Paul Roudakoff
Paul P. Roudakoff (17 December 1907 – 4 December 1993) was a Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Army, serving in 1945 through 1948 as Executive Officer and Deputy Chief, and later as Chief, of the Liaison and Protocol section at OMGUS (Office of the Military Governor, United States) in Berlin, Germany. Retaining his assignment, he moved to the United States Department of State, serving through 1953.
Paul P. Roudakoff | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 17, 1907 Elizabethgrad, Russian Empire |
| Died | December 4, 1993 (aged 85) San Francisco, U.S. |
| Allegiance | American |
| Service/ | Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1948 |
| Rank | Lt. Colonel |
| Commands held | Chief of the Liaison and Protocol Division at OMGUS in Berlin, Germany |
Early years
Paul P. Roudakoff, was born to the Russian noblesse ancienne as recorded in the imperial registers of Tver. A morganatic descendant of Catherine the Great, he was orphaned at the time of the Russian Civil War after his father, General, also named Paul Roudakoff, was wounded in battle, and his mother died of typhus five days later.
Paul Roudakoff was at school in the elite Corps des Pages, and was evacuated to the banks of the Nile in Egypt with the entire Corps by their patron, King George V of the United Kingdom, who was a first cousin to both Czar Nicholas II, and his Empress, Czarina Alexandra, and who took responsibility for the school after the assassination of his cousins. [1]
In 1923, Paul received a Military and Arts degree from the Russian Imperial Military Academy.
His surviving sister, Irina Roudakoff (Roublon) Belotelkin, made her way more than 1,000 kilometers, alone as a 9-year-old, to relatives in Moscow where she was eventually transferred to relatives in Estonia and eventually joined her brother when he settled in the United States.
Young adult
Paul became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1930. He attended and graduated from Hillyer Evening College (later part of chartering University of Hartford).
In the years 1924 through 1942, Paul worked as a purchasing agent, advertising manager, junior consultant, and account executive with the Life Insurance Sales Research Bureau.
Paul was a member of the Connecticut National Guard from 1928 through 1942.
He was a member of the Hartford Fencing Club, Hartford Connecticut, an enthusiasm he shared with his sister Irina; both were top performers. [2][3][4]
Paul's classmate from the Corps des Pages, and fellow member of the Russian ancien régime, Konstantine Belotelkin, married (17 September 1942) his sister, Irina.
Paul married Borgny Bistrop (17 November 1899—July 1985) in October 1943. They had one son, Victor (14 August 1944—31 July 1979).[5]
Service in the U.S. Army and State Department
Between 1942 and 1946 Paul joined the U.S. Army, where he rose from the rank of 1st Lieutenant to Lt. Colonel. He served with the Chicago Signal Depot from 1942 to 1945.
He ultimately took a commission in the army, retiring as a Lt. Colonel after serving as Chief of the Liaison and Protocol Division at OMGUS in the divided city of Berlin following the Second World War. Following the end of the war, Roudakoff maintained his position at OMGUS, but transferred to civilian service (Department of State) in 1948.[6] It was during the post-war period that Roudakoff served as the Russian interpreter for then-Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army and Military Governor Dwight D. Eisenhower’s to Marshal Georgi Zhukov, and various other military, civilian officials.
In Paul's memoir, appearing as part of Collier's Magazine edition on Eisenhower's meeting at the Potsdam Conference, 1945, with Marshal Zhukov (Paul is pictured with the two) he recounts [7] translating Eisenhower's words:[8]
The whole world, a hopeful world, is watching us for a genuine indication of our generosity, of our ability to compromise and settle issues. We must manage to agree here, for the sake of all nations involved.
— Eisenhower, Collier's Magazine, 22 July 1955, translated by Paul Roudakoff
He retired (FSS-2) from the Department of State in 1953.[9]
Later years
In later years, Roudakoff was a consultant for Pan American World Airways, RCA Corporation and Bechtel Corporation. He moved to San Francisco in 1991.[8]
References
- Journal of Kolia, Paul's fraternal cousin, who also was in the Corps. Michel ROUDAKOFF. "Le Journal de Kolia" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-02-02.
- The visitors best showing was in the saber division ... through victories by Paul Roudakoff, their star entry. "Yale Fencers Score, 12-5" (Fee required). New York Times. 1933-12-10. p. S3. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
- In their season opener against guest Hartford Fencing Club, N.Y.U.'s fencing Captain Alexander Mehlman defeated Hartford Fencing Club's Paul Roudakoff in saber in the deciding contest, 5 to 3. Roudakoff had earlier lost 5-2 to N.Y.U.'s David Hermon. The Hartford team had swept N.Y.U. in Epee; Paul defeated Henry Sprahl, 2-0 and Robert Frank, 2-1."N.Y.U. Fencers Win Opening Contest" (Fee required). New York Times. 1934-01-07. p. S4. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
- The Hartford line-up included former Captain Hal Holcomb and Paul Bremer of Yale and Paul Roudakoff. Bremer and Roudakoff, with three winning bouts, starred for Hartford."Yale is Defeated Twice -- Bows to Saltus Fencers, 15-23, and Hartford Club, 18-9" (Fee required). New York Times. 1939-02-05. p. S4. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
- "Motorist a Suicide After Police Chase" (Fee required). New York Times. United Press International. 1979-07-31. p. B2. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
- "ROUDAKOFF, PAUL P.: PAPERS, 1939–1994. Russian interpreter for Dwight D. Eisenhower and various other military and civilian officials" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-02-01.
- Paul P. Roudakoff (1955-07-22). "Ike and Zhukov". Collier's Magazine.
-
"Paul Roudakoff" (Login required). San Francisco Chronicle. 1993-12-11. p. A.24. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
Document ID: 67123551
- "Posts of Assignment". Retrieved 2009-02-01.
- Bartridge, A. and Pomar, N.: Irina Roudakoff (Roublon) Belotelkin obituary