
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Adolph Dubs' Life and Career
Adolph Dubs was born in Chicago, Illinois. He finished Carl Schurz High School in 1938. In 1942, he earned a degree in political science from Beloit College. His college friends gave him the nickname "Spike." They did not want to call him by the same first name as a famous enemy leader.
Dubs served in the United States Navy during World War II. After the war, he continued his studies. He attended Georgetown University, Harvard University, and Washington University in St. Louis.
Becoming a Diplomat
Later, Dubs joined the United States Foreign Service. This meant he became a career diplomat. He worked in many countries around the world. These included Germany, Liberia, Canada, Yugoslavia, and the Soviet Union.
He became an expert on the Soviet Union. From 1973 to 1974, he was a top diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
Family Life
At the time of his death, Dubs was married to his second wife, Mary Anne Dubs. She was a journalist. Before that, he was married for over 30 years to Jane Wilson Dubs. They had one daughter named Lindsay Dubs McLaughlin.
Kidnapping and Death of Ambassador Dubs
In 1978, Adolph Dubs became the United States Ambassador to Afghanistan. This was after a big change in power there, called the Saur Revolution. A group friendly with the Soviet Union took control.
The Abduction
On February 14, 1979, Dubs was on his way to the U.S. embassy. Four men stopped his car. Some reports say they wore Afghan police uniforms. The men forced his driver to take Dubs to the Kabul Hotel. This happened in front of Afghan police.
Dubs was held in a hotel room. His driver was sent to tell the U.S. embassy about the kidnapping.
Demands and Rescue Attempt
The kidnappers reportedly asked the Afghan government to release some prisoners. They did not make any demands to the American government.
The U.S. asked for time to negotiate to keep Dubs safe. However, the Afghan police did not wait. They attacked the hotel. Soviet officers advised them to do this. The Afghan police used weapons and gear given by the Soviets. Many Soviet officials were also at the hotel.
A shot was heard. Then, Afghan police stormed the room with heavy gunfire. After a short fight, Dubs was found dead. He had been shot in the head. Two of the kidnappers also died. The other two were captured but were killed soon after.
Unanswered Questions
The real reasons for the kidnapping and who the attackers were are still unclear. The event "has never been fully explained." Many things made it hard to understand what happened. These included the captured kidnappers being killed and U.S. investigators not getting full access.
Some people blamed a group called Settam-e-Melli. Others thought it might have been a different political group. After the event, some news reports blamed the CIA or an Afghan leader named Hafizullah Amin.
Impact on U.S.-Afghan Relations
The U.S. government was very upset by the ambassador's murder. They were also angry about how the Afghan government handled it. This event quickly worsened the relationship between the U.S. and Afghanistan.
The U.S. immediately cut aid to Afghanistan. By December 1979, all economic support ended. This was when the Soviet Union fully occupied Afghanistan. The Afghan government also tried to reduce the U.S. presence in the country.
Dubs was not replaced by a new ambassador. A lower-ranking diplomat led the small staff at the embassy.
Later Information
Documents released later from Soviet archives gave more details. They showed that the Afghan government allowed the attack. This was despite U.S. requests for peaceful talks. A Soviet advisor might have even suggested the attack. He also might have advised killing a kidnapper before U.S. experts could question him.
The Soviets were worried about Dubs being ambassador. They thought he knew a lot about the region and might have ties to the CIA. They feared he would try to stop Afghanistan from becoming friends with the Soviet Union.
After the murder, Soviet officials tried to control the story. They planted evidence and prevented investigations. Later, after a change in Afghan leadership, the Soviets created a new story about Dubs' death. This new story blamed the previous Afghan leader, Amin, for the murder. It also tried to make the Soviets look like heroes.
Adolph Dubs is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
Memorials
Adolph Dubs is remembered in several ways.
- The American Foreign Service Association has a plaque for him. It is in the Truman Building in Washington, D.C..
- There is also a memorial for him in Kabul, Afghanistan.
- Camp Dubs, a U.S. military camp in Kabul, was named after him.
See also
- Ambassadors of the United States killed in office
- List of kidnappings
- List of solved missing persons cases
- List of unsolved murders
