The Foreign Service Journal, March 1980
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The Foreign Service, and Presidential Control of Foreign Policy by Nathaniel Davis MARCH 1980 75 Recognizing the limits of the Claims Act, the government recommends private insurance too. Claims Act AFSA Plan 1. The government will be responsible for only 1. You may purchase as much insurance as $15,000 of proven property loss. you need. 2. Loss recovery limitations exist on most 2. Valuable articles can be scheduled without categories of possessions such as jewelry, limitation on a “valued at” basis. furs, cameras, fine arts, antiques. 3. Claims process requires government 3. Swift claims settlement begins with a simple investigation and documentation. telephone call or letter. 4. Loss must be incident to service. 4. Coverage is worldwide whether on business or pleasure. 5. Comprehensive Personal Liability insurance 5. Comprehensive Personal Liability insurance is not available. is available. 6. Loss evaluation is complicated and includes 6. Loss settlement on unscheduled items is depreciation. based on replacement cost with no depreciation. Settlement on scheduled articles is based on the agreed amount. 7. Theft loss requires proof7. that No due such care requirement. was exercised to prevent the occurrence. AFSA Desk, The Hirshorn Company 31 14 East Highland Avenue Philadelphia, Pa. 19118 (215) CH2-8200.* Send me your free brochure (with built-in application form) that answers my questions about overseas insurance. Name Address These are only a few of the differences. City/State/Zip Please refer to Foreign Affairs Manual (6 FAM 300). 'If calling from the Washington, D C. area: (202) 457-0250 Note: The insurance policies, not this advertisement, will form the contract between the insured and the insurance company. The policies contain limits, exclusions and limitations not listed here. Sforeign enice , journal American Foreign Service Association MARCH 1980: Volume 57, No. 3 Officers and Members of the Governing Board ISSN 0015-7279 KENNETH W. BLEAKLEY, President ANTHEA S. DE ROUVILLE, Vice President FRANK DIMOND, Second Vice President GALEN FOX, Secretary D. LARRY INGRAM, Treasurer Letter from the Ogaden JONATHAN L. SPERLING, AID Representative SEAN KELLY 6 FRED M. SHAVER, ICA Representative MATTHEW P. DALEY, JOSEPH N. MCBRIDE, ROBERT H. STERN, State Representatives The Foreign Service and Presidential SPENCER KING AND CHARLES WHITEHOUSE, Control of Foreign Policy Retired Representatives NATHANIEL DAVIS 8 Journal Editorial Board Black Saturday: The Burning of Cairo JOEL M. WOLDMAN, Chairman ARNOLD P. SCHIFFERDECKER J. WESLEY ADAMS 15 JAMES F. O'CONNOR NEIL A. BOYER HARRIET P. CULLEY GEORGE S. DRAGNICH Epitaph for Ali WESLEY N. PEDERSEN DAVID A. COHEN FRED GODSEY 18 The Letter Staff JANIS BENSON 20 ROBERT M. BEERS, Executive Director WILBUR P. CHASE, Counselor Berlin 1937-39 SUSAN HOLIK, Counselor J. B. DONNELLY 27 CECIL B. SANNER, Membership and Circulation AFSA Scholarship Programs LEE MIDTHUN Letters to the Editor 4 Journal Editorials 22 SHIRLEY R. NEWHALL, Editor AFSA News 23 ROBIN JENKINS, Editorial Assistant Book Essay MclVER ART & PUBLICATIONS, INC., Art Direction White House Years Martin F. Herz 30 Advertising Representatives Bookshelf 33 JAMES C. SASMOR ASSOCIATES, 521 Fifth Ave„ Suite 1700, New Foreign Service People 46 York, N.Y. 10017 (212) 683-3421 ALBERT D. SHONK CO„ 681 Market St., San Francisco, Calif. 94105 (415) 392-7144 JOSHUA B. POWERS, LTD., 46 Keyes House, Dolphin Sq„ London SW1 01-834-8023/9. International Representatives. Cover: Market, Gaborone, Botswana, by Verna Motheral The FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL is the journal of professionals in annually. Retired Active Members—Dues are $40 annually for members foreign affairs, published eleven times a year by the American Foreign with incomes over $20,000; $25 annually for less than $20,000. Associate Service Association, a non-profit organization. Members—Dues are $25 annually. All dues payments include $6.50 allo¬ cation for the Journal and AFSA News, per AFSA Bylaws. Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the writers and is not intended to indicate the official views of the Department of State, the For subscription to the JOURNAL, one year (11 issues); $7.50; two years, International Communication Agency, the Agency for international De¬ $12.00. For subscriptions going abroad, except Canada, add $1.00 annu¬ velopment or the United States Government as a whole. ally for overseas postage. Microfilm copies of current as well as of back issues of the FOREIGN While the Editorial Board of the JOURNAL is responsible for its general SERVICE JOURNAL are available through the University Microfilm Library content, statements concerning the policy and administration of AFSA as employee representative under Executive Order 11636 on the editorial Services, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 under a contract signed October 