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Secretary of State Colin Powell to Speak at the Kennan Institute Benefit Dinner

Secretary of State Colin Powell will speak at the Kennan Institute's 2004 Annual Benefit Dinner on March 25th. The event will commemorate Ambassador George F. Kennan's 100th birthday, the 70th anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic relations with Moscow, and the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Kennan Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The evening will feature a display of Russian antiques and jewelry created by famed Russian court jeweler Fabergé, provided by A La Vieille Russie in New York City, described by Malcolm Forbes as "the prime house of Fabergé in this country." Items will be available for sale, with a portion of the proceeds from the evening benefiting the Kennan Institute.

Secretary of State Colin Powell will speak at the Kennan Institute's 2004 Annual Benefit Dinner on March 25th. The event will commemorate Ambassador George F. Kennan's 100th birthday, the 70th anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic relations with Moscow, and the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Kennan Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

George F. Kennan, the Institute's founding chairman, personifies the Wilson Center's mission of bringing together the worlds of ideas and public affairs. He is an historian who has made history. He is a diplomat who, as Henry Kissinger wrote, has authored much of the diplomatic doctrine of our era. Moreover, he has established one of our country's leading institutions for research on Russia. Some years ago, when evaluating his long public service and academic life, he said that he "wrote a few things and established the Kennan Institute."

Dinner chair and Kennan Council member Thomas Pickering, Senior Vice President of the Boeing Company and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia has observed, "We in the United States need to pay great attention to the events unfolding in Russia and work hard to understand how they will impact the U.S.-Russian relationship. The March 25th dinner will provide an important opportunity to bring together academics, policymakers, business leaders, and other close observers of the commercial and political events that continue to transform Russia in the new century, and at the same time honor the man who did so much to shape our policy towards Russia for much of the past century."

In addition to the remarks by Secretary Powell, the evening will feature a display of Russian antiques and jewelry created by famed Russian court jeweler Fabergé, provided by A La Vieille Russie in New York City, described by Malcolm Forbes as "the prime house of Fabergé in this country." Items will be available for sale, with a portion of the proceeds from the evening benefiting the Kennan Institute.

The dinner will be held at the National Press Club; 529 14th Street, NW, Washington, D.C.

Tickets for the dinner are $500 per person ($250 per person for representatives of non-profit organizations), and tables for ten people start at $5,000.

If interested in attending, please download and complete a response form and send it by fax to (202) 691-4247 or by mail to:

Outreach
Kennan Institute
Woodrow Wilson Center
1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20004-3027

For additional information about the dinner, please contact Joseph Dresen at dresenjo@wwic.si.edu or (202) 691-4245.

Media planning to cover the event should contact Sharon McCarter at mccarters@wwic.si.edu or (202) 691-4016. All media must preregister for the event, and will be given a time-line closer to the event date.

Related Program

Kennan Institute

The Kennan Institute is the premier US center for advanced research on Russia and Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the surrounding region though research and exchange.  Read more