Diplomacy: THE RICH ARE DIFFERENT–THEY TEND TO EXAGGERATE

It’s not often that the normally loquacious RICHARD HOLBROOKE becomes press shy. But in discussing the memo that he, as Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, wrote justifying Democratic contributor LARRY LAWRENCE’s burial at Arlington National Cemetery, Holbrooke is a wee bit defensive. All the evidence now seems to suggest that Lawrence, a former ambassador to Switzerland, fabricated his supposed World War II Merchant Marine service and the German torpedo that allegedly ripped open his vessel, tossing him into the drink. Says a source close to Holbrooke: “When someone tells you about something that happened to them, do you say, ‘Excuse me, could I see documentary evidence?'” The source continues: “The question is whether he was who he said he was, or was he just another one of the endless versions of Jay Gatsby that fill American life?”

–By Mark Thompson/Washington