"Small Enough, Your Excellency?"

It appears that US Ambassador Robert O Blake, Jr is trying to play down his high-profile, accessible image. At a lecture recently, he prefaced the Question-and-Answer session with the uncharacteristic request that his comments be kept off the record.

“If any of the members of the press would like to write something,” Blake said, “you’re free to send me an e-mail saying that you’d like to use a quote. But I’d rather not have large, flashy headlines.”

This came close on the heels of a public difference of opinion between Blake and the government. The previous day, The Sunday Times had quoted Blake as asserting, “I do not believe the LTTE intended to target diplomats and UN officials” when it shelled Weber ground. The government responded, saying that it had enough evidence to prove that the Tigers had deliberately targeted the diplomats.

Earlier, Prakash R Mirchandani, President – Sri Lanka America Society (SLAS), was ostensibly unaware that the press would be present. He appeared inclined to evict the presspersons present from Blake’s talk, but wiser counsel prevailed. It was a classic example of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. Tita Nathanielsz, Co-Chairperson of SLAS, had specifically invited – nay, requested – that a journalist and cameraman be assigned for the talk to be addressed by Blake.

The final denouement was that Mirchandani, in a gesture that reeked of condescension, permitted the press invitees to remain after obtaining Blake’s conditional consent. Whether the initial volte-face was at the behest of the US Ambassador remains a matter of conjecture.