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For Negroponte, Move to State Dept. Is a Homecoming
John Negroponte is leaving his Cabinet-level position as national intelligence director to be the deputy at State.
(By Evan Vucci -- Associated Press)
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Negroponte tried to call every day. He left voice-mail messages in song.
"When we were feeling low, we played them," Diana recalled, singing: "Good morning, Sophia, la-la! I love you, la-la-la!" Diana turned to her daughter. "Sophia, can you think of any stories about your dad? How nice he is, when I'm beastly?"
"Um." (Later Sophia noted that Dad likes to inhale helium from balloons and recite his title in the voice of Alvin the Chipmunk: "Hi! I'm John Negroponte, U.S. ambassador to the Philippines!" Negroponte said, "We ought to get a regular supply.")
Afterward, when the children scattered, he said: "The nicest story is the adoption of Marina."
After years of trying to have a child, they decided to adopt. In Honduras, a nun contacted Diana.
"And she said, 'I have your child,' " Negroponte said.
"Johnny, I'm terribly sorry," Diana said, her voice rising. "But for me, the kids is a highly private part --"
"Not this part --"
"Well, you phrase it the way you want."
"In any case, Diana brought Marina home and it happened, we had Congressmen Jim Leach and Steve Solarz visiting us . . ."
Negroponte arrived home to find the 8-month-old girl. The congressmen, a Republican from Iowa and a Democrat from New York, ran out and bought a stuffed elephant and donkey.
"I still carry the picture of her crawling around on the floor of the residence," Negroponte said, taking out his wallet.
