[FedCom] Mikhail Gorbachev

[Ed]

note that Gorbachev is the only protectee on this list who's not the head 
of anything.  it's probable his US Diplomatic Security protection is out of 
professional courtesy, rather than the entitlement he had while he was the 
soviet president.

does anyone on the list know what criteria determines protectee 
eligibility?  perhaps these are simply political decisions decided in an 
arbitrary, case-by-case basis by someone high up in the administration.

-ed



At 03:37 AM 4/6/06 -0700, you wrote:
>>Gorbachev is a private citizen, and as such is not entitled to US 
>>government protection.  He may (or may not) be entitled to FSO 
>>protection--just as former US heads of state are entitled to lifetime 
>>USSS protection.
>
> From the horse's mouth (http://www.state.gov/m/ds/rls/rm/50116.htm):
>
>"Our team protects Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, wherever she goes 
>in the world. We keep embassy and mission employees safe in times of 
>extreme civil disorder. And we ensure the security of foreign dignitaries 
>visiting the United States. Some of the people we have protected recently 
>include Great Britain's Prince Charles, former leader of the Soviet Union 
>Mikhail Gorbachev, the Dalai Lama and the President of the Palestinian 
>Authority Mahmoud Abbas."