'Retrievable'

Adam Kellett-Long was bureau chief during my two-year stint in Bonn, and what I remember of him, other than the cordial but businesslike atmosphere, the encouragement to do enterprise reporting and the care he insisted go into every story was his own amazing competence.

It was a busy time. Willy Brandt was pressing through Ostpolitik for reconciliation with the Communist world. There were snap elections. There were the Munich Olympics. Reuters was just starting up a German language service, attempting to take over the UPI franchise. In the midst of all this, Adam wrote stories, swiftly, thoughtfully and meticulously. His understanding of the German political scene was astute. If I recall correctly, he alone in the bureau had the privilege of filing stories directly onto the wire without World Desk editing. They had a word for his copy: “retrievable”.

He imbued everyone with his concern for accuracy and verifiability, a good grounding for the work I later did in the former Yugoslavia. But he and Mary also had an informal side that made a newcomer feel at home. It was a terrific place to work.

Adam was a great colleague, mentor and friend. I shall miss him greatly. ■