Retired U.S. Colonel Lays His Citizenship On Line -- Native Of Estonia Defies Ruling Against Leading Its Armed Forces

WASHINGTON - A retired U.S. Army colonel who fought in Korea and Vietnam stands to lose his U.S. citizenship and $50,000 annual pension because of his decision to accept command of the armed forces in his native Estonia.

Col. Aleksander Einseln, who left Estonia when he was 13, said he was prepared to face disciplinary charges for defying the State Department.

"If they wish to play hardball with me, they can do it,"Einseln said from his apartment in the Estonian capital, Tallinn.

The 61-year-old Californian assumed command of the Baltic nation's 2,000-member army, navy and air force Tuesday.

"I have no choice," Einseln said. "I'm the only one qualified to do this. How can I say no?"

This is a story of a man trapped between warring bureaucracies, whose only answer is to listen to moral - rather than political - imperatives.

The only allegiance, Einseln said, is to his conscience.

The Estonian government was denied permission to hire the Estonian-speaking Einseln by Secretary of State Warren Christopher, although the secretary of the Army raised no objection.

Paul Goble, a former State Department Baltic specialist now with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said he was told the department was afraid of offending Russia.

Estonia and the two other Baltic nations, Lithuania and Latvia, were granted independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991.

The Estonian government is paying Einseln $140 a month and has provided him with a two-room apartment.

In general, U.S. courts have ruled a person must have intended to give up citizenship by accepting the foreign job. Einseln wants to keep his citizenship, saying his service in Estonia is temporary. Einseln said he has made a two-year commitment to the Estonian government.

There is no automatic restriction on civilians serving in foreign governments. A California pharmaceutical magnate, Milan Panic, briefly was prime minister of the former Yugoslavia. Los Angeles lawyer Raffi Hovannisian was Armenia's foreign minister for a year before resigning in October.

After Einseln accepted Estonia's offer in October, President Lennart Meri made a formal request to the Bush administration. On Dec. 10, the request was rejected.

Because of the change in the White House, Meri renewed his request on Feb. 1. Meri received another rejection, signed by Christopher, on Friday.

In the interim, Einseln pleaded his case directly, making it clear he had no wish to renounce his citizenship.

His request was supported by Sens. Slade Gorton, R-Wash., and Donald Riegle Jr., D-Mich., as well as other members of Congress.

The delay in reaching a decision was caused by internal squabbling between Bush holdovers and Clinton newcomers, a State Department source said.

After retiring from active duty in 1985, Einseln moved to California, where he lives with his wife, a psychologist. His three children and three stepchildren are grown, he said.

Einseln's return is an emotional one.

After fleeing Estonia in 1944, he lived in a camp for displaced persons in Germany. He was allowed to enter the United States in 1949. The next year, he joined the Army and fought in the Korean conflict. He also served in Germany and had two Special Forces duty tours in Vietnam.

Einseln also served five years in various posts with the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, including as head of the European and NATO division.

Einseln said that while visiting Estonia, he became convinced that no one else could do the job, given his training, experience and his language skills.

"I suppose if the U.S. wants, they can send me to the bankruptcy courts by taking away my pension," Einseln said. "I'm a loyal citizen, and I'm very disappointed."