Leaders change the world through action
When the Soviet Union overran and annexed Latvia back in 1940, the American Charge d’Affaires ad interim, John Wiley, worried that Red Cross supplies shipped to Latvia for humanitarian reasons would be seized by the Soviets. Wiley asked permission from the State Department to fly the United States flag above the Red Cross warehouse to deter Soviet interference. The State Department responded, “No precedent exists for such action.” Wiley promptly raised the American flag over the warehouse and cabled back, “As of this date, I have established precedent.” Good for Wiley. He saw ...