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Jet, August 24, 1998

At least three Black Americans were among the estimated 200 people killed in the recent bombings at U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Killed in the Kenya bombing were John Bartley, 55, of Queens, NY, the consul general of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, and his son, Jay, 20, a college student. Also killed was Arlene Kirk, 50, of South Bend, IN, a Defense Department budget officer, who had just returned from a six-week visit in the U.S. and reported directly to the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.

More than 1,700 people were injured, officials said. Five Americans were missing at JET press time.

The bombings in Kenya and Tanzania crumpled buildings and blew apart buses, trapping people under piles of concrete and twisted steel that rescuers cleared with backhoes, torches and their bare hands.

The blasts occurred 450 miles from each other but minutes apart, turning streets in the two African capitals into bloody zones of terror. No one claimed responsibility at press time.

President Clinton condemned the terrorist attacks and said the U.S. would bring the terrorists to justice "no matter what or how long it takes."

Clinton interrupted a bill-signing ceremony in the Rose Garden to comment on the tragedy. "These acts of terrorist violence are abhorrent; they are inhumane. We will use all the means at our disposal to bring those responsible to justice no matter what or how long it takes."

He ordered American flags flown at half staff at U.S. installations around the world.

"We are determined to get answers and justice," he stressed. He called the bombings "cowardly attacks" and said security was tightened at U.S. installations around the world.

Upon hearing of the bombings, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., the U.S. special envoy to Africa, issued a press statement which said in part, "As African nations continue to advance democracy and human fights, this tragedy must not be allowed to become a platform for those who undermine those efforts. I would also say to anyone with any information about these attacks, you have a moral obligation to come forward."

Jackson, appointed special envoy for the President and Secretary of State for the Promotion of Democracy in Africa last year, also expressed condolences to the victims' families.

"To the families of the Americans, Kenyans and Tanzanians killed in the bombings, we offer our most heartfelt condolences at this time of great loss. To those who were injured and hospitalized, may your physical and emotional recoveries be swift and complete .... To the Kenyan and Tanzanian people, know that we support you and value our good relationship. To the FBI and other agencies that will investigate these crimes, you have our prayer and support."

Katherine Wright, sister of bombing victim Arlene Kirk, said Ms. Kirk and her husband, Robert, a project development officer for the United States Agency for International Development, had planned to extend their visit to the U.S. But Ms. Kirk felt a need to return to her job in Nairobi.

"They were both exhausted," Wright told the New York Times. "She went home and then was rushing to get to work. She went to work late. We think she went into work just before the bomb went off."

During her visit to the U.S., Ms. Kirk cared for her parents, Frederick Arthur, 84, and Mary, 83. "She was busy trying to get them enrolled in some exercise classes," Ms. Wright told the New York Times. "She took them to the doctor. Their health is not that great."

Ms. Kirk is survived by her husband and two children, Maisha, 23, who attends Tuskegee University, and Robbie Jr., 14.

Another victim of the bombing in Kenya, Julian Bartley, had been at the U.S. Embassy in Kenya as consul general for almost two years and was working toward becoming an ambassador and making his family proud.

Bartley's son, Jay, was among the first to be identified as having died in the bombings. He had hoped to follow in his father's footsteps and had taken a temporary job at the embassy during his summer vacation. He was a student at the United States International University in Kenya and graduated from an international high school in Kenya in 1997.

Julian Bartley's daughter, Edith, issued a statement on behalf of the family. "I would like to extend my deepest and heartfelt condolences to all family members worldwide who lost a loved one or were affected by the horrific bombings of our American Embassies in East Africa."

Julian Bartley also is survived by his wife, Sue, his mother, Gladys Baldwin, and father, Joe Bartley.