Iowans "Bookended” America’s 20TH Century Epic Involvement In Vietnam

Ambassador Quinn sheds light on a lesser-known Iowa connection to America's 20th-century involvement in Vietnam. Notably, Iowans played pivotal roles at the beginning and end of the century in Indochina. Jacob Elon Conner, a native of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, served as the first American diplomat in Vietnam in 1907, while in the late 1990s, Ambassador Quinn, who had connections to Iowa, served as the American ambassador in Cambodia. Both episodes mark significant chapters in the relationship between Iowa and Indochina, spanning a century of diplomatic history.

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