When I had first heard that Leon Panetta — currently Central Intelligence Agency Director in the Obama administration — was going to be a keynote speaker for the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) national convention, I was wondering what exactly he was going to speak about, given that he is Italian American. Panetta talked about the mission and role of the CIA, but also discussed his role in public service that mirrored and was parallel to another past NAAAP keynote speaker: former mayor of San Jose, Congressman and Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta. Panetta jokingly said that he often felt he was an honorary Asian, since he has often been confused for Mineta — whose name sounds like Panetta– and that they were both Democrats from California who served on the budget committee together.
What I found most interesting about his keynote was about his parents’ immigrant roots, Panetta himself the son of immigrants looking for a better life in America, much like many of the members of NAAAP. He reflected his need for his parents and himself to give back to America, a country that has brought so much to his family. America is a country of immigrants, and his story was something that I think many Americans can relate to, not just NAAAP members and convention attendees.
Panetta made the strong case for diversity within the CIA – diversity in linguistic skills, thought and functional skills – that the very mission of the CIA needed agents that were reflective of the world America was engaged with, not just with every new James Bond film or the Angelina Jolie vehicle SALT (he jokingly noted that only a few agents look like her.) But the CIA needs officers who can work effectively and credibly in any society; those familiar with languages such as Chinese and Korean were of vital national security importance. Within a democracy, Panetta also stressed the importance to have a government of, by and for the people that is also reflective of its people. Overall, I really enjoyed Panetta’s speech.
