Nation: Return to Duty

In 1911 a 22-year-old graduate of Annapolis began a tour of duty as a gunboat ensign in China during the Sun Yat-sen Revolution. Last week, 73, and seamed and toughened by the years, Retired Admiral Alan G. Kirk returned to duty in Asia as U.S. Ambassador to Nationalist China. A World War II hero who led invasion fleets against Sicily and Normandy, Kirk also proved himself an able diplomat as Ambassador to Moscow from 1949 to 1952. His selection for the post in Taipei ended a long search for a man who was respected by Administration officials, by outspoken supporters of Chiang Kaishek, and by Chiang himself.

Said Kirk as he presented his credentials to Chiang: "My purpose and actions will mirror the will of the American people, of Congress and of my President . . . that neither friends nor enemy shall have any doubt of my Government's determination to honor its treaty commitment to the Republic of China."