SEMIANNUALSCHOOLSSUPPLEMENT

$3.50 /JUNE 2009 OREIGN ERVICE FJOURNAL STHE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS

FOREIGN SERVICE MEMORIES A Selection of Reflections

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OREIGN ERVICE FJ O U R N A L S CONTENTS June 2009 Volume 86, No. 6

F OCUS ON FS Reflections

LEST WE FORGET / 17 On the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, it is more important than ever to honor those who died there in the name of democracy. By Joanne Grady Huskey

MY BLACK BELT JOURNEY / 22 In Taekwondo, one practitioner learns, it’s not the destination that matters but the journey. By Scott B. Ticknor

RUSS AND I / 27 Cover and inside illustrations A carpool chat leads to the addition of several long-deceased by Pietari Posti diplomats’ names to the AFSA Memorial Plaques. By Jason Vorderstrasse

COUNTERTERRORISM: SOME LESSONS TO CONSIDER / 32 A retired diplomat sees a disturbing pattern of inconsistency, dishonesty and deceit in the U.S. response to acts of terrorism. PRESIDENT’S VIEWS / 5 By Alan Berlind Constructive Dissent REPRIEVE ON MANILA BAY / 38 By John K. Naland They say a cat has nine lives. But how many reprieves are SPEAKING OUT / 13 we humans granted before mortality’s inexorable triumph? EERs: The Forgotten Front By John J. St. John in the War for Talent By Jonathan Fritz AFSA NEWS

EFLECTIONS R / 92 FOREIGN AFFAIRS DAY 2009 / 43 Afghanistan Revisited By Bruce Laingen BRIEFS, AGGELER / 44

VP VOICE – STATE: A BITTERSWEET FAREWELL / 45

VP VOICE – RETIREE: AFSA HAS YOUR BACK / 46 LETTERS / 6 VP VOICE – FCS: OUR FRIENDS ON THE HILL / 47 CYBERNOTES / 9 FAMILY MEMBER MATTERS: A TCK LETTER / 48 MARKETPLACE / 11 IAN HOUSTON NAMED AFSA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / 49 BOOKS / 76 AFSA BUILDING REOPENS / 49 IN MEMORY / 78 CLASSIFIEDS / 51 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS / 90

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OREIGN ERVICE CONTENTS FJ O U R N A L S

Editor S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT STEVEN ALAN HONLEY Senior Editor GETTING FOUND: INTERNATIONAL LIFE 2.0 / 53 SUSAN B. MAITRA The Internet has a special role to play in connecting Third Culture Kids. Associate Editor SHAWN DORMAN By Mikkela Thompson AFSA News Editor FRANCESCA KELLY SCHOOLS AT A GLANCE / 63 Essential data on educational choices. Ad & Circulation Manager ED MILTENBERGER A VITAL POINT OF CONTACT FOR PARENTS: Business Manager ALICIA J. CAMPI THE OFFICE OF OVERSEAS SCHOOLS / 70 Art Director By Kristin Grasso and Carol Sutherland CARYN SUKO SMITH

TIPS ON WRITING COLLEGE ADMISSIONS ESSAYS / 72 EDITORIAL BOARD By Francesca Kelly TED WILKINSON Chairman JOSEPH BRUNS STEPHEN W. B UCK JULIE GIANELLONI CONNOR JIM DEHART JEFF GIAUQUE GEORGE JONES LAURIE KASSMAN YVETTE N. MALCIOLN DAVID MCFARLAND AL PESSIN

THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is published monthly with a combined July-August issue by the American Foreign Service Associa- tion (AFSA), a private, nonprofit organization. Material appearing herein represents the opin- ions of the writers and does not necessarily rep- resent the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, preferably by e-mail. Journal sub- scription: AFSA members – $13 included in an- nual dues; others – $40. For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. Indexed by Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS). The Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. The appearance of advertisements herein does not imply the endorsement of the services or goods offered. TELEPHONE: (202) 338-4045 FAX: (202) 338-8244 or (202) 338-6820 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.afsa.org; www.fsjournal.org © American Foreign Service Association, 2009. Printed in the U.S.A. Send address changes to: AFSA Attn: Address Change 2101 E Street N.W. Washington DC 20037-2990 Printed on 50-percent recycled paper, of which 10 percent is post-consumer waste.

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PRESIDENT’S VIEWS Constructive Dissent BY JOHN K. NALAND

This month, AFSA will pres- note that awards in those two makers might evaporate. ent its 41st annual Constructive categories were presented last AFSA must also sometimes exercise Dissent Awards. This unique year. Other evidence that con- prudent silence in the face of setbacks. program began in 1968 with the structive dissent is not dead As much as we might want to blast William R. Rivkin Award for ini- can be seen in the seven nom- some agency’s poor decision, AFSA tiative, integrity and intellectual inations submitted this year for leaders must keep in mind that they will courage in the context of con- the mid-level Rivkin Award. face that same policymaker in future structive dissent by a mid-level Foreign Hopefully, AFSA will receive multi- negotiations. Foreign Service members Service officer. AFSA now offers simi- ple nominations in all four categories who have negotiated with foreign gov- lar awards for Foreign Service special- next year. Arguably, the problem is not ernments will understand this tactical ists and junior and senior generalists. a lack of dissenters, but rather a short- decision not to burn bridges that may Before attending his first AFSA age of colleagues who recognized dis- be needed in the future. awards ceremony, Secretary of State sent by taking the time to submit Of course, blowing the whistle on Henry Kissinger asked AFSA President nominations for an AFSA award. personnel system shenanigans is some- Tom Boyatt what the constructive dis- Along those lines, it is clear that not times an effective way to shame agency sent awards were all about. After being all members recognize the extent to management into following the rules. told, Kissinger gave a knowing smile which AFSA itself exemplifies con- And sometimes the transgression is so and asked rhetorically, “You mean that I structive dissent (not on foreign policy blatant that AFSA must make a “federal am giving awards to people who dis- issues, but rather on management and case” out of it, even if the result is re- agreed with me?” He proceeded to do personnel matters). One cause of this duced cooperation on other issues. just that, honoring Foreign Service lack of recognition is that AFSA cannot While AFSA will continue to speak members with the courage to speak out always reveal everything that happens out forthrightly, the ultimate objective forthrightly, using appropriate channels, behind closed doors. is to advance our members’ interests. to take a stand by confronting the status For example, AFSA has engaged in While members consistently say that quo, asking tough questions, offering al- numerous negotiations in recent years they want AFSA to be vocal and as- ternative solutions, and giving the best that succeeded in dissuading State De- sertive; they need it to be effective. Just counsel possible. partment management from taking like individual members who engage in This year’s ceremony will include shortsighted steps that would have had constructive dissent, AFSA’s goal must awards in the categories of specialists negative long-term implications on the not just be to point out what is wrong, and mid-level generalists. No nomina- Foreign Service. While we strive to but rather to effect a positive change in tions were received for junior or senior keep members informed, some of these the situation. FSOs. Before anyone draws negative gains were achieved in tough negotia- That is what the AFSA Governing conclusions about intellectual courage tions that cannot be detailed without Board has striven to do over the past in today’s junior and senior ranks, please harming our ability to achieve future two years. As our term of office nears its successes. Were AFSA to crow publicly end, we thank you for giving us the op- John K. Naland is the president of the about some of those victories, then fu- portunity to fight the good fight on be- American Foreign Service Association. ture cooperation from powerful policy- half of the U.S. Foreign Service. ■

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LETTERS

Concrete Honors for some of whom have given their lives work these individuals do. Insights I Diplomatic Heroes while helping to protect the Foreign have gained from working on FS panels The valuable and heartfelt letter Service worldwide. have had significant impact on my con- from Bruce K. Byers (“Thirty Years Ago Francis Xavier Cunningham cept of myself as an individual and as in Kabul,” March) expresses hope that FSO, retired an American citizen. Always strong, my “in 2009 we will achieve greater pro- Arlington, Va. pride in American identity and heritage gress with our Afghan allies and so has intensified as a result of increased honor the memories of all those Recognizing the awareness of the role our diplomatic Afghans and Americans who, like Spike Foreign Service corps plays in making this world a bet- Dubs, have lost their lives in service to Since 1991, I have had several op- ter place for all. In the face of national our country and to the Afghan people.” portunities to serve as a public member or international crises, I no longer ex- Permit me to suggest an initiative on U.S. Foreign Service award, tenure perience any sense of hopelessness, be- for AFSA that would help ensure our and performance panels. Through this cause I have been blessed to know that State Department Civil and Foreign service, I have been privy to informa- some of the greatest minds of our time Service heroes, like Ambassador Dubs, tion that identifies many members of are working to safeguard America, her live on in our collective memory — the the U.S. diplomatic corps as skilled, in- citizens and people all over the globe. naming of some State Department telligent, dedicated and courageous Recognition of Foreign Service buildings for them. professionals. These men and women members’ contributions should be Names on public buildings can pro- should be counted among the most tal- given a higher position in the hierarchy vide a sense of common purpose, shap- ented and productive individuals on the of governmental accomplishments. ing our collective memory, our concept planet. Undoubtedly, a major step toward of community and the meaning of our Both at home and abroad, Foreign achieving this goal would be amending democracy. We already have edifices Service personnel work with people the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act so that named after Harry S Truman, Ronald from every stratum of society. Citizens foreign affairs agencies have more free- Reagan and J. Edgar Hoover. Let’s of host countries often base their per- dom to publicize their goals and ac- name some of our buildings to honor ceptions of America in large part on the complishments. This will enable them real heroes who made great sacrifices behavior and demeanor of our Foreign to recruit new talent more aggressively, to preserve our way of life. Service representatives. Indeed, one thereby giving taxpayers fuller, more An appropriate start would be to might well view every officer as an am- transparent explanations of Foreign name State Annex 2 (where many re- bassador in his or her own right. The Service projects and their role in pre- tired Foreign Service employees are many files I have reviewed attest that serving U.S. national security. working) the Spike Dubs Building. they almost always represent our coun- The American people have a right Amb. Dubs also served as a U.S. Ma- try very positively and personify Amer- to know about the magnificent diplo- rine in the Pacific in World War II ica’s best. They are enthusiastic facilita- macy being carried out on their behalf. (“Once a Marine, Always a Marine”). tors of our most valued ideals. With this in mind, I respectfully suggest By extension, his selection would also It is a great tragedy that so many that the president, Secretary of State honor the Marine security guards, Americans are unaware of the excellent and Congress be encouraged to pub-

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L ETTERS

licly recognize and support the unsung who had to deal with it. article also does not spell out Amb. heroes and heroines who serve Amer- Julie Rethmeier Moyes Freeman’s position on the board of the ica so well. FSO China National Offshore Oil Corpora- Vernessa White-Jackson Arlington, Va. tion and why this matters. Hyattsville, Md. Arthur Green Medical Exams USIA FSO, retired Remembering Lockerbie Having retired 10 years ago, I was Boynton Beach, Fla. I would like to thank Mitchell Cohn quite surprised to learn that the Office for his Reflections column in your April of Medical Services has stopped per- Enjoying FSJ Access issue about the 20th anniversary of the forming full examinations prior to over- Thanks for making the Journal so Lockerbie tragedy. I arrived at the con- seas transfers (March President’s Views, accessible on the Internet. We are sulate general in Scotland the following “To Your Health”). In 1989, MED’s posted overseas and I really enjoy being summer, but my experiences were sim- exam probably saved the life of my hus- able to read current information. The ilar to his. band, FSO Douglas Van Treeck. Very articles in the March focus, “Going It Emotions were still at high pitch early colon cancer was detected, a golf- Alone,” were timed perfectly because among the family members of the vic- ball sized mass was removed without we, along with many other families, are tims as we started returning the posses- complications and, other than required beginning to think about the next bid- sions of their loved ones. I listened as screenings every three years, he lives ding cycle. We now have a better idea they cried and reminisced, and when quite normally. Had he gone to Niger of how to prepare for and handle a sep- they shouted with anger and frustration. for two years without treatment, his life arate assignment. I remember well the cold, damp police would probably be over by now. Renee Atkinson warehouse in Lockerbie where I spent Maybe State has a plan: reduce FS spouse hours ticking off personal property on MED’s costs and reduce pension pay- Embassy Canberra an inventory for each American passen- ments. ger. Each one of them was an individ- Marie-Elena Van Treeck Any New Ideas? ual to us. We knew them all by name, FS specialist, retired Some time ago, you published a let- we knew their families, and we knew Carson City, Nev. ter from me which proposed a radical what they packed in their suitcases that departure in U.S. relations with Russia. fateful day. As Mitch said, there was a The Freeman Appointment As I recall, it received no reaction what- pervasive sadness that surrounded our The discussion of Ambassador soever (perhaps an indication of its work, but sometimes the relationships Charles “Chas” Freeman’s withdrawal worth). I reworked my proposal and that evolved gave us peace. from consideration for the position of sent it to Secretary of State Hillary Clin- I still recall the mother of a Syracuse chairman of the National Intelligence ton. The reply from one “IK” (Ivan University student who came to the Council drew attention to the role of Knishknif?) was an underwhelming warehouse to look for some of her National Intelligence Estimates in the form letter addressed in a Dostoevsky- daughter’s possessions. She was such a formulation of U.S. foreign policy. But an fashion to “Dear Interested Citi- kind person and brought great warmth I found Susan Maitra’s analysis in the zen!” Perhaps I need to work harder to and love to the experience. We ended April Cybernotes (“Controversy Points appreciate the utter disdain in which up exchanging Christmas cards over to Foreign Policy Dilemma”) more of my suggestion of policy change is held. the years, until last year, when my card an op-ed than straight news reporting. Reading the April FSJ, which again was returned. The implication was that the neocon- addressed the role of the North Atlantic I eventually found out that she had servative cabal did Freeman in. Treaty Organization and related issues, passed away and, for the first time in Regarding the “vitriolic campaign,” I felt that the three authors approached many years, I sat down and cried. I was no mention is made of the role of relations with Moscow in a traditional crying not just for her, but for everyone House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., fashion. Isn’t there a new idea in our who had been touched by this terrible and Representative Frank Wolf, R-Va., house? Is everything about adjust- event. It broke the heart of everyone in this short-lived appointment. The ments? Is an adversarial relationship,