30, page and in the AFSA News, and all communications relating to these, are 1967. the responsibility of the AFSA Governing Board. ® American Foreign Service Association, 1980. The Foreign Service Jour¬ Membership in the American Foreign Service Association is open to the nal is published eleven times a year by the American Foreign Service professionals in foreign affairs overseas or in Washington, as well as to Association, 2101 E Street, N.W., Washington D.C. 20037. Telephone (202) persons having an active interest in, or close association with foreign 338-4045 affairs. Second-class postage paid at Washington, D.C. and at additional post Membership dues are: Active Members—Dues range from $52 to $104 office. citizens of demonstrated ability and however, do their mistakes have to often distinguished records to ambas¬ be shielded from public knowledge sadorial positions. Indeed, until World indefinitely. And this brings me to The Case Study War II most of our chiefs of mission my suggestion. came from this source. Among con¬ THE “CASE STUDY” of a politi¬ temporary examples of such appoint¬ Why not assemble a file of case cally appointed ambassador in ments one can cite Ambassador Mans¬ studies of this kind—of ambas¬ your January issue by the anony¬ field in Tokyo, Ambassador Goheen in sadors whose performance can mous author with the Orwellian New Delhi and Ambassador Wriggins teach lessons in what to avoid? I do pseudonym “Winston Smith” per¬ in Colombo, persons whose selection not have in mind creating a petuates the hoary myth that all as chiefs of mission even the most “Chamber of Horrors” but a dis¬ chiefs of mission who didn’t shoul¬ career-minded of foreign service pro¬ passionate examination of acts of der their way up the FSO ladder fessionals can hardly criticize.’’ omission and commission of chiefs have been bumbling dolts frustrat¬ of mission, objectively observed by ing the legitimate ambitions of our professionals who are qualified to evaluate what they saw happening skilled and sensitive corps of pro¬ More Case Studies before their eyes. Such a file of fessional foreign service officers. case studies could teach future Well, I accepted three ambas¬ ONE OBSERVATION and one rec¬ practitioners and students of sadorial appointments during the ommendation with respect to foreign affairs a great deal about Kennedy and Johnson administra¬ the highly important article, “Polit¬ the “conduct and misconduct of tions and I met a lot of dedicated, ical Appointee: A Case Study” by foreign affairs.” talented men and women and also a Winston Smith in the January is¬ While I would have preferred to fair number of stuffed shirts and sue. see AFSA assemble that file, I can damned fools. And the latter in¬ The observation: Some readers see that this would put our associa¬ cluded both career people and may wonder whether it is “loyal” tion in an invidious position, for politicals. for a DCM to have written so some might suspect that the infor¬ In retrospect and on balance, I’d frankly about his chief of mission. mation was being assembled for say the Foreign Service is fortunate Is it not part of the Foreign Service “political” purposes. So I offer the to have an infusion of what we then ethos that the Number One must be dispassionate academic sponsor¬ called “non-career professionals” supported and sustained under all ship of our Institute for this pur¬ from time to time if only to stir up circumstances? In bringing clarity pose. the bureaucracy, question outdated to this question, it may be useful to Anyone who has case study ma¬ policies and write messages that read what Winston Churchill has terial similar to the article, “Politi¬ don’t all start with the classic, self written (Their Finest Hour, cal Appointee” in the January protecting “while.” Houghton Mifflin edition, page 15) issue—whether it relates to a polit¬ about being Number One: Clearly, no one should be ap¬ ically appointed or a career chief of The duties and the problems of all mission—is invited to send it to the pointed who isn’t at least as well persons other than number one are Institute for the Study of Diplo¬ qualified as the average career am¬ quite different and in many ways more macy, School of Foreign Service, bassador. But that’s not too hard. difficult. It is always a misfortune when Georgetown University, Wash¬ Thinking of some of the “political” number two or three has to initiate a dominant plan or policy. He has to con¬ ington, D.C. 20057. We are already ambassadors who were my col¬ assembling material that is de¬ leagues from 1961 to 1966—John sider not only the merits of the policy, but the mind of his chief; not only what signed to teach what makes the per¬ Bartlow Martin, Ed Reischauer, to advise, but what is proper for him in formance of some chiefs of mission Phil Kaiser, Lincoln Gordon, Bill his station to advise; not only what to more effective, or less effective, Mahoney, Adlai Stevenson, Carl do, but how to get it agreed, and how to than that of others.