Louis John Smith

Louis J. “Luke” Smith, a Department of State historian for 34 years until his retirement in 2005, died unexpectedly of respiratory failure on May 1. He was 77. In 1971 the Department of State recruited Luke Smith from university teaching to serve in its Historical Office. He wrote historical studies and memoranda for policy makers, but his most significant contribution was as an editor of the State’s official documentary series, Foreign Relations of the United States. Over his 34 year career he produced 17 FRUS volumes beginning with President Eisenhower and ending with Nixon presidency. His most notable volume documented the formerly unreleased details of the Bay of Pigs Invasion and Operation Mongoose, the covert plan to overthrow the Castro Government. His choice of transcripts of the Cuban exiles pleading in vain from the beach for CIA air support for their invasion gave the volume a poignancy rare in such collections. The volume marked the beginning of the U.S. Government’s effort to present the full extent of its stormy relations with Cuba in the early 1960s and highlighted President Kennedy’s obsession with Castro.

A native of Chicago, he remained loyal to all its sports teams throughout is life. He excelled at basketball leading his high school and Carthage College teams to winning seasons. A talented student with a formidable memory and an ear for the cadences and rhythms of good writing, he earned a M.A. from Illinois State University and a Ph.D. in history from Michigan State. He played competitive softball into his fifties. His long sweeping swing launched towering home runs. Luke Smith had an open smile and a quick laugh. He loved opera. A man of diverse interests, he was universally liked by professional colleagues and teammates.

He is survived by his wife Sharon and two children, Deborah and David.