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L ETTERS

as established in the time of Marshall I suggest that we think boldly and only possible salvation in a small sign Stalin, to be eternal? After all, I seek to integrate Russia more fully and that said: “In case of emergency, call thought the new administration’s man- firmly into Europe. At the same time the consul at …” tra was “change.” Among the three ar- we should reduce our military role Not wanting to be absent without ticles, my ideas coincide most with there. leave, I dialed the number and was re- those of Paul Fritch from the Organi- Sheldon Avenius warded by the voice of a kind gentle- zation for Security and Cooperation in FSO, retired man, John W. Haigh. He listened Europe (“The Russia Factor”). Miami, Fla. patiently to my fool’s tale, and arrived In my opinion, with the termination about 20 minutes later. After review- of the Soviet Union and the concomi- Seeking John Haigh ing my situation, he generously gave tant end of the Soviet empire and In 1956, while stationed with the me enough money to get me back to threat to Western Europe, the need for U.S. Army in Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Ger- Stuttgart. I thanked him profusely, NATO also ended. Just think of the many, an MG TF sports car came into promising him that he would be repaid savings if it were abolished! Yet be- my temporary custody. Being a sports within the week. He probably thought cause of some unexplained infatuation, car buff and an adventurous sort, I ap- he would never see that money again! we seem to have insisted not only on plied for a three-day pass to drive As I drove north from Milan, dark- its continued existence, but on its ex- through the Alps and over the St. Got- ness began to fall. I knew how long pansion. And since an expanded thard Pass to Milan, to attend the fa- the drive took but figured, correctly, NATO is a finger in the Russian eye, is mous race at the Monza Track. that going back at night, on unfamiliar it any wonder that Moscow sought to Unbeknownst to me, engine oil roads, would take me longer. As I support nations such as Iran and started leaking out around the oil filter crossed back into Germany, a light rain Venezuela? gasket when I started the engine. By began to fall. The rest of the journey the time I got midway through the to Stuttgart turned into my own pri- Alps, my oil pressure had dropped to vate Monza race, driving on the very zero! I was able to get a tow to a garage edge of control, with bald rear tires but, being on a very tight budget, I had giving the feel of glare ice to the cob- brought just enough money for the blestone roads. I passed through the mission at hand, with no contingency main gate at Patch Barracks at 6 a.m., funds. After paying the garage, I had went to my barracks and collapsed on only enough money to reach Milan or my bunk. to turn around and drive back to I have looked back many times on Stuttgart. I decided to continue. that trip, almost 53 years ago, and I reached Milan at 4 p.m., after the thought how great it would be to speak Monza race was over. I had enough with Mr. Haigh once more. Of course, cash for either a hotel room or a good it’s unlikely he is still alive, but his chil- meal. I opted for the meal, and then dren or grandchildren would enjoy did the only thing a foolish young sol- hearing this tale of his kindness, if it dier could do at that point: I curled my were possible to track them down. We 6’3” frame up across the MG cockpit exchanged Christmas cards for a few and eventually fell asleep. years, but I don’t know where he is In the morning, I decided that my today. I’d be most grateful to hear from best course was to go to the American a relative of his if one happens to spot consulate and try to borrow enough this letter. Please contact me at money to get back to Stuttgart. To my [email protected]. ■ dismay, I found an announcement on David B. Keith the front door that the consulate was Shady Intl. Airport closed for the Fourth of July! I saw my Ocala, Fla.

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CYBERNOTES

Tweaking U.S. Democracy Henry Merritt Wriston advanced Promotion Policy he president [George W. the ideals of liberal education and in- “Support, do not promote, democ- ternationalism throughout his life as a Bush] instructed us that noth- racy” is the watchword of the final re- T dynamic speaker, prolific author and port of the Center for Strategic & ing we would do would be out- professor; the president of Lawrence International Studies’ Democracy in side of our obligations, legal College (1925-1937) and Brown Uni- U.S. Security Strategy Project, re- obligations, under the Convention versity (1937-1955); and a foreign pol- leased on March 11 (www.csis.org/ icy expert. His doctoral dissertation, Against Torture. And so, by defi- media/csis/pubs/090310_lennnon_ Executive Agents in American Foreign democracy_web.pdf). nition, if it was authorized by the Relations (Harvard University, 1922), According to project director Alex- president, it did not violate our has become a standard text in the U.S. ander T.J. Lennon, democracy promo- obligations under the Convention Department of State. tion efforts lost credibility as a result of Against Torture. Among several tours of duty in “the gap between U.S. rhetoric and Washington, D.C., Wriston served as public action in places like Egypt, Pak- —Condoleezza Rice, former chairman of the Secretary of State’s istan and Saudi Arabia, and not launch- Secretary of State, speaking Committee on Personnel (1954) and as at Stanford University ing a democracy crusade in Iraq.” a member of the U.S. Department of on April 27, www.allgov.com/ Moreover, he adds, “promoting demo- State’s Advisory Committee on the ViewNews cracy has become synonymous with Foreign Service (1956-1958). There imposing it.” he earned a reputation as the architect In a related development, also on of the reorganization of the State De- March 11, a bipartisan group of promi- A Slice of FS History partment’s Foreign Service. He also nent scholars and experts issued an Wesleyan University’s Academic served as president of the American open letter to President Barack Obama Media Studio launched an educational Assembly (1957-1963) and president urging him to make democracy in the Web site in March on the life and work of the Council on Foreign Relations Middle East a top priority (www.csi of Henry Merritt Wriston (1889-1978), (1951-1964). donline.org). “Because of its associa- the distinguished professor, college — Susan Brady Maitra, tion with the Bush administration, president and foreign policy expert Senior Editor there is a temptation to move away who was instrumental in shaping the from any discussion of democracy pro- modern Foreign Service (www.henry Google Helps Dig for motion in the Middle East. That would merrittwriston.org). Government Data be a mistake,” says Shadi Hamid, di- The Wriston family funded cre- On April 28, Google launched a rector of research at the Project on ation of the site, which is designed to new search tool to help users find and Middle East Democracy (http://pom provide information about the life compare public data more easily. ed.org/). and work of the Wesleyan Class of “Google Public Data” is meant to make — Susan Brady Maitra, 1911 graduate and to be a research information from federal, state and Senior Editor portal for scholars. local governments accessible to citi-

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zens, starting with U.S. population and new tool will be useful in the class- The agency’s 2008 pilot program to unemployment data from the Census room, the boardroom and around the assess needs conducted in eight coun- Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Sta- kitchen table, allowing public data to tries found significant gaps in the pro- tistics, respectively. Later Environ- play a more central role in informed tection and care of refugees, further mental Protection Agency statistics public policy discussions. revealing that UNHCR has only a por- and other data sets will be available. For a primer on the problem tion of the budget it needs to protect The new tool takes data and refor- Google Public Data seeks to address, all refugees and asylum-seekers. mats them so that they are immedi- and some related initiatives to watch Specifically, the report showed that ately consumable, so that people don’t for, read cyberspace innovator and en- one-third of refugees’ basic needs in have to go through rows and rows of trepreneur Vanessa Fox’s March 24 these countries remain unmet (www. numbers to get the specific figure they blog, “Transforming the Relationship unhcr.org/protect/PROTECTION/ want, David Girouard, president of Between Citizens and Government: 48ef09a62.pdf). Google Enterprise, explained to Kim Making Content Findable Online” The plight of refugees and inter- Hart of the Washington Post. It also al- (http://radar.oreilly.com/2009/03/tr nally displaced persons in Africa and lows the user to construct an interac- ansforming-the-relationship.html). South Asia has significantly worsened. tive chart comparing data. — Susan Brady Maitra, Beside the ongoing refugee crises in Although the E-Government Act of Senior Editor Iraq and Afghanistan, the Sri Lankan 2002 requires government agencies to government’s effort to clamp down on make information more accessible Assessing the Status of the secessionist Tamil Tigers terrorist electronically, many agencies do not or- Refugees Worldwide group has already uprooted some ganize their Web sites for easy indexa- The status of refugees, especially in 171,000 people. In the eastern Dem- tion by search engines. Some even Africa and the Middle East, is a topic ocratic Republic of the Congo, more embed codes to make certain pages in- that has received increased attention than 100,000 people have been dis- visible to search engines, Girouard from international organizations and placed, as Congolese civilians flee their says. civil society. At the end of 2007, there homes fearing attacks by the rebel Google Public Data Project Man- were about 31.7 million individuals of Hutu militia, the so-called Democratic ager Ola Rosling discusses the new tool concern to the United Nations High Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda. on her official Google blog (http:// Commissioner for Refugees — includ- Another refugee drama continues googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/ ing nearly three million stateless per- to unfold in Kenya, where 60,000 So- adding-search-power-to-public- sons, about 13 million refugees and malis recently crossed the officially data.html). “The data we’re includ- asylum-seekers, and some 13 million closed border seeking shelter in camps ing in this first launch represent just a internally displaced persons — around that already house more than 260,000, small fraction of all the interesting the world (www.unhcr.org). according to a March 30 report, “From public data available on the Web. To get a more accurate and up-to- Horror to Hopelessness: Kenya’s For- There are statistics for prices of cook- date reading on the scope of the prob- gotten Somali Refugee Crisis,” from ies, CO2 emissions, asthma frequency, lem, the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights Watch (www.hrw. high school graduation rates, bakers’ Refugees has launched a “Global org). In Sudan, half of the estimated salaries, the number of wildfires — Needs Assessment” in 2009 to com- four million persons displaced by the and the list goes on,” says Rosling. prehensively map the real state of the civil war and fighting in Darfur have re- “All the data we’ve used in this first world’s refugees and people of concern turned, but remain under threat. An- launch are produced and published by under its mandate. UNHCR plans to other 200,000 are still in Chad. the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and use the resulting data and report as a Another category of refugees is per- the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population “blueprint for planning, decisionmak- sons who are internally displaced by Division. They did the hard work! We ing and action with governments, part- non-conflict factors, such as develop- just made the data a bit easier to find ners, refugees and people of concern” ment projects, natural disaster and cli- and use,” she adds. to address the situation (www.unhcr. mate change. These individuals are the Rosling and Google hope that the org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/GNA). focus of the International Refugee

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C YBERNOTES

50 Years Ago... oday, whether or not he aspires to be a deputy chief of Tmission, every officer of the Foreign Service should, in the course of his career, become acquainted with as many of the tools of his trade as possible. One of these accepted tools is now cultural exchange. — Donald Edgar, from “Cultural Exchange and the Foreign Service Officer,” in the FSJ, June 1959.

