About Freck
Freck in uniform with Diana
Freck and Nicky with His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Freck and Sandra with the Queen of Holland
THINKER. SAILOR. DIPLOMAT. SPY.
A Kennedy confidant, he scripted one of John F. Kennedy’s most famous quotes and palled around with Jackie O. He inherited a dashing style from his legendary mother, Diana Vreeland, an icon of fashion. As a diplomatic ambassador, he entertained kings and queens of exotic lands. Mick Jagger rode his camel and he accidentally saved the life of Richard Branson. But when His Holiness the Dalai Lama whispered wisdom in his ear, it forever changed his life.
A Kennedy confidant, he scripted one of John F. Kennedy’s most famous quotes and palled around with Jackie O. He inherited a dashing style from his legendary mother, Diana Vreeland, an icon of fashion. As a diplomatic ambassador, he entertained kings and queens of exotic lands. Mick Jagger rode his camel and he accidentally saved the life of Richard Branson. But when His Holiness the Dalai Lama whispered wisdom in his ear, it forever changed his life.
As a secret CIA agent during the Cold War, a senior US diplomat serving presidents, and as a US ambassador to Morocco. In Africa, Freck’s life bears the marks of an instrumental player in world events, a man whose wisdom and words have helped change history.
In his memoir, Freck tells stories that become parables about life. He is an “everyman” hero in each of his chapters, from a childhood story on the lessons of bike riding to a young man’s reflections on the social norms of the Mad Men era; from encounters with Charlie Chaplin and Truman Capote to transformational meetings with presidents in the Oval Office and with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
Close advisor and friend to statesmen such as John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and George H. W. Bush, Vreeland has a philosophy and approach that is encapsulated by one of his most famous “bon mots,” the famed pronouncement “Ich bin ein Berliner.” He came up with the phrase and then carefully taught President John F. Kennedy how to pronounce the German words which, as Kennedy spoke them from the heart of divided Berlin in 1963, perfectly symbolized the rise of global unity.
Although currently a curious, well-traveled sophisticate residing in Rome and Morocco, Freck has a voice that is quintessentially American, with an all-encompassing acceptance and joyful appreciation of EVERYTHING in life—the ups and downs, the messy parts and the transcendent moments—and that can be both humorous and sage. Ever humble, to this day, he still considers himself a native “New York City Boy.”
Nancy “Slim” Keith with Diana and Reed Vreeland. Photo: Slim Aarons
Freck in Italy – always on the move
Freck with granddaughter Victoria and
great-granddaughter Sandra
“I did a lot of naughty things in my life and I admit to them all—
but I always had a purpose, and that purpose was a devotion to helping other people.”
“I did a lot of naughty things in my life and
I admit to them all—but I always had
a purpose, and that purpose was a
devotion to helping other people.”
“I did a lot of naughty things
in my life and I admit to them
all—but I always had a purpose,
and that purpose was a
devotion to helping
other people.”
FRECK’S EVOLVED GLOBAL VISION.
Vreeland’s exotic life can be traced to his mother’s teaching to never fear “anything physical or strange or bizarre”… not even what she called vulgarity. (“We all need a splash of bad taste—it’s hearty, it’s healthy.”)
“I did a lot of naughty things in my life,” admits Freck, “and I admit to them all—but I always had a purpose, and that purpose was a devotion to helping other people.”
“Looking back, I have led, and am still living, a charmed life. I have had the privilege to travel the world and meet iconic figures in history. I’ve worked hard and loved every minute of it. Work was my life, and that work took me on fascinating missions. We are often capable of more than we think.”
Vreeland’s exotic life can be traced to his mother’s teaching to never fear “anything physical or strange or bizarre”… not even what she called vulgarity. (“We all need a splash of bad taste—it’s hearty, it’s healthy.”)
“I did a lot of naughty things in my life,” admits Freck, “and I admit to them all—but I always had a purpose, and that purpose was a devotion to helping other people.”
“Looking back, I have led, and am still living, a charmed life. I have had the privilege to travel the world and meet iconic figures in history. I’ve worked hard and loved every minute of it. Work was my life, and that work took me on fascinating missions. We are often capable of more than we think.”