Rose had warned Clark before the meeting to avoid smiling beside Mladic, expect a reporter to appear, and stick to a prepared statement. As the meeting closed, Mladic admired Clark's uniform and three-star cap, then offered his own hat in exchange. He walked beside the American general just as television cameras appeared, and Clark continued laughing with him. Clark later accepted Mladic's pistol as a gift, to the dismay of Rose and his staff. The next day's Washington Post photograph showed Clark wearing Mladic's hat. Mladic's staged images displaced the warning Clark had gone to deliver.
Notable Point · 10:24-11:25
Mladic turns diplomatic courtesy into a media trap
Despite a prior warning to expect a reporter, Clark let a hat exchange, a pistol gift, and staged cameras replace his intended ultimatum with images of apparent friendliness.