Rights Initiative, a nongovernmental Hillary Rodham Clinton announced a organization that believes states should series of initiatives to combat the prob- be legally obligated to protect non-con- lem, including the formation of a State flict IDPs under such circumstances. Department team to press Somali gov- IRRI acknowledges that the 1951 ernment officials to act against pirates Refugee Convention and its 1967 pro- on land, work with international peace- tocol do not mandate such protection, keeping circles to help the county po- but points to a new, binding protocol lice its own territory, and assist the that has come into force in the Great shipping industry with implementing Lakes region of Africa: the Interna- self-defense measures. An interna- tional Conference of the Great Lakes’ tional contact group will also meet reg- Protocol on the Protection and Assis- ularly to improve coordination of naval tance to Interally Displaced Persons patrols in the region and explore freez- (www.refugee-rights.org/Publica ing pirate assets (www.state.gov/sec tions/RRN/2009/February/V5.I1. retary/rm/2009a/04/121758.htm). CanTheICGLR.html). The protocol At this writing, Somali pirates were addressing the Bujagali Dam Project holding some 16 ships and more than and establishment of the Bwindi Im- 250 seamen (none American) for ran- penetrable National Park in Uganda som. According to the Malaysia-based may be a model for wider international International Maritime Bureau, such adoption, as well. attacks off the coast of Somalia in- — Betsy Swift, AFSA Intern, and creased tenfold during the first three Senior Editor Susan B. Maitra months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008, and are continuing at The Somali Piracy Poser the rate of two to three per week. Until recently, the idea of pirates in The vast geographic area involved the 21st century sounded outlandish. makes policing very difficult, if not im- But the issue forced itself onto the U.S. possible. Five naval ships, both Amer- foreign policy agenda in April, when ican and others, are currently on Somali pirates took over the Maersk counterpiracy missions in the Gulf of Alabama, holding Captain Richard Aden and Indian Ocean regions. The Phillips hostage. After five days, U.S. European Union, which launched a Navy Seals brought the drama to an naval operation in December with at end, freeing the captain, capturing one least 12 of the 27-member states, has pirate and killing the rest. four to eight warships deployed in the On April 15, Secretary of State region and is seeking more spotter

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C YBERNOTES

planes, Reuters reports. informal meetings and conferences testimony revealed, arming the crew, as The geographic challenge is com- from London to Cairo. An emergency suggested by Capt. Phillips and em- pounded by an institutional one: So- summit was planned for May 27 in braced by many legislators, could spark malia is a poster child for the failed Cairo, with the governments of Egypt, an arms race and encourage accidents. state. The government is not strong Somalia, Djibouti, Yemen, Jordan, It also presents thorny legal issues. enough and the security forces are in- Panama and Malaysia, as well as inter- Diplomats and the military clearly adequate to stop the piracy. As De- national agencies and industry leaders, have important roles to play in finding fense Secretary Robert Gates explain- according to Agence France Press. solutions, as both Maersk Inc. Chair- ed in a speech to officers at Maxwell Air Cairo has additional incentive to par- man John Clancey and Ambassador Force Base on April 15, there once was ticipate because it faces a steep drop in Stephen Mull, acting assistant secre- a huge piracy problem around the revenue as more ships opt to bypass its tary of State for political-military af- Strait of Malacca, but the Pentagon was waters, going around the Cape of fairs, testified. able to assist the navies of Malaysia, Good Hope (www.sfgate.com/cgi- From the Somali viewpoint, the Singapore and Indonesia with training bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/28/M problem looks somewhat different. and equipment to resolve it. “The NOK16RIRV.DTL). Somali writer and political analyst problem in Somalia is that we don’t On April 30, the Senate Foreign Abukar Arman argues in an op-ed, have governments like we had in Relations Committee convened hear- “Piracy, Geopolitics and Private Secu- Southeast Asia,” Gates said (www. ings on the dilemmas that legislators, rity,” that the routine encroachment washingtonpost.com). shipping companies and governments into East African territorial waters by How to tackle the Somali piracy face (http://foreign.senate.gov/hear international shippers that dump waste scourge is on the agenda of formal and ings/2009/hrg090430p.html). As and by fishing boats must be ad- dressed, for the resulting pollution and overfishing have undercut the popula- Site of the Month: Pandora.com tion’s ability to make a living from the Pandora is an Internet radio site for music lovers. If you find yourself without sea. Arman also proposes a security your personal music collection on the road, you can access all your favorites on- treaty with the U.S. (www.hiiraan. line anytime without charge. You simply choose a song, an artist or a composer com/op2/2009/apr/piracy_geopoli and Pandora creates an online “station” that will pull together music that goes well tics_and_private_security_security. with your selection. The music streams on your computer or mobile phone. You aspx). can save stations and share favorites with friends and family. But, he insists, we ought to look at Pandora evolved out of the Music Genome Project, launched in January 2000 the bigger picture, too, including the by a group of musicians and “music-loving technologists” who set out to create “the importance of the Indian Ocean as a most comprehensive analysis of music ever.” According to founder Tim Wester- “premier strategic region in light of the gren, “we set out to capture the essence of music at the most fundamental level. We shifting economic balance of power ended up assembling literally hundreds of musical attributes or ‘genes’ into a very from West to East.” Arman cites ana- large music genome. Taken together these genes capture the unique and magical lyst Robert D. Kaplan’s prediction that musical identity of a song — everything from melody, harmony and rhythm, to in- the Indian Ocean will be the central strumentation, orchestration, arrangement, lyrics and, of course, the rich world of stage for geopolitical competition in singing and vocal harmony.” the 21st century, as “70 percent of the That work has continued on a daily basis as the Music Genome Project team total traffic of petroleum products” compiles “all the great new stuff coming out of studios, clubs and garages around bound for both the Pacific and the the world.” Says Westergren: “It has been quite an adventure, you could say a lit- Middle East pass through it (www.for tle crazy — but now that we’ve created this extraordinary collection of music analy- eignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?stor sis, we think we can help be your guide as you explore your favorite parts of the y_id=4862&print=1). ■ music universe.” — Senior Editor Susan Brady — Shawn Dorman, Associate Editor Maitra and Hans Mulder, former Editorial Intern

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SPEAKING OUT EERs: The Forgotten Front in the War for Talent

BY JONATHAN FRITZ

uring her confirmation hear- process, here’s how it works. Most For- ing, Secretary of State Hillary Employee Evaluation eign Service officers devote the first DClinton declared that making Reports fail to give half of every May to drafting annual sure the department is functioning at promotion panels a evaluations. Individual officers, their its best is absolutely essential to Amer- immediate supervisors (raters), and ica’s success. While there are myriad useful means for their raters’ bosses (reviewers) spend challenges to rebuilding a strong and comparing officers to hours and hours filling up three pages effective State Department, I would their peers. with dense, single-spaced text detailing like to address one in particular: the the rated employee’s numerous contri- dysfunctional performance evaluation  butions to the salvation of the republic system for Foreign Service officers. over the past year. The Employee Evaluation Reports the weaker performers.” There is also a single line devoted to we spend so much time writing every Disappointingly, when the depart- “General Appraisal” that asks the rater year fail to give promotion panels a use- ment asked McKinsey to update its “Was performance satisfactory or bet- ful means for comparing officers to study in 2005, the company found that ter?” Except in very rare cases, the their peers. Raters and reviewers are “The area in which the department has “yes” box is automatically checked. In not required to rank their subordinate made the least change is in perform- addition, raters and reviewers almost officers, and almost never do. That ance evaluation, whose processes still always include a recommendation to leaves panel members almost wholly work largely as they did in 1999.” Sen- promote the rated officer immediately. dependent upon the EER narratives, ior State officials at the time said that The percentage of officers receiving most of which describe the rated offi- the amount of effort required to fix the such recommendations far exceeds the cers as diplomatic wunderkinds. And problem exceeded the benefits of number of promotions available in a when everyone is advertised as a super- doing so, revealing a disappointing ap- given year. In 2008, for example, only star, it is hard to differentiate between athy toward talent management. about 15 percent of FS-2 economic of- real achievers and mediocre perform- Since then, the only noticeable ficers made the cut. ers. The result is promotions that are change has been to expand the use of a The huge gap between the number far more random than they should be. new EER form (DS-5055) that re- of those recommended for promotion This problem is not new. In fact, it quires rated officers to write a greater and the small minority who will make was one of the five key weaknesses portion of their own evaluations. I, for the cut renders most of our EERs close identified in the “War for Talent” study one, am quite happy to have more to useless. But with no requirement to that McKinsey & Company conducted space to sing my own praises, but don’t rank subordinates against their peers for State in 1999. The report found see how this injects objectivity or rigor and the sure knowledge that everyone that “the department fails to differenti- into the process. else is engaging in the same kind of ate people sufficiently based on per- grade inflation, no one has an incentive formance. It does not offer fast enough Where All the Officers to disadvantage his or her own subor- advancement for the best and bright- Are Above Average dinates by writing candid evaluations. est, nor does it move aside enough of For those unfamiliar with the EER That leaves promotion panelists, who

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rarely have direct knowledge of the Army’s top block (restricted to less than employees they are assessing, with very half of the rater’s subordinates) to the little solid information on which to base When everyone is hailed Air Force’s “stratification” (25 percent their own rankings. of a rater’s subordinates) to the Marine This has five pernicious effects on as a superstar, it is hard Corps’ keeping a lifetime record of the Foreign Service as an institution: grades assigned by each rater, which Inefficiency: Many excellent officers to differentiate between retroactively affects the weight of any advance quickly through the ranks of grade given in the past. (If a Marine the Foreign Service, but the high de- real achievers and colonel gives top grades to all his or her gree of randomness in promotions (a majors this year, any good grades given direct consequence of our unhelpful mediocre performers. to previous subordinates are corre- EER process) means a great number of spondingly devalued.) the “best and brightest” are delayed by Virtually every major multinational a year or more in assuming positions of corporation also limits the number of greater responsibility commensurate steeped in the EER’s inflated rhetori- top performance evaluations that a su- with their abilities. This built-in ineffi- cal tradition — run the risk of being pervisor can award. At General Elec- ciency deprives the Foreign Service of disadvantaged by a less-than-hyper- tric, for instance, managers identify the the optimal use of its top performers bolic evaluation. Awareness of this 20 percent of “top talent” ready to and puts it at a disadvantage relative to danger discourages career-broadening move up, the 10 percent who are lag- other institutions with more effective experiences beyond the traditional FS ging, and the 70 percent in the middle. performance evaluation systems. track, a problem Sally Horn analyzed in Each of these systems, unlike ours, Demoralization: Seeing “the best her June 2008 FSJ article, “Rewarding forces someone in the rated employee’s and brightest” passed over year after Functional Policy Expertise.” direct chain of command (not complete year is almost as bad as seeing “weaker Wasted time and energy: EERs strangers sitting on a promotion panel) performers” shoot past them based on ought to be drafted with care, but the to do the hard work of rationing the nothing more than a well-written EER. amount of time we spend on the number of top grades given. In most Frequent occurrences of this phenom- process is excessive. Though unfortu- cases this “grade giver” is not the im- enon sap morale, discourage hard nate, this is not surprising, given that mediate supervisor (equivalent to our work, and prompt some high achievers many promotion panel rankings are rating officer), but one level further up who do not get promoted quickly to made more on the basis of how an eval- (equivalent to our reviewing officer). consider other careers (or agencies) uation “reads” on the page (with the Whether these grades form the proxi- that offer a more direct link between focus on writing style, typos, white mate basis for the decision to promote performance and reward. space, use of buzzwords, etc.) than on (as in many private-sector companies) Ineffective mentoring: Allowing comparative ratings among peers. or are forwarded to an independent managers to classify all their subordi- promotion panel that makes that deci- nate officers as “above average” makes Better Ways to sion (as for the military), there exists a the EER worthless as a tool for guiding Evaluate Performance clear link between performance and employee performance. While there It is ironic that an organization with the promotion process, something cur- are many mid-level and high-ranking one of the most rigorously meritocratic rently lacking in the Foreign Service. FSOs who take seriously their respon- recruitment processes in the world has Naturally, the rationing of top sibility to groom younger officers, this a performance evaluation system so to- grades stimulates competition among conscientious behavior takes place in tally lacking in rigor, especially com- rated officers (and perhaps their im- spite of the system, not because of it. pared with the “hard grading” systems mediate supervisors) as they lobby the Narrowing, not broadening: Offi- employed by other large bureaucracies. grade-giver over who deserves to make cers who accept assignments outside of Each branch of the U.S. military the cut, creating a certain amount of the department mainstream — i.e., uses different methods to assign top “office politics” and interpersonal stress who have raters or reviewers not grades to rated officers, from the within the work unit. But because

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these organizations consider managing • Forbid the reviewing officer from officers would, in turn, bestow greater talent a paramount responsibility of placing more than 50 percent of all re- credibility on the evaluations. A top those in supervisory positions, that is viewed officers of the same rank in the grade given by a reviewer to the only deemed an acceptable trade-off. “recommend promotion” category; and FS-3 he or she evaluates (which might It is high time the Foreign Service • Establish a credible enforcement occur at a very small post) might not reformed its officer evaluation system mechanism to ensure compliance. hurt the rated officer, but would obvi- to ensure our “best and brightest” are ously not carry the same weight as the leading the charge. The department The Advantages of top grades given to three out of seven should take the following steps to de- Hard Grading FS-3 officers reviewed by another indi- sign a new evaluation system: Reducing the time and effort vidual. • Shorten the EER form dramati- needed to complete EERs would en- Most importantly, promotion pan- cally, with single-paragraph narrative courage the movement of ratings and elists would have something solid on sections for the rated officer, rater and reviews up to higher-level supervisors, which to base their own rankings, to the reviewer; who could identify their top subordi- benefit of all those officers whose per- • Require the reviewing officer to nates by merely recommending them formance was truly excellent but whose place all FSO generalists of the same for promotion, rather than composing narratives failed to stand out, whether rank that he/she is reviewing into one essays that try to outpraise the compe- due to a rater’s poor writing skills or the of the following three categories: Rec- tition. This would enable higher-level inflated EERs of others in the same ommend promotion, satisfactory per- officers to review more subordinates rank cohort. Promoting these high per- formance, unsatisfactory performance; more quickly. Larger pools of reviewed formers would strengthen the Foreign

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Service by putting our best people into one also faced by elite military units like managerial culture of the Foreign Serv- positions where they can make a bigger the Army’s Rangers or F-15 fighter ice. By not forcing senior officers to difference sooner rather than later, and squadrons in the Air Force. Neither rank subordinates, it essentially ran- motivating them to stay in the Service, service, however, makes exceptions to domizes who gets promoted each year. knowing that their hard work is more limits on top grades for so-called “elite Without a strong link between per- likely to be rewarded. units,” yet this does not spell ruin for formance and promotions, the Foreign Such a system would also spur a excellent officers who fail to obtain a Service has learned to use other ways healthy dialogue among rated, rating top score every time. In such cases, the to identify top performers, such as an and reviewing officers over how to senior reviewer’s short narrative is cru- officer’s assignment history and “corri- compare performances. Ideally, re- cial to contextualizing the absence of a dor reputation.” But those are neither viewing officers would base their grad- top grade. as efficient nor as fair as an evaluation ing on fair and transparent metrics And after all, if the officers of a par- system that actually does its job. If we that would spur virtuous competition ticular unit really are elite, they will re- are serious about the “War for Talent,” among those being reviewed. ceive a disproportionate share of top it is high time we made EERs more rel- A potential complaint about insti- grades when they are transferred to evant to the promotion process. ■ tuting a “hard grading” system is that it other “non-elite” units. The same pat- would unfairly penalize missions, sec- tern would likely hold true for the For- Jonathan Fritz, an economic officer in tions or offices that tend to attract a dis- eign Service. Beijing, entered the Foreign Service in proportionately large number of high The current EER system reflects 1993. He has served in China, Latin performers. This is a valid concern, and exacerbates the conflict-averse America and Washington, D.C.

