U.S. Diplomatic Courier: 10 Million Miles, 197 Countries
The Man Who Flew 10 Million Miles: The Remarkable Life of U.S. Diplomatic Courier Bob LaPlante
A U.S. Diplomatic Courier who served under ten presidents, visited 197 countries, and logged over 10 million miles, Bob LaPlante is one of history’s most well-traveled figures. His memoirs offer a rare, first-person window into a vanishing world of Cold War diplomacy, adventure, and chance encounters with the 20th century’s most iconic figures.
Who Was Bob LaPlante, the Ten Million Mile Diplomatic Courier?
Robert “Bob” LaPlante dedicated four decades of his career to serving as a U.S. Diplomatic Courier, the trusted human link in the chain of classified government communications transported between American embassies and the State Department. Over that extraordinary span, he accumulated more than ten million air miles across 197 countries, a record that places him among the most traveled individuals in recorded history.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1924, LaPlante brought an exceptional academic and military background to his role. He studied at universities in both the United States and Europe, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in Scandinavian history. During World War II, he served as a naval combat officer, an experience that forged the discipline and composure that would define his diplomatic career.
Ten Presidents, One Courier: A Career Spanning American History
LaPlante served under ten consecutive U.S. presidents, from Harry S. Truman through Bill Clinton, a tenure that speaks to his reliability, discretion, and institutional trust. In an era when diplomatic travel documents and secure communications were physically hand-carried across borders, the diplomatic courier was indispensable to U.S. foreign policy operations worldwide.
His career overlapped with seismic moments in 20th century geopolitics, and his memoirs document encounters that read more like fiction than biography. He met Ernest Hemingway in Venice. He crossed paths with Albert Schweitzer in East Africa. He was present for a backstage meeting with Duke Ellington in Germany. He sat with President Harry Truman in Washington. These were not curated celebrity moments; they were the incidental rewards of a life spent perpetually in motion.
197 Countries: Adventures at the Edge of the Map
LaPlante’s memoir is not a dry diplomatic record. It is a traveler’s testament, filled with close calls, absurd situations, and moments of genuine danger that illuminate just how far off the map a career in diplomatic courier service could take a person.
Among the episodes he recounts:
- Skiing out of control on the slopes of Andorra
- Fishing in Greenland during remote postings
- Standing in as a temporary currency exchanger in Kuwait
- Being stranded overnight in sub-arctic wilderness
- Narrowly escaping a time bomb in Frankfurt while accompanied by his son
- Surviving a devastating flash flood that trapped him in an Afghan village
These stories, written now for the first time in print, sit at the intersection of diplomatic history, adventure travel, and American Cold War biography. For readers interested in how U.S. foreign service actually functioned at ground level, LaPlante’s account is irreplaceable.
Explorer, Pilot, Archaeologist, Jazz Musician
Beyond his diplomatic service, LaPlante’s life resists easy categorization. He worked as an explorer, a licensed pilot, an archaeologist, and a jazz musician. Each role reflects the same restless curiosity that made him ideally suited for a career that demanded adaptability, cultural fluency, and nerves of steel.
His is also a story that connects directly to the broader history of U.S. diplomatic passports and travel documents, documents that gave legal passage to the very missions LaPlante carried out across six decades of American foreign policy.
Watch: Bob LaPlante Tells His Story
The video below features Bob LaPlante in his own words, recounting highlights from his 40-year career as a diplomatic courier.
Tom Topol | Passport Historian & Author
Featured in media incl. CNN, BBC, Newsweek. Awarded by the U.S. Dept. of State
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