Background
Blair, Leon Borden was born on October 26, 1917 in Dexter, Texas, United States. Son of George Washington and Mattie Belle (Wheeler) Blair.
( Since November 8, 1942, when American troops in Operati...)
Since November 8, 1942, when American troops in Operation Torch first landed on the beaches of North Africa, almost a million Americans—military personnel and their dependents—have lived in Morocco. Their impact on the political and social evolution of Morocco has been significant, but historians and political scientists before this book had made little effort to chart its course or to assess its outcome. The naval base at Port Lyautey in Morocco was the first foreign base captured by American troops in World War II, and United States objectives in Morocco continued to be primarily military. In 1942, as the price for French support against the Axis, the United States pledged its support for the restoration of the prewar French colonial empire. In 1950, faced with the threat of Soviet aggression, the United States negotiated an agreement with France and built four United States Air Force bases in Morocco without consultation with or notification of the Moroccan government. In spite of its sterile diplomatic policy and both Communist and Moroccan nationalist demands for evacuation of United States military bases, the United States retained essential military facilities in Morocco for many years. Leon Blair concludes that American military personnel and their dependents favorably conditioned Moroccan public opinion. By their egalitarianism, humanitarianism, and evident interest, they reinforced the idealistic image of the United States that was held by the majority of Moroccans. These Americans were neither individually nor collectively conscious agents in a campaign to modify Moroccan public opinion; they were simply a Western window in the Arab world, through which two civilizations might view one another. In the long run, they made a greater contribution in peace than in war.
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Blair, Leon Borden was born on October 26, 1917 in Dexter, Texas, United States. Son of George Washington and Mattie Belle (Wheeler) Blair.
Bachelor, Texas Tech University, 1940. Master of Arts, Rice University, 1949. Diploma, United States Navy Postgraduate School, 1953.
Doctor of Philosophy, Texas Christian University, 1968. Postgraduate, University Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco, 1971.
Commissioned ensign United States Navy, 1941, advanced through grades to lieutenant Commander, 1952. Military assistant advisory group France, 1953-1957. Politico-military liaison officer N. Africa, 1957-1959.
Technical adviser Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, 1960. Retired, 1962; instructor Temple (Texas) Junior College, 1966. Member faculty University Texas at Arlington, 1967-1973, associate professor history, 1972-1973.
Professor, chairman department, history and political science University Plano, Texas, 1972-1973, dean graduate studies, 1973-1974. Executive director Gifted Students Institute, 1974-1980. Adjunct professor history University Texas at Arlington, 1974-1988, Texas Christian University, 1974-1988.
Senior research fellow University Dallas Graduate School Management, 1979-1988. Vice president, executive director American Enterprise Forum, Inc. (formerly Texas Bureau for Economic Understanding), Arlington, 1970-1988.
Consultant Peace Corps, 1964, Texas Educational Association, 1974-1980.
( Since November 8, 1942, when American troops in Operati...)
Member Texas History Association, Tangiers American Legation Museum Society (board directors since 1977), American Miniature Horse Association (president 1978, executive vice president and treasurer 1979-1983, board directors 1986-1988).
Married Edith Witek; children: Christopher David, Peter Leon, David Irvin, Barbara (Mistress Raymond Henry Stoudt), Michelle Edith (Mistress David E. Jones), Matthew Curtis.