16 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/JUNE 2009 F OCUSON FSR EFLECTIONS

LEST WE FORGET Pietari Posti

ON THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TIANANMEN SQUARE MASSACRE, IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER TO HONOR THOSE WHO DIED THERE FOR DEMOCRACY.

BY JOANNE GRADY HUSKEY

n the spring of 2008, after a 19-year absence, my husband and I took our two children to visit Beijing and see Tiananmen Square, during their spring break from Taipei American School. Jim and I had lived there from 1988 to 1991, when he was a political officer, but we had never been back. The ultra-modernityI of the city, feverishly preparing to host the Summer Olympics, startled us. But what most sur- prised us was the sheer normality of Tiananmen Square. In the midst of the tourist traffic, I had a horrible fear that if

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history is not recorded, and the A large crowd of students 1970s. A large crowd of students truth never told, the present can listened as we shared our experi- completely erase the past. listened as we shared ences protesting against the Viet- That is why I feel compelled to nam War in the U.S. We told share my recollections of the tragic our experiences them about the 1969 Moratorium events in Tiananmen Square 20 March on Washington, and they years ago this month. Although demonstrating against the listened with keen interest. China is a very different place today, Over the next week we watched and the government has tried to Vietnam War in the U.S. the movement spread to other sweep it all under the rug, we must campuses, each day expecting the never forget what happened that government to crack down on this spring and all who died there in the name of democracy. activity. May 4, 1989, was the 70th anniversary of the launching of the May 4 Movement, when crowds massed The Buzz Begins in Beijing to protest the Chinese government’s weak re- On April 15, 1989, Hu Yaobang, the former Commu- sponse to the Treaty of Versailles. Once again students nist Party general secretary who had lost power in Janu- poured off the university campuses into the streets. ary 1987 because of his liberal views, died. In the days Their numbers grew each day, until thousands of stu- that followed, thousands of students at Beijing Univer- dents were marching around the second ring road encir- sity (known as Beida) and other university campuses cling the capital, where we lived, calling for freedom and began citing Hu’s views as they formed the “Beijing the right to enter into dialogue with Communist Party Spring” movement in China. leaders. The government did not respond; instead, its Three days after Hu’s death, Jim and I went to see a leaders stayed secluded in their privileged refuge of film on the Beida campus. When we came out of the Zhongnanhai, adjacent to the Forbidden City and theater, there was an almost palpable buzz, as students Tiananmen Square. milled about reading slogans tacked to the walls and held On May 13, 1989, a Beijing Normal University stu- impromptu open discussions. Curious about what was dent named Chai Ling made an emotional plea for the going on, we mingled with the youth and listened to some government to begin a dialogue with the students, or they of their ideas. They thanked us for coming, saying would stage a hunger strike to demand direct negotia- “Meiguo hen hao” (“America is good”), and some asked tions with Communist Party leaders. When no response us how students in the United States demonstrated, and was forthcoming, the students descended by the thou- about our student days during the late 1960s and early sands on Tiananmen Square, set up camp outside Mao Zedong’s mausoleum, and launched the hunger strike. Joanne Grady Huskey is a Foreign Service family member Mao must have been rolling over in his grave! Although who has been posted with her husband and children to Bei- he knew very well the power of mobilized students driven jing, Madras, Nairobi and Taipei. A cross-cultural trainer by nationalistic fervor, such as the Red Guards during the and international educator, Ms. Huskey founded Global Cultural Revolution, he would have been horrified to wit- Adjustments in India, a relocation company that specializes ness students calling for democracy and freedom from in cross-cultural training. She is also a co-founder of the the Communist Party. American International School in Chennai and a former Over the next week, the square filled with colorful international director of Very Special Arts International at banners, loudspeakers blared, and hundreds of tents the John F. Kennedy Center. She has published articles in were set up. We wandered among the students, amazed Newsweek, the Washington Post, State magazine, the For- at what we were living through. In mid-May, Soviet Pre- eign Service Journal and Centered on Taipei. mier Mikhail Gorbachev arrived in Beijing on an official This article is excerpted from her forthcoming book Un- visit. The first Russian head of state to visit China in 30 official Diplomat (New Academia Publishing, September), years, Gorbachev arrived at the Great Hall of the People a volume in the Association for Diplomatic Studies and for a historic meeting with Premier Deng Xiaoping. The Training Memoirs and Occasional Papers Series. entire international press corps came to Beijing to cover

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the momentous meeting. Much to Jim’s eyewitness report The students established volun- the embarrassment of the Chinese teer brigades to direct traffic, trans- government, however, the student remains, to this day, port food and medical supplies, and movement and occupation of Tian- patrol the streets and alleys. They anmen Square turned out to be a far one of the most detailed and their supporters were effec- more colorful and interesting story. tively in control of large swaths of ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, the descriptions of the Beijing, as police and soldiers BBC and many other media outlets stayed out of sight. The students from all over the world set up cam- night’s events. proclaimed they were setting up “a eras in Tiananmen Square. While real people’s government.” awaiting Gorbachev’s arrival, they Meanwhile, Communist Party focused on the fasting students. leaders remained hesitant and confused, unable to re- The night before the Gorbachev visit, students con- spond to calls for dialogue. Finally, on May 20 Premier fronted police on the steps of the Great Hall of the Peo- Zhao Ziyang, the most liberal-minded member of the ple, which runs along the western side of Tiananmen ruling Politburo, met with the students in Tiananmen Square. Because the media were on the scene to cap- Square. With tears in his eyes, he pleaded with them to ture the drama, the entire world was drawn into the stu- stop their hunger strike and leave. Soon afterward, he dent movement. The video images of Chinese students was ousted from power for trying to stop the hardliners broadcast worldwide aroused tremendous international from cracking down. Placed under house arrest, he was sympathy for their struggle. The crowd’s excitement was never again seen in public before his death in January palpable. 2005. Late on May 30, Vice Premier Li Peng went on tele- Energized by Success vision surrounded by members of the Politburo, stiffly Emboldened by the worldwide attention and support, dressed in Mao suits. He soberly announced that the students continued streaming into the area. People ar- government was sending troops in to restore order. rived from the countryside by the train carload, turning the square into a people’s camp. The air was electric with The Government Cracks Down debate, criticism and new ideas. Students were speak- On June 1, 1989, Jim went to Tiananmen Square at ing publicly and testing their skills with new political slo- around 7 p.m., as he had done each evening since the gans. movement had begun. He watched as young, unarmed Each day, Jim and I wandered through throngs of stu- People’s Liberation Army troops tried to reach the dents on street corners and in parks deep in heretofore- square, but were turned back by the students and work- prohibited political debate. We watched them grow ers, who persuaded the soldiers not to hurt their fellow bolder by the day, becoming increasingly vocal and sure Beijingren. Celebrations rippled through the square. of their ideas. And the movement spread from street cor- The next morning, the government imposed martial ners to offices, shops and worker cooperatives. We could law and clamped down on all media. As the entire world almost feel the opening up of people’s hearts and minds, watched, broadcasters were shut down, some right in like watching a dead flower come back to life. It was an mid-sentence. Foreign broadcasters were pushed off astonishing experience. Students, workers, old and their sets and the screens went black as millions of peo- young people, shopkeepers, even Communist Party ple all over the world watched. International reporters members, began smiling, greeting each other, speaking were physically forced to leave the square. out in public, and defending their rights in the street. Nevertheless, on June 2, thousands of Chinese ig- By this point, tens of thousands of permanent demon- nored the restrictions, riding their bicycles to Tianan- strators were occupying Tiananmen Square. Medical men Square in support of the students. Jim and I also supplies flowed into the square from Hong Kong. Stu- solemnly biked through the streets and around the dents lay with IVs in their arms on cots in hospital tents. square. We could sense a strange mixture of exhilaration Medics rushed in and out of the square offering first aid. and foreboding as no one was certain what would happen

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next. No police were visible. The People surrounded my cab had to happen; otherwise, the gov- students seemed to be running the ernment would just cease to exist. city, directing traffic and maintain- and urged me to turn back, Helen and I then returned to our ing order. But after foreign media apartment. broadcasts were cut off, it was diffi- anxiously shouting, Around 10 p.m. on June 3, Jim cult for us to find out what was hap- called and asked me to come back pening. “Go home quickly; you can’t to the square. Hearing this, Helen The government began broad- commented: “This day has been casting over loudspeakers in the get through.” So I did. amazing; the students have such square and on street corners, pro- zeal. The democracy movement claiming “The PLA loves the people seems so strong that the govern- and the people love the PLA.” The airwaves were filled ment can’t stop them.” with martial choruses singing patriotic marching songs and “I know,” I said. “It is unbelievable that the students pledging to restore peace. On television, soldiers caked in could turn back the army night after night. What a phe- makeup danced in flowing white chiffon capes to military nomenal thing!” music. So the only way to know what was really happen- I kissed Helen goodnight and tried to go back to the ing was to make the long trek down to Tiananmen Square square — but people surrounded my cab and urged me and watch. to turn back, anxiously shouting, “Go home quickly; it is In the middle of all of this, Jim’s 70-year-old mother, not safe, you can’t get through.” So I did. Helen, came to visit us from Alabama and also got swept up in the excitement when she went down to the square “Do You Know Where Jim Huskey Is?” with us. She saw the students’ huge white “Goddess of On reaching the apartment at around 10:30 p.m., I Democracy” statue modeled after the Statue of Liberty, heard a rising roar in the streets below and the building and snapped photos of demonstrators sleeping in the began to shake a bit. My heart sank. I looked out and square. And she, too, engaged in conversations with the saw a seemingly endless column of tanks rolling swiftly protesters and felt the electricity in the air. toward the city center. Knowing that Jim was in Tianan- On the evening of June 2, 1989, a brigade of PLA men Square, I frantically called the embassy. troops nearly succeeded in reaching the square. Several “Do you know where Jim Huskey is? Have you heard thousand young men, appearing no more than 15 years from him?” I asked the Marine guard on duty. old, marched west along Jianguomen Boulevard. The “Sorry, ma’am, we’ve had no contact,” he responded. people surrounded them, however, and persuaded them “Things are a bit confusing right now.” not to attack. The young soldiers were dazed and scared, As tanks advanced on the square from the west along holding hands with each other like children on the play- Changan Boulevard, Jim was one of the only U.S. em- ground. This time they were sent in from the country- bassy officers to witness firsthand the nightlong massacre. side and had no idea what they were getting into. The Moments after the shooting started at around midnight, demonstrators tried to educate them about the events in a man standing next to him was shot in the middle of the Beijing and urged them to join in the protest. We walked forehead. Jim ran behind the trees in front of the Gate among the groups as a sense of victory once again rever- of Heavenly Peace of the Forbidden City, then retreated berated across the square. eastward along Jianguo Boulevard (the Avenue of Eter- The evening of June 3 seemed to be a repeat of the nal Peace) as the government machine-gunned its own preceding nights. Helen, Jim and I spent the early citizens. evening walking around the square talking to the stu- While most protesters either stood in front of the tanks dents. Then Helen and I said goodnight to Jim around or fled, Jim and a CNN cameraman did see angry crowds 9:30 p.m. and took a cab back to our apartment, leaving set one armored personnel carrier on fire, drag a soldier him behind in the square. On our way home, we stopped from it and beat him to death. From midnight to dawn, at the Great Wall Hotel; anxiety pervaded the press gath- Jim ran in and out of the square, following each round of ered there. Many thought some kind of confrontation shooting to count the wounded and the dead.

