Bashir Ahmad (camel driver)
Encyclopedia
Bashir Ahmad Urdu
: بشیر احمد was an impoverished Pakistan
i camel driver, who in 1961 met with the then US vice-president Lyndon B Johnson and accepted an invitation to come to America. The vice president soon turned the event into a public relations coup.
, Pakistan on behalf of President Kennedy as part of a goodwill mission, it was here that he met Bashir Ahmad in a group of camel drivers on a roadside. He pressed the flesh even patting the camels. He used a phrase he had regularly said in his travels, "You all come to Washington and see us sometime" but was completely surprised when the illiterate camel driver accepted his offer. With the press hot on his heels after the acceptance, the vice-president took advantage of the People-to-People program to fund the Pakistani's travel expenses.
Another account indicates that Bashir was invited to the Vice President's ranch and that the surprise came not at the time (at least from her point of view), but the next day in the press. Ibrahim Jalis, a popular columnist in Pakistan, reported that everyone was excited by the fact that the vice president had invited Bashir to come to America. Perhaps, he had made the above reported statement while shaking Bashir's hand, leading to the misunderstanding that he had been invited. His column was favorable to Johnson, and contained the quote, "Don't conquer a country, don't conquer a government. If you wish to conquer, conquer the hearts of the people."
, Bashir was then invited to Johnson's private ranch in Texas
. During his week stay, the Pakistani was also taken to Kansas City
, where he met ex-president Harry S Truman, who referred to him as 'your excellency', as well as to Washington D.C., where he was taken to the Lincoln Memorial
, Senate Floor and President Kennedy's office.
Finally, at the end of his stay, as a gesture of further goodwill, vice-president Johnson made arrangements for Bashir to visit the Islamic holy city of Mecca
on his return to Pakistan, this act of friendship bought tears to the eyes of the destitute camel driver.
Liz Carpenter was Johnson's press secretary. According to Liz Carpenter's account, the press coverage of Bashir's visit was beginning to turn ugly. The vice president visited with several press representatives and convinced them in his trademark fashion to shape the nature of the coverage to avoid an embarrassing incident. One of the things that had been reported was that Bashir might not know about silverware. She reported that the problem was addressed in an interesting fashion. She says, "When we dined together, we had a menu that made it possible for all of us to eat with our fingers, such as fried chicken, stuffed celery, deviled eggs, potato chips. On one such occasion during a visit to Dallas, I looked around the table and saw the presidents of four banks and Neiman-Marcus all eating with their fingers to make the camel driver feel at home."
President John F. Kennedy
noted about the visit, "I don't know how Lyndon does it. If I had done that, there would have been camel dung all over the white house lawn." Johnson had taken a risk following through with the invitation, rather than trying to explain his way out of it, had managed the press coverage in an expert and somewhat lucky fashion, and had come out of the whole episode with added credit to his overall reputation.
Escorted by Lady Bird Johnson and Luci Baines Johnson, Bashir Ahmed visited James Madison High School in the Washington suburb of Vienna, Virginia and was cheered by hundreds of students as he addressed them through an interpreter. James Madison was selected because one of its student was Joy Youngblood, the daughter of Rufus Youngblood; Lyndon Johnson's head of security (and the man credited with possibly saving Lyndon's life some months later in the Dallas shootings).
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: بشیر احمد was an impoverished Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i camel driver, who in 1961 met with the then US vice-president Lyndon B Johnson and accepted an invitation to come to America. The vice president soon turned the event into a public relations coup.
The Invitation
Lyndon Johnson was in KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Pakistan on behalf of President Kennedy as part of a goodwill mission, it was here that he met Bashir Ahmad in a group of camel drivers on a roadside. He pressed the flesh even patting the camels. He used a phrase he had regularly said in his travels, "You all come to Washington and see us sometime" but was completely surprised when the illiterate camel driver accepted his offer. With the press hot on his heels after the acceptance, the vice-president took advantage of the People-to-People program to fund the Pakistani's travel expenses.
Another account indicates that Bashir was invited to the Vice President's ranch and that the surprise came not at the time (at least from her point of view), but the next day in the press. Ibrahim Jalis, a popular columnist in Pakistan, reported that everyone was excited by the fact that the vice president had invited Bashir to come to America. Perhaps, he had made the above reported statement while shaking Bashir's hand, leading to the misunderstanding that he had been invited. His column was favorable to Johnson, and contained the quote, "Don't conquer a country, don't conquer a government. If you wish to conquer, conquer the hearts of the people."
The State Visit
Bashir Ahmad was personally greeted by vice-president Johnson on his arrival in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Bashir was then invited to Johnson's private ranch in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. During his week stay, the Pakistani was also taken to Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, where he met ex-president Harry S Truman, who referred to him as 'your excellency', as well as to Washington D.C., where he was taken to the Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is an American memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior...
, Senate Floor and President Kennedy's office.
Finally, at the end of his stay, as a gesture of further goodwill, vice-president Johnson made arrangements for Bashir to visit the Islamic holy city of Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
on his return to Pakistan, this act of friendship bought tears to the eyes of the destitute camel driver.
Liz Carpenter was Johnson's press secretary. According to Liz Carpenter's account, the press coverage of Bashir's visit was beginning to turn ugly. The vice president visited with several press representatives and convinced them in his trademark fashion to shape the nature of the coverage to avoid an embarrassing incident. One of the things that had been reported was that Bashir might not know about silverware. She reported that the problem was addressed in an interesting fashion. She says, "When we dined together, we had a menu that made it possible for all of us to eat with our fingers, such as fried chicken, stuffed celery, deviled eggs, potato chips. On one such occasion during a visit to Dallas, I looked around the table and saw the presidents of four banks and Neiman-Marcus all eating with their fingers to make the camel driver feel at home."
President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
noted about the visit, "I don't know how Lyndon does it. If I had done that, there would have been camel dung all over the white house lawn." Johnson had taken a risk following through with the invitation, rather than trying to explain his way out of it, had managed the press coverage in an expert and somewhat lucky fashion, and had come out of the whole episode with added credit to his overall reputation.
Escorted by Lady Bird Johnson and Luci Baines Johnson, Bashir Ahmed visited James Madison High School in the Washington suburb of Vienna, Virginia and was cheered by hundreds of students as he addressed them through an interpreter. James Madison was selected because one of its student was Joy Youngblood, the daughter of Rufus Youngblood; Lyndon Johnson's head of security (and the man credited with possibly saving Lyndon's life some months later in the Dallas shootings).