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After a night of counting bodies With foreboding in my heart, bassy families over the telephone and helping Americans and others as the soldiers were shooting up get out of the area, Jim ended up in I closed the door to their apartments. I urged them the early morning of June 4 at the to run for the U.S. Marine van Beijing Hotel, in the embassy’s our apartment, leaving waiting outside their compound. 17th-floor room overlooking Jian- “Leave your things behind. Just guomen Boulevard and Tiananmen the chaos — and my go quickly!” I told them. One fam- Square, exhausted. He returned to ily was literally under their beds the embassy mid-morning and, in a husband — behind. talking to me on the phone while fury, wrote a long cable to the State bullets bounced off the walls in Department outlining minute by their apartment. They eventually minute what he had seen. That eyewitness report re- made it to safety. Luckily, no American was hurt de- mains, to this day, one of the most detailed descriptions of spite what seemed like complete anarchy in the streets the night’s events. When the Chinese government later of Beijing. tried to deny that anyone was killed in the square that Along with all the other families and “non-essential” night, Jim’s account was crucial evidence of what had ac- personnel, I was relocated to the Lido Hotel near the tually happened. airport. Jim was still out ferrying Americans to safety, so He made his way home late that day, June 4, utterly I didn’t get to see him before I left Beijing the next shaken by what he had witnessed. Only then could I rest. morning. At that time, I didn’t know if I would ever be back. With foreboding in my heart that night, June 8, Leaving the Chaos Behind 1989, I closed the door to our apartment, and left the In the chaotic days that followed, I and other embassy chaos — and my husband — behind. members manned the phones, calling all Americans in the The next morning, I was evacuated from China, re- Beijing Consular District who had registered with the em- lieved to be on a United Airlines jet bound for the U.S. bassy, and answering questions from Americans calling in My husband and I were separated for four months, dur- from across China. Many panicked and didn’t know if ing the worst period in U.S.-China relations. It wasn’t they should stay where they were or leave the country. until October 1989 that I returned to join Jim in a very Thousands thronged the Beijing airport trying to leave. I different Beijing. The government had cracked down managed to squeeze Jim’s mother, Helen, onto one of the on all freedom. We were watched by security police. It departing flights. was risky to meet with our Chinese friends. No one was A few days later, as the security situation continued to able to mention what happened in Tiananmen Square deteriorate, Ambassador James Lilley called a meeting of and no one could mourn the dead. all embassy families and told us that he was ordering a Nineteen years later as we walked through the square “voluntary evacuation.” While he was speaking, however, with our children, Beijingers were strolling and laugh- a barrage of gunfire broke out in front of the embassy and ing while taking tourist photos. For the young people in the ambassador changed his order on the spot: he called the square, the events of 1989 were ancient history. for a mandatory evacuation of all non-essential personnel. They now lived in a vibrant new country, preparing to He gave us an hour to prepare to leave China. But I re- host the Olympics. National pride and happiness were fused to leave the embassy until I could say goodbye to palpable as the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Jim, who was out convoying American students and People’s Republic of China approached. tourists from their university campuses and hotels in But for Jim and me, and for those who were there in northwestern Beijing to the east side of the city and prox- June two decades ago, Tiananmen will always remind imity to the airport. us of courage and hope and a glimmer of democratic As I waited, Chinese troops opened fire again, this freedom. In this month marking the 20th anniversary time on the nearby diplomatic high-rise apartments on of the Beijing “Democracy Spring,” let us not forget — Jianguomenwai Street. Someone shoved a phone in my and yes, even mourn — those who died for a better hand and said, “Help them!” I started talking with em- China. I

JUNE 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 21 F OCUSON FSR EFLECTIONS

MY BLACK BELT JOURNEY Pietari Posti

IN TAEKWONDO, ONE PRACTITIONER LEARNS, IT’S NOT THE DESTINATION THAT MATTERS BUT THE JOURNEY.

BY SCOTT B. TICKNOR

aekwondo: literally, “the art of kicking and punching.” It didn’t sound like the kind of skill I needed to learn at the age of 40. I was more a guitar-playing, read-a-good-book kind of guy. And as a For- eign Service officer at the consulate in Mumbai, just getting through work and adjusting to a new culture put more than enoughT on my plate. It was 2003, and we were leading busy lives in a frenetic city. We’d gone through a nuclear scare that year when

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India and Pakistan seemed headed Every new instructor determination and skill. We had toward war, and we had been living just done push-ups in a local park; in a new world of heightened ter- I’ve had focused initially every time I dipped down, my face rorist threats ever since 9/11. was swimming in a cloud of mos- Still, I was intrigued by the on correcting all the quitoes. After that experience, I trainer who came every day to limited my workouts to the air-con- teach the Korean martial art in the “mistakes” of my ditioned pool room and ap- outdoor patio of our small apart- proached the sport with greater ment building — not only by his previous teacher. humility. graceful movements and flexibil- As a poor migrant far from his ity, but by the way he cleaned the family, Sher had very little, but patio before every class, sweeping away the dust and gave a lot of himself — to his students and to the ani- soot accumulated from the city’s pollution like a weekly mals he frequently rescued on the streets. One day he puja (the act of showing reverence to God). When I came to class with a huge injured hawk, which he teth- met him at a party one night, I was drawn by the ered outside the room so he could take it to a vet after charisma of this young, wiry Nepali who proposed to our lesson. He saw potential in me, his oldest student, teach me Taekwondo. Sher — because his full name reassuring me “you’re never too old for a challenge” and was too complicated to pronounce, he said “Just call me seeing me through my green belt. (Taekwondo belts Sher” — could barely speak English. But he radiated start with white, and then go up through yellow, green, enthusiasm. blue, red and, finally, black.) In 2004, my wife, newborn son and I moved to Accra You’re Never Too Old and were once again consumed with setting up a new We began working out in a tiny consulate happy-hour life. As the embassy’s political chief, I scrambled to un- room with a pool table at one end, a large wooden bar derstand this new country as it headed into national at the other, and walls filled with photos of movie stars. elections. Our three-year tour would keep me busy The room was musty and smelled of beer, but it was the with participating in Ghana’s 50th-anniversary celebra- only free space I knew of that had enough room to do a tions, launching a major outreach effort to the Muslim few kicks and provided indoor air-conditioning to ward community, tracking narcotics and corruption scandals, off Mumbai’s humidity and pollution. Sher soon had and handling a steady stream of visitors. me doing duck walks around the pool table and push-up dips with bar chairs. Abel-Bodied Over the course of a year, he shared fragments of his I still found time for Taekwondo in Ghana. It helped life — how he had left Nepal several years before to that our house was well configured for it, with a down- seek a better life in India’s biggest city and had devel- stairs open-air garage that doubled as a dojo. My first oped a network of Taekwondo “gigs” all over Mumbai. teacher was a muscular Burkinabe named Abel. Like He taught middle-class kids in a large park near our Sher, Abel was trying to make a better life for himself house; he taught Indian movie stars; he taught street far from home. He was also escaping family expecta- children. One day Sher took me to spar (practice fight) tions, avoiding pressure from his father to join the fam- with one of his street pupils, a one-armed man in rags ily construction business. who showed me his kicks and punches with incredible Abel taught Taekwondo literally by the book, con- sulting instruction texts to walk me through my paces. Scott B. Ticknor joined the Foreign Service in 1990 and He loved working with groups of children and his soft has served in Madrid, Barcelona, Dhaka, Managua, Mum- smile contrasted with his rippling, cut physique, mo- bai, Accra and Washington, D.C. He is currently the po- torcycle and air of mystery. But his life was compli- litical/economic chief in Yaounde. Prior to joining the cated: he had constant, ever-more-tangled problems Foreign Service, he worked for three years as a civil servant with women; family members constantly called him for for the U.S. Information Agency. favors; and he got into rumbles with Ghanaian neigh-

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bors who resented foreigners. Our Sher had left Nepal to the money to pay the cabs. He relationship cooled when I began was unreachable for weeks be- hearing stories that he was wanted seek a better life and had cause of a lost cell phone, and by the police, possibly for robbery. then asked for money to buy a He tested me for my blue belt and developed a network of new one. then left suddenly for Burkina Faso, I ended our sessions and once never to be heard from again. Taekwondo “gigs” again took a break from martial Steven, the Ghanaian national arts, unsure if I had the drive to Taekwondo champion, took me all over Mumbai. try again. My new job kept me into the next part of my martial arts busy, managing the political, eco- career. He was a steady, friendly nomic, commercial and assistance fellow: much less muscle-rippling, much less compli- work of a medium-size embassy. Taekwondo was taking cated. Inevitably, as with every new instructor I’ve had, time away from my 4-year-old, who frequently inter- he focused initially on correcting all the “mistakes” of rupted my home workout sessions with pleas of “Can my previous teacher — the imperfect stances, the way- you play with me?” And not only were the Korean ward stylized fighting, etc. He taught me how to use a terms difficult to learn, but my body was feeling less flex- punching bag, which was fun until I broke my toe on a ible with age. kick. But eventually I decided to tackle the sport again with Our sessions slowed not just because of my hobbled Sylvan, a member of the Cameroonian national team, toe but because Steven’s knee was in pain from an earlier who gave me a tryout that left me curled on the floor in injury. Doctors told him he needed surgery and should a pool of sweat. Like his predecessors, Sylvan corrected take a break from Taekwondo. He couldn’t afford to have all the “flaws” in my technique, expanded my Korean vo- the surgery or to stop giving lessons. Like a macho mar- cabulary, and got me back into the sport. After several tial artist, he persevered under increasing pain. months, upon my return from a long vacation, Sylvan an- Then one day he announced he had to leave Ghana nounced “it’s time,” and booked me for a black belt exam temporarily because his village had selected him to be 10 days later. their next chief. He had no desire to be a traditional He worked with me two hours a day, reassuring me chief, but saw no way out. If he resisted, he was con- that I was ready at the same time as he threw new words vinced villagers would send goons to track him down and and techniques at me. “I haven’t done attack-defense force him to succumb to his fate. His only option, he exercises for years,” I protested; he promised to review told me, was to hide out in France for a while, which them all with me. When I said I’d only done board- would also give his knee a rest. Steven tested me for my breaking once, he assured me: “Don’t worry; it’s easy and red belt — and then disappeared. you’re ready.” Sure enough, when it came time for the exam, a day after my 45th birthday, it all came back to Taekwondo Cameroonian-Style me in a rush of adrenaline and sweat. By that time I was preparing to leave Ghana, so I As I caught my breath and stared in amazement at took a break from blocking and kicking until my next the four boards I had broken (it really was easy after all!), post, Yaounde. Sebastien, president of the Yaounde my two examiners asked why I did Taekwondo and what Taekwondo chapter, was my next mentor — a heavy- the sport meant for me. I first gave them a Foreign set, friendly Cameroonian who enjoyed talking about Service officer answer, marveling at the sport’s 2,000- French literature more than doing martial arts. year history. I admired the fact that it was a symbol of Rarely changing out of his jeans and sweater, Se- ethnic cooperation in ancient Korea and had survived bastien stretched me into contortions and drilled me on underground as a source of national pride for decades a dictionary’s worth of new Korean terms. He seemed when the sport was outlawed during the Japanese occu- steady and uncomplicated (if a bit lazy) until he started pation. I was impressed that Taekwondo was a uniting asking for money, first for small amounts and then for factor for North and South Korea, that it borrowed from large chunks. He came in taxis and then asked me for Japanese and Chinese martial arts, that it grew from rel-

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ative obscurity to being the most Their dedication to their alive. The black belt isn’t the end practiced martial art in the world, but the beginning of a new set of and that it had been recognized as art inspired me to overcome goals — “and you’re never too old a full Olympic sport in 2000. for a challenge,” I said. The exam- my own doubts and iners nodded, congratulating me on Just the Beginning passing the test. “You’re never too The examiners nodded, but I physical insecurities. old,” they agreed, “but at your age, could tell they wanted to know don’t spend too much time learn- about my personal journey. During ing to spar. At your age, you don’t my years of doing Taekwondo, I had gained a son and need to fight.” moved across continents. I saw generosity and persever- My first lesson with Sylvan after this test was sober- ance in the instructors who had encouraged me, even as ing. “You only begin to learn Taekwondo once you get they struggled with their own personal, physical and fi- the black belt,” he said, outlining a new, much more in- nancial challenges. Their dedication to their art inspired tense routine for the coming year. I would have to do me to overcome my own doubts and physical insecurities. more cardio, take fewer breaks, build my muscles, in- Finally, I explained to my black belt testers that I pur- crease my tolerance for pain. I would have to absorb the sued Taekwondo mainly because of the challenge and spiritual aspects of the sport and learn that each move- the exercise, and because devoting five years to working ment I learned in the previous five years had an inner toward a difficult goal made me feel younger and more meaning connecting the mind to the body. He took me

JUNE 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 25 F OCUS

through a warm-up that left me When my two examiners of meeting Sylvan’s demands some- gasping for air, then introduced a times strikes me as a bit insane. totally new set of stretching exer- asked what Taekwondo But as our routine takes a dra- cises that required holding awk- matic shift into higher gear, I also ward positions until my limbs meant to me, I initially gave find myself drawn to a deeper un- ached. He corrected flaws in basic derstanding of the sport, to the kicks I had been executing for years them a Foreign Service physics of perfecting a technique, but was not doing “the black belt to the beauty of the roundhouse way.” This was a new world, he re- officer answer, marveling at kick and cat stance, to the multiple minded me, and I could see from intricacies that make Taekwondo so his new intensity that he saw his job the sport’s 2,000-year history. fascinating. as pushing me to my limits. I’ve begun to internalize that This is the point when many most Asian of insights: It’s not the people drop out of martial arts, I’m told. By dropping out destination that matters — it doesn’t even seem so im- after the black belt test, you can brag about your achieve- portant when you get there — but the journey. And so, at ment without enduring the trials of the next, more serious least for now, I’ll continue Taekwondo — not for the fight- stage. And as I squeeze in Taekwondo sessions around ing skills or some promised spiritual gain, but for the ex- work and family commitments and once again recognize ercise, and for the challenge of seeing whether I can do my physical limitations, I have to admit that another year it and where it all leads. I

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RUSS AND I Pietari Posti

A CARPOOL CHAT LEADS TO THE ADDITION OF SEVERAL LONG-DECEASED DIPLOMATS’ NAMES TO THE AFSA MEMORIAL PLAQUES.

BY JASON VORDERSTRASSE

elix Russell Engdahl (better known during his lifetime as Russ) was a Foreign Service officer who died in Hong Kong in 1942. In researching his case for inclusion on the AFSA Memorial Plaques, along with those of two other diplomats,F I found the following curious letter, reproduced verbatim, in his personnel file:

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Mr. Stimson, Even though the trail One day, a fellow carpooler Sect. State mentioned that he had visited the Dear Sir — was cold, I felt a compulsion Stanley Military Cemetery, and had I wish to draw your attention to a found a U.S. diplomat’s grave from Mr. Russel Engdahl who last year to continue my research. 1942. He also said that the diplo- was Vice-Consul to Haiti. A fine mat’s name was not on the AFSA good Episcopal lad, but who is in Memorial Plaques, which com- danger after much persuasion and pressure from priests memorate Foreign Service personnel who have died in the and a treacherous Mother of becoming the husband of her line of duty. Apart from having scanned the names on the daughter and marrying into the Roman Catholic Church plaques briefly on a few occasions when I was in the C … It is appalling the way the heads of our government are Street Lobby of the Harry S. Truman Building, I did not fast falling a pray to the Catholic Church thro just such know much about them. methods and many others. This is an appeal from one who Early in 2008, I moved to the American Citizen Serv- knows but can do nothing. ices unit at the consulate, where my responsibilities in- An American cluded prison visits. When looking at the map to check the locations of the facilities I was going to visit, I noticed Clearly, the National Archives takes its responsibilities that two of them were very close to the Stanley Military seriously: it had kept this letter in Engdahl’s personnel file Cemetery. So I decided to stop there and look for the de- ever since 1932. ceased diplomat. Unfortunately, I did not remember his name, and I had neglected to ask where in the cemetery he History Comes Alive was buried. So although the site is relatively small, I de- The roots of my research into Engdahl’s life date back spaired of ever tracking down the grave — particularly be- to the mid-1980s, when I first lived in Hong Kong while in cause I had scheduled my visit to be brief, taking place just high school. During that time, I was fortunate enough to before I was to meet an incarcerated American at the meet various longtime residents of the territory, including nearby Tung Tau Prison. a few who had been there during World War II. Listen- In the last section of the cemetery, I came across a ing to their stories and visiting some of the battle locations gravestone marked “FRENGDAHL, U.S. CONSUL, made their experiences come alive. DIED 15.4.1942, AGED 34.” The inscription was crudely After I left Hong Kong in 1990, however, I rarely carved into the rough-hewn stone, so much so that I did thought about this period in history. But those memories not realize that the letters “NGDAHL” were smaller than came back once I was assigned to the territory in early the “FRE”, making me think that the diplomat’s last name 2007. was “Frengdahl.” After the prison visit, I did a few Inter- Like many other entry-level Foreign Service officers, I net searches, and began to realize that “Frengdahl” was an was assigned to live at Shouson Hill, on the south side of incorrect rendering of the consul’s name, which was actu- the island. While that neighborhood offers beautiful views, ally F.R. Engdahl. Other results I pulled up were prima- it is not convenient for public transportation. As a result, rily for “Edmund Roberts,” a name unfamiliar to me. up to five of us would crowd into a colleague’s Mazda 121 Eventually, I discovered that Roberts was a special each morning, carpooling to the consulate together. The diplomatic agent of the United States, sent by President vehicle was sometimes so packed that we called it “the Andrew Jackson to conclude treaties with Muscat, Siam clown car.” A positive aspect of this daily shoehorning, and Cochin China. Roberts intended to travel on to Japan, though, was the opportunity to discuss many different mat- but died of cholera or dysentery in Macau in 1836 before ters. reaching his destination. He is buried in the Old Protes- tant Cemetery in Macau, along with two other U.S. diplo- Jason Vorderstrasse, an FSO since 2004, is the global af- mats who died in the 1800s, Thomas W. Waldron and fairs officer in the Office of Regional and Security Policy Samuel Burge Rawle. Waldron died of cholera, an occu- Affairs in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He pational hazard for a diplomat at that time, while Rawle previously served in Hong Kong and Kingston. apparently died of old age.

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Unraveling the Mystery Further Internet searches were in his personnel file.) After the Further Internet searches con- Japanese invaded, he was interned in firmed that Felix Russell Engdahl confirmed that Felix Russell Stanley along with all Allied civilians, was indeed the individual buried in including several other members of the military cemetery. But at this Engdahl was indeed the the Foreign Service. point I did not know how he had died, Engdahl died on May 14, 1942, information that was necessary to individual buried in shortly before the interned Ameri- determine his eligibility for commem- cans (including members of the For- oration on the AFSA Memorial Pla- Stanley Military Cemetery. eign Service) were repatriated to the ques. United States. The July 1942 FSJ Even though the trail was cold, I (“In Memoriam”) contains the fol- felt a compulsion to continue my research. I can’t articulate lowing obituary: precisely what drove me, but in large part it was a conviction “ENGDAHL. — F. Russell Engdahl, last assigned that the service of these men should finally be recognized. Consul at Shanghai, and recently detained by the enemy, I decided to write to the Historian’s Office for more in- died on May 13, in Hong Kong.” formation about Engdahl and Roberts, on the assumption that the department maintained biographies of anyone Suspicious Circumstances? who had ever worked there. I quickly learned that this was Given Engdahl’s death and burial during the occupa- not the case, particularly for 19th-century diplomats. I was tion of Hong Kong, I naturally assumed he had been killed instead referred to the State Department’s Ralph J. by Japanese soldiers. Fortunately, his personnel file in- Bunche Library and the National Archives. The library gave me several leads on books, while the National Archives referred me to the National Personnel Records Center, which has records on many federal employees. Several weeks after writing the NPRC, I received a thick envelope on Engdahl, which included such items as his application to the Foreign Service, his personnel evalua- tions and two photographs. I was very surprised to learn that personnel files be- come public records after an individual’s death — some- thing all of us should keep in mind as we write Employee Evaluation Reports! To be sure, the process has changed considerably over the years. Some very blunt and now-il- legal statements appear in Engdahl’s reviews, calling him “lazy” and describing him as a “blue-eyed Nordic type.” In addition to the letter quoted at the beginning of this piece, there are a few other references to the fiancée he’d had while in Port-au-Prince. He did not end up marrying that woman, but instead wed Elizabeth “Lee” Lockhart, who joined the Foreign Service herself after World War II and lived until Dec. 15, 1994. From his personnel file, I learned that Russ Engdahl joined the Foreign Service on Dec. 16, 1930. After serv- ing as vice consul in Port-au-Prince and Calcutta, he took up an assignment in Shanghai in October 1935. He was still serving there as consul in late 1941 when he traveled to Hong Kong on courier duty. (Copies of his ship tickets

JUNE 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 29 F OCUS

cludes several contemporaneous de- Some very blunt and existed. At the school, I learned that scriptions and telegrams related to the they were most likely in the house of incident that led to his demise. Unfor- now-illegal statements the headmistress. After securing her tunately, even though Engdahl was permission, we went inside to see held in the same house as four other appear in Engdahl’s them. The measurements matched U.S. diplomats, none of them wit- the Bruins description exactly. The nessed the event that caused his death. employee evaluation stairs were quite steep, making it easy All, however, were adamant that the to see how Engdahl could have died Japanese were not involved. reports. from a fall. The upstairs area where According to the reports, on the Engdahl and his fellow internees slept night of May 13, 1942, Engdahl got up was very small and could only be ac- for water, which necessitated going downstairs. His fellow cessed by the single set of stairs, so it would have been internees then heard him fall. They found him at the bot- nearly impossible for anyone to sneak into the house with- tom of the stairs and, although he was unconscious, put him out the internees knowing. to bed. He died the next morning, from a skull fracture I felt a sense of closure in visiting the house, confident sustained in the fall. Fortunately for my research, one of that I now knew for sure that he had died in an accident. the internees, John Bruins, had taken measurements of the stairs and described them in great detail. “In the Line of Duty” By the time I received Engdahl’s personnel file, I had Although Engdahl almost certainly died in an accident, already established contact with several amateur historians and Roberts and Waldron of disease, I still felt all three in the United States and Hong Kong, a few of whom had men merited nomination for the plaques. With many oth- some information about him. Most of them also thought ers listed on the memorial as having died from disease, I Engdahl had been murdered, most likely by being pushed was certain that Roberts and Waldron also qualified. As for down the stairs by an internment camp guard. None of Engdahl, had it not been for his diplomatic service, he these historians had seen the contemporaneous descrip- would not have been interned in Hong Kong. To me, that tions of his death by his fellow internees, however. Their met the standard of “dying in the line of duty.” belief was primarily based on a statement by renowned I was gratified when AFSA accepted all three nomina- China hand John Service, who, as part of testimony before tions, as that provided a concrete result for all of this re- the Senate, had said that Engdahl had been “killed.” Un- search. (All three names were engraved on the plaques fortunately, Service did not elaborate on this statement; but on Foreign Affairs Day, May 1, 2009.) I only wish I had I now believe that he meant “killed in an accident.” undertaken this research 20 years earlier, as then I might Because the accounts of Engdahl’s death were written have been able to speak with someone who had served by his contemporaries in the United States during the war, with Engdahl. I felt it unlikely that they would have avoided blaming the While I have learned a great deal from colleagues of Japanese if they were, indeed, involved. Still, I wanted to Lee Engdahl and family members of her husband, none of see the stairs in question to judge for myself. them knew him personally. I still harbor the hope that I Through my contacts with a historian based in the U.S., will eventually find someone with personal recollections I learned from another internment camp survivor the exact of Russ, but with each passing year I know that becomes location of the house where Engdahl and his fellow in- less and less likely. ternees had been held. It was at the St. Stephen’s College If I have learned anything from this process, it is that Preparatory School, very close to the Stanley Military there are many Americans buried overseas whose stories Cemetery. Those who have visited Hong Kong will know have yet to be told. So there are very likely other U.S. that few buildings over 50 years old remain. Fortunately, diplomats who died in the line of duty but are not yet listed it appeared from the school’s Web site that recent con- on the AFSA Memorial Plaques. I hope that employees at struction had not led to the razing of the original buildings. other posts will be inspired to undertake this type of re- Armed with the description from Bruins and a tape search, so that we can commemorate the efforts of those measure, I felt confident I could find the stairs if they still who came before us. I

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F OCUSON FSR EFLECTIONS

COUNTERTERRORISM: SOME LESSONS TO CONSIDER Pietari Posti

A RETIRED DIPLOMAT SEES A DISTURBING PATTERN OF INCONSISTENCY, DISHONESTY AND DECEIT IN THE U.S. RESPONSE TO ACTS OF TERRORISM.

BY ALAN BERLIND

he suicide attacks on the United States of Sept. 11, 2001, alerted most Americans to the terrorist threat for the first time, even though large numbers of their compatriots had been killed in overseas terrorist in- cidents during previous decades. The response of the Bush administration to the attacks, however, attracted no more at- tention amongT the general public than had the reaction of previous administrations to earlier incidents. Taking comfort in the tough and patriotic rhetoric that flowed daily from Washington, the majority of Americans did

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not want to consider the idea that I could not tell this ber,” an instrument of the Palestine the death, destruction and offense to Liberation Organization and its the nation were being used as pre- tale before now because Fatah wing, led by Yasser Arafat. texts for pursuing unrelated goals — Sudanese security forces sur- much less allegations that credible of one secret I knew and rounded the embassy but did not in- intelligence available before the at- tervene for fear of putting the lives tacks had been disregarded. another I did not. of the hostages at risk, while the gov- Leaving 9/11 to future historians, ernment attempted to secure their we might more usefully ask how release by other means. American policymakers reacted to previous acts of terror- Others elsewhere were less concerned, or more cava- ism against U.S. targets, and then re-examine the question lier, respecting the hostages’ fate. On March 2, 1973, of how best to deal with this awful blight on modern civi- Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management William lization. My limited experience suggests a disturbing pat- Macomber was dispatched to Khartoum, presumably in the tern of inconsistency, dishonesty and deceit in high places, hope that their release could be arranged. Before the centered on the oft-repeated dictum that the United States envoy could arrive, however, President Richard Nixon let it does not negotiate with terrorists. be known loudly and publicly that in keeping with U.S. pol- That serious charge is best illustrated by a gruesome tale icy against negotiating with terrorists, Washington would of interrelated events spanning nine years in Africa and the pay no blackmail. Middle East — a tale I could not tell before now, because Shortly after that pronouncement, intended for a world- of one secret I knew and another I did not. The recent re- wide audience and bolstered by a comment for the press lease of documents some 35 years after the events re- from the State Department to the effect that Macomber counted below compel me to tell that story and to offer had no negotiating authority, Noel, Moore and Eid were some unremarkable, textbook proposals for handling fu- murdered in cold blood. Sudanese forces promptly ar- ture crises. rested the Palestinians and placed them in prison pending trial. 
 Over the ensuing 15 months, American officials at- tempted to hold the Sudanese government’sfeet to the fire, On March 1, 1973, the Saudi ambassador in Khartoum, urging that priority be given to the judicial proceedings that dean of the diplomatic corps, hosted a reception in honor had been promised. The Sudanese kept promising, but in of departing U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission George Curtis the early hours of June 24, 1974, after a court had sum- Moore. Early on, eight armed men crashed the party; cap- marily sentenced the accused to life imprisonment and tured Moore, newly arrived American Ambassador Cleo President Jaafar al-Nimeiry had immediately thereafter Noel Jr. and Belgian Chargé d’Affaires Guy Eid; and de- commuted the sentences to seven years each, Sudanese au- manded the release of several Palestinians from custody in thorities spirited the prisoners out of jail and onto a plane Jordan and freedom for Robert Kennedy’s assassin, Sirhan bound for Cairo, saying they would be handed over to the Sirhan. The terrorists were members of “Black Septem- PLO for execution of the sentences. Washington reacted swiftly, recalling American Ambassador William Brewer Alan Berlind retired from the Foreign Service in 1986 after from Khartoum and suspending various bilateral programs 25 years in nine jobs, including three in Washington, plus and projects. The Egyptian government, for its part, seized a year each at Columbia University and the National War the killers at the airport and imprisoned them. College. Specializing in political-military and trans-Atlantic affairs, he served as DCM in Khartoum and Athens, direc- Where I Came In tor of the Office of the Law of the Sea Negotiations in Wash- About to complete a tour at the U.S. embassy in Bel- ington and political adviser at NATO. Following retire- gium and with four years of African experience, I was sent ment, he taught at two American colleges in Greece and to Khartoum in late July 1974 as chargé d’affaires, with only now lectures occasionally at the University of Bordeaux in an overnight briefing from Amb. Brewer in Brussels and France, where he lives with his wife and son. instructions not to initiate any discussions with Sudanese

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officials. Administration of the silent Administration of the silent occur to me to stop thinking. Not treatment was meant to punish the convinced that our policies were pro- Sudanese for their want of firmness treatment was meant to ducing positive results; concerned in the face of terrorism. Nixon had that they were sowing confusion in just recently resigned and Henry punish the Sudanese for the Sudanese government and, via Kissinger,who had become Secretary the diplomatic corps, abroad; and of State while remaining national se- their want of firmness in reasoning that Khartoum’s actions curity adviser,was in undisputed con- paled in comparison to the murders trol of foreign policy. the face of terrorism. themselves, I undertook to draft for Within days of my arrival, I re- country team approval our joint ap- ceived a cable outlining “U.S. Policy preciation of the situation and rec- Toward Sudan in Wake of Terrorist Release” (State 169610, ommendations for future steps (Khartoum 2100, sent Sept. sent Aug. 2, 1974; declassified Sept. 25, 2002): “Conclusion 11, 1974; declassified Nov. 15, 2001). is that Pres. Nimeiri’s decision to release terrorists to PLO In brief, we recounted the Sudanese political motives for execution of commuted sentences is incompatible with for ridding themselves of the prisoners and reviewed U.S. continuation of cooperative ties. ... In addition to substance national interests in ending the stalemate that in combina- of decision, manner in which it was made and USG learned tion could be said to outweigh the Sudanese action. We of it showed scant courtesy to highest level USG. ... In deal- suggested that the Sudanese contribution to the release of ings with GOS, Emboffs should continue correct posture, the ELF hostages deserved some recognition and proposed meeting with officials at their request. ... You should re- engaging our hosts openly to fully explain U.S. policy (for spond to specific assistance requests of all types with state- the first time) and explore Sudanese willingness to take ap- ment that you will submit them to Washington for propriate measures to overcome the impasse. consideration, but that GOS should not RPT not expect The department’s terse, unresponsive and essentially early response.” dismissive reply — containing not a hint that our analysis But there was a problem. Several months earlier, the and recommendations had been read, much less consid- militant arm of the Eritrean Liberation Front had kid- ered — arrived three weeks later (State 218518, sent Oct. napped several people, killed one and released a few. They 3, 1974; declassified Nov. 15, 2001): “... Our policy remains were still holding four, including two Americans, some- unchanged with respect to Sudan.” I realized that the so- where in the wilds of northern Ethiopia. Neither Embassy briquet bestowed on me by a friendly colleague was on the Addis Ababa nor the Ethiopian government, which was in mark: Chargé de rien faire (that is, in charge of doing noth- its last days, had any good intelligence on the exact where- ing). abouts of the hostages, much less any leverage on their cap- Not until 32 years later did I learn that senior American tors. The best avenue to information about and subsequent officials such as Under Secretary of State Joseph Sisco had resolution of this terrorist incident passed through the se- been asking the Ethiopians to release some ELF prisoners curity services of the blacklisted Sudanese government. to ease negotiations for the release of the hostages (State How to overcome this obstacle? While I sought and 171544, sent Aug. 6, 1974; declassified May 4, 2006). In weighed assurances from Eritrean interlocutors in Khar- other words, we were asking others to deal with terrorists toum that the hostages were in good health, the Sudanese while we maintained an uncompromising position. security services were ever so quietly encouraged to pursue efforts to secure an end to the episode. With their help, 
 the hostages emerged unscathed at the border in Septem- ber and departed the next day for the United States. Khar- Fast forward to July 1982, when I arrived in Athens as toum’s interests and Washington’s had both been served. chargé d’affaires and was enlisted almost immediately in an effort led by U.S. diplomat Philip Habib to avert a regional Modest Recommendations disaster. The Israeli army under General Ariel Sharon had The instruction given me before I left Brussels for Khar- surrounded Yasser Arafat, some 1,000 of his fighters and toum was, basically, to keep my mouth shut; but it did not many other Palestinians in the port area of Beirut, and was

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threatening their mass annihilation. The instruction given me 
 The only way to avoid a blood bath was to evacuate the Palestinians by before I left for Khartoum What does all this have to do with sea, and the only feasible way to ac- that tragic episode in Sudan a complish that in the time allotted was, basically, to keep my decade earlier? The connection be- was to seek Greek help on an urgent came apparent to me only recently, basis. mouth shut; but it did not when a secret that I did not know at First, several Greek ship owners the time was made public, giving withdrew their vessels from the high- occur to me to stop thinking. new meaning to the secret that I did season August island trade and dis- know in 1974. patched them to Beirut, where they Although the State Department took Palestinian troops on board and deposited them wher- had been content to ship me off to Khartoum with no more ever permission had been granted. Secondly, Prime Minis- than an overnight course for beginners, a friendly contact ter Andreas Papandreou readily agreed to make available a in Brussels judged that I should be better equipped. So Greek man-of-war to pick up Arafat in Beirut and carry him before leaving I was shown the text of a message sent by to safe haven. A massacre was avoided, along with poten- radio from Beirut on March 2, 1973, by PLO Chairman tially disastrous political fallout. Greek and U.S. interests Yasser Arafat, instructing the “Khartoum Eight” to kill Cleo were different but not incompatible in this case, and the Noel, George Moore and Guy Eid. generally poor state of relations at the time was put aside to National Security Adviser Kissinger, if not his boss, was get the job done. presumably aware that Arafat had been directly involved

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in the murders: That intercept of the We were asking others CIA had been authorized to pursue order to kill was almost certainly the negotiations with a trusted Arafat work of the National Security Agency, to deal with terrorists aide. which was closely monitoring the sit- Witness this excerpt from a mem- uation; if the Belgians had gotten it while we maintained orandum of July 18, 1973, from CIA from some other source, they would official Robert Ames to Helms, the have surely shared it at once with the an uncompromising U.S. ambassador to Iran at the time, U.S. Assuming that others up the line who, several of the papers make clear, who had to know did know, I never position. was in constant contact with Henry thought to ask at the time. Kissinger (www.foia.cia.gov): Later research backed up that as- sumption. The Arlington National Cemetery Web site MEMORANDUM FOR: The Ambassador (www.arlingtoncemetery.com) credits Israeli intelligence SUBJECT: Contacts with the Fatah Leadership with intercepting the order to kill and forwarding it at During my stay in Beirut on 9-10 July [1973] I con- once to Washington. (Elsewhere, in a chilling reminder tacted a close associate of Fatah leader Yasir (sic) Arafat on of former National Security Council counterterrorism ad- the basis of a letter he sent to me requesting a meeting. As viser Richard Clarke’s allegation that serious intelligence you know, I had a useful meeting with this fellow in the past warnings of an attack on the U.S. were ignored prior to and his position in Fatah is fully established. ... My contact 9/11, former NSA Middle East analyst James Welsh has said that significant changes had taken place in the Pales- for several years been testifying that in late February 1973 tinian Movement since I had last seen him in early March he sent a flash message to State, for forwarding to Khar- 1973. He reiterated what he said at that time, which was toum, concerning a credible warning of an imminent PLO shortly after the Khartoum murders. The fedeyeen have no operation in Sudan, which inexplicably was never passed plans to go after individual Americans or American inter- on. See www.wnd.com and www.frontpagemag.com for ests; Khartoum had made its point of causing the USG to reports on Welsh’s efforts to draw official attention to this take fedeyeen terrorist activity seriously. matter.) He again insisted that no blackmail was intended; the In any case, a 1973 State Department document de- men would have been killed in any event. He said that, classified and released on May 4, 2006, leaves little doubt while he could not guarantee complete immunity from ter- about what was known and who knew it (www.state.gov/ rorist acts, no one can stop a determined individual gun- documents/organization/67584.pdf): “The Khartoum op- man. eration was planned and carried out with the full knowl- Arafat wanted the USG to know that he had “put the lid edge and personal approval of Yasir (sic) Arafat, Chairman on” American operations by the fedeyeen and that the lid of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and the head of would stay on as long as both sides could maintain a dia- Fatah. Fatah representatives in Khartoum participated in logue, even though they might have basic disagreements. the attack, using a Fatah vehicle to transport the terrorists This was not a threat — i.e., talk to us or else — but a recog- to the Saudi Arabian embassy.” (The same document, in- nition that talking was necessary. cidentally, also notes that “no effort was spared, within the capabilities of the Sudanese government, to secure the The Iron Rule freedom of the hostages.”) Defenders of both Nixon and the iron rule that demands there be no negotiations, no bargaining, no deals with ter- A Secret Revealed rorists may want to seize on the assurances of those terror- Arafat’s central role in the assassinations was the se- ists that “the men would have been killed in any event,” cret I already knew, thanks only to that friendly briefing I although that could just as easily have been an Arafat ges- was given in 1974. The devastating secret I did not know ture for getting Nixon and Kissinger off the hook. Does it showed up in the papers of former CIA Director Richard really matter? Helms released in August 2008. These files make clear Senior American officials, who would later fulminate that in 1973, within days of the Khartoum murders, the over the release of the terrorists by the Sudanese, tolerated

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threats (labeled something else) Within days of the government documents declassi- from those they knew had ordered fied and released as long ago as the Khartoum killings within days Khartoum murders, 2006. The depressing conclusion of the dreadful event, perhaps even is that old news is no news, no mat- before Cleo Noel and Curt Moore the CIA had been authorized ter how important in substance. had been laid to rest at Arlington Perhaps that explains official con- National Cemetery. to pursue negotiations with fidence that publication of old se- If Nixon and Kissinger thought crets will make no waves. it essential to negotiate quietly with a trusted Arafat aide. Equally disheartening, Henry Arafat for reasons related to Kissinger’s reputation as the broader Middle East policy, they supreme master of foreign affairs might have saved lives in the process by doing so several would probably suffer no damage even if the story I have days earlier, instead of going on the air with macho pos- told were broadcast beyond the circle of the Journal’s turing that can be said to have triggered the Khartoum devoted readership. murders. Does anybody care, including those in our own For- eign Service community? I do. I am certain I would 
 not have chosen the career I did had I known what I now know about the dishonesty and deceit in high The United States must without question have a firm places — an awful truth I have stumbled upon only in policy, stated and on the record, regarding terrorism, as retirement. I well as the human and material resources for carrying out that policy. But the incidents cited above make certain lessons self-evident. First, it is foolish, pointless and potentially dangerous to trumpet policy at every turn. Secondly, we have no right, moral or legal, to encourage other governments to negotiate while we stand aloof on principle. Thirdly, di- versionary tactics aimed at concealing our role in negoti- ations serve no real purpose and may skew policy on other important issues. Finally, we must rid ourselves of the notion that flex- ibility is weakness. It cannot be excluded that a particu- lar situation will require negotiations, perhaps direct, perhaps via a third party, in order to save lives, both American and others. The key requirement is to focus on vital interests rather than policies in determining how to respond to specific incidents. The interests of both parties to a ne- gotiation can often be accommodated, whereas neither policy set in cement nor ideological rigidity leaves room or hope for compromise.




To the best of my knowledge, the evidence presented above has received no previous mention in the main- stream media, at home or abroad, although it is based on

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REPRIEVE ON MANILA BAY Pietari Posti

THEY SAY A CAT HAS NINE LIVES.BUT HOW MANY REPRIEVES ARE WE HUMANS GRANTED BEFORE MORTALITY’S INEVITABLE TRIUMPH?

BY JOHN J. ST.JOHN

he sun was blindingly bright that Saturday in the summer of 1978, its heat only partially offset by the light breeze across the bow of the Philippine Government Customs launch as we sped across Manila Bay. I was the State Department’sman on a U.S. delegation that had finished negotiating a trade agreement with the Philip- pines the dayT before. Now, with 24 hours to kill before catching a plane to our next destination, we were being treated by the host government to a tour of Corregidor — also known as “The Rock” — that infamous isle where, 36 years be-

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fore, an overwhelmingly outnum- Just inside the doorway, a broad ramp, perhaps 20 feet wide, bered garrison of Americans and which led slightly downward toward Filipinos had held out heroically the ambient light changed an equally broad open doorway into under months of bombardment be- the interior. I barely noticed the two fore their inevitable surrender to the instantly from blinding striped sawhorses lying on their Japanese. sides near the entryway, though the The visit would give us an op- day to blackest night. word “caution” flashed ever so brief- portunity to see firsthand the condi- ly through my mind as I led both tions under which the beleaguer- delegations forward. ed force had lived — especially the complex of caves and Just inside the doorway, the ambient light changed in- tunnels that provided the garrison’s only shelter, the claus- stantly from blinding day to blackest night. After a few trophobic maze that encompassed living space, infirmary, steps, I stopped to give my eyes time to adjust. Still sight- storerooms and operations center,as well as General Doug- less after a minute or two, I placed my hands behind my las MacArthur’s headquarters and that of the elected eyes, like a horse’sblinders, to block more of the glare from Philippine government. outside. This helped, if only a little. I could sense, not re- During the two-hour trip, we felt the rigors of the past ally see, a very large room and — perhaps five or six feet week’s negotiations melt away. Yesterday we were gov- in front of me — the short, frayed remnant of a rope hang- ernment officials with a job to do; today we were tourists, ing from the ceiling. But nothing more. intent only on relaxing and immersing ourselves in the his- Realizing that the visibility was not going to get any bet- tory and locale of some of World War II’s most significant ter, I started forward. It was nearly the last step I ever took. events. One of the most remarkable of human phenomena is Well past the midpoint of the trip, an extraordinary the way our sense of time slows down — or maybe our sight seized our attention — a small island totally sur- thought processes speed up — when we are in extremis. mounted by what appeared to be a concrete battleship. My thoughts, still vivid in memory, went like this: And that is exactly what it was. Larger than a football field, First: “I’m falling.” its walls 25 to 36 feet thick, its deck more than 40 feet Next: “Hey, I’m still falling.” above the water, its armament four 14-inch naval guns in Third: “This is taking one helluva long time; I could get two heavily armored turrets, Fort Drum was an immobile hurt.” concrete battleship that had dominated the entry to Manila Fourth: “Is this the end?” Bay ever since its construction in the early 1900s. Al- Fifth: “Nobody up there in the dark even knows this though all but obsolete by 1942, it was one of Manila’s last drop-off is here; I’d better warn them.” harbor defenses to fall to the Japanese. So I did — I said, “Aaaaaaaaaaaa…!” And finally — splash! A Concrete Battleship Seeing our obvious interest, our hosts moved the launch Triaging Fear closer to the fort, where we could fully appreciate its size Surprisingly, my thoughts were calm and fairly well or- and see the hundreds of shell-holes that pocked its sides. ganized when I regained my feet. Relief at being alive, es- Someone in charge read my mind and, on the spur of the sentially unhurt, and standing in no more than a foot of moment, suggested we pull alongside and go aboard. water, was tempered by the realization — which grew Climbing to the main deck, we found ourselves facing quickly to fear — that I might not be alone down there in the dark. Snakes? Sharks? Morays? Are there ’gators in John J. St. John began his Foreign Service career in Mon- the Philippines? I quickly established communication with terrey in 1961 and retired as director of Mexican affairs in the folks up top, telling them I was OK but needed light 1989. Among other postings, he was economic minister in and a long rope, in that order. And fast! Geneva from 1980 to 1984, served in London and Man- The light came quickly, large balls of crumpled news- agua, and held two office directorships in the Economic paper set aflame with a cigarette lighter. This brought a Affairs Bureau. new fear — might there be some flammable petroleum

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sobering. Protruding above the surface of the water all around me were large rocks and concrete blocks. I had fallen in the only open space in which I could possibly have survived a 40-foot drop!

Spinning to Safety Soon the rope arrived, cheering me immeasurably as I imagined all manner of marine predators circling and siz- ing up my meaty white legs. Judging that my freedom of action at the top would be greater if I ascended in a stand- ing, rather than in a seated position, I stepped onto the Fort Drum, the concrete battleship. rope’s loop, rather than sitting in it, and the crew began slowly hauling me up. Suddenly the rope began spinning — and I spun along with it. The centrifugal force induced both vertigo and a growing fear that I would lose my grip, resulting in an in- stant replay of my swan dive. Tony Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, but I definitely did not want to leave my body at the bottom of Fort Drum! After what seemed a much longer time than it actually was, I arrived just below the deck and had to shout for the crew to stop hauling. From where I hung, I could see that the edge of the deck was bright, sharp metal, and I did not want my body dragged across that blade by over-enthusi- astic rescuers, especially while spinning. With the help of

Photos by Lazare Teper strong arms on the deck, I was able to gain control, stop Out of the depths ... Delegation head Mike Smith the spin and clamber over the edge with only a minor two- administers first aid. inch slice along the fatty part of my waistline. Luck was with me that day. The worst injury was to my product floating on the surface? I triaged my fears, and watch, which was a total loss. My body got away with decided to put that one aside. scrapes and scratches. While waiting for the rope, I looked for the first time at The motor launch dropped me off on the Bataan my surroundings and saw that I was, indeed, in a large Peninsula (site of the bloody “death march” of World War room of approximately the length and breadth I had II), where I was checked out and treated at the infirmary sensed just before the fall. But how far had I fallen? I of a blue-jeans factory located there. After a quick shower, guessed the height of the deck to be about 30 to 35 feet. I was outfitted in some of their products, since the clothes However, 40 feet may be more nearly accurate — as oth- in which I had begun the day were no longer usable, and ers present at the time and historical records concerning then zipped across the bay in a motorboat just in time to the fort’s dimensions indicate. join my colleagues for lunch and the afternoon tour of the How in the world did I avoid breaking my legs, or even wartime tunnels. my back, falling into such shallow water from that height? All in all, it was an eventful and memorable day. When The answer can only be that, although I began my fall in it began, I had never heard of Fort Drum. By the time it an upright posture, I gradually rotated forward by 90 de- ended, the concrete battleship had become a place I will grees, thus spreading the impact of my contact with the never forget. water over my entire body. And although by the end of the day I had scratched off As I continued looking around in the light of more flam- one of my “nine lives,” that was just fine by me, consider- ing spheres of newsprint, I saw something even more ing the alternative. I

40 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/JUNE 2009 JUNE 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 41

AFSAAmerican Foreign ServiceNEWS Association • June 2009

FOREIGN AFFAIRS DAY 2009 Memorial Plaque Ceremony Honors Diplomats of Old — And One Too Young BY FRANCESCA KELLY

n Foreign Affairs Day,held on May 1, the AFSA Me- Omorial Plaque ceremony honored those Foreign Service personnel who lost their lives overseas while in the service of their country. This year, three of the four names added to the plaques in the State Department C Street lobby — Edmund Roberts,Thomas W.Waldron and F. R. Engdahl — were those of FSOs from America’s past, in- cluding two of our country’s ear- liest diplomats. Roberts and MIKKELA THOMPSON Waldron served in Southeast Asia Secretary Hillary Clinton speaks at the AFSA Memorial Plaque Ceremony, flanked by the U.S. Armed Forces Color in the early 19th century and Guard (right), as AFSA President John Naland looks on, May 1. both died, at different times, in Macau. From the 20th century came giance, Naland introduced Secretary of the name of F. R. Engdahl, an FSO State Hillary Clinton. posted to Hong Kong who was captured Sec. Clinton first spoke directly and AFSA Headquarters by the Japanese in 1941. emotionally to the Adkins family, relay- Reopens The fourth name added to the ing condolences on their loss on behalf Story page 49 plaque this year was that of Brian Ad- of the Foreign Service community. She kins, a gifted young first-tour officer then read a message from President who died tragically and violently in Barack Obama, in which he honored all Ethiopia in January. The presence at diplomats who have fallen in the line of the ceremony of so many young friends duty,noting that“danger is not just con- and colleagues of Mr. Adkins served as fined to war zones.” “a testament to the impact that Brian Turning to the plaques, Sec. Clinton had on everyone whose lives he called them a reminder of“the gravity of touched,”AFSA President John Naland the work we do here.” She spoke about said in his opening remarks. He next all four men whose inscribed names were presided over the presentation of the unveiled at the ceremony,but ended with colors by the U.S. Armed Forces Color a tribute to BrianAdkins,remarking that Guard, who stood solemnly, their flags the“smart, talented and generous young highlighted against the international man” was “everything his country looks SHAWN DORMAN flags lining the atrium windows above for in a Foreign Service officer.” Front entry, AFSA Headquarters. them. Following the Pledge of Alle- Continued on page 50

JUNE 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 43 A F S A AFSANEWSBRIEFS N E W American Diplomacy Seeks an Editor New AFSA/TLG Intern S Founded in 1996, American Diplomacy (www.americandiplomacy.org) is one Miai “Velyn” Sheets, a rising junior attending of the oldest solely Web-based journals of foreign affairs in existence, and is cur- Spelman College, has been selected as the 2009 AFSA/Thursday Luncheon Group Intern. She will rently looking for an editor to take over the reins. He or she will work with a work in the Bureau of South and Central Asian group of associate editors and the journal’s webmaster to prepare and post Affairs and receive mentoring and financial support new material on a regular basis. The job takes perhaps 15 to 20 hours per from AFSA and TLG. Ms. Sheets is an international week, a good bit of which involves generating new articles and commentary. studies major and is fluent in French. Interested parties may apply or seek further information by contacting the pub- The AFSA/TLG program supports a minority col- lisher, retired Amb. Michael Cotter, at [email protected]. lege or graduate student exploring an international relations career in a high-profile, substantive and supportive work environment. The Thursday Life in the Foreign Service Luncheon Group is a State Department organization founded in 1973 by African-American employees to BY BRIAN AGGELER further minority advancement in foreign affairs. In 1995, AFSA started working with TLG in jointly sponsoring this internship. FSRA Funds AFSA Scholarship The Foreign Service Retirees Association of Florida has generously donated $1,000 to fund a need-based Financial Aid Scholarship in the 2009-2010 school year. The donation was coordinated by Amb. H. Kenneth Hill, FSRA chairman. This 600-member group includes Foreign Service retirees from the five foreign affairs agencies and their spouses, who live through- out Florida. They meet five times a year to listen to speakers on issues of interest and also make annual donations to affiliated Foreign Service organizations. For more information on the AFSA Scholarship Program, contact Lori Dec at (202) 944-5504 or at [email protected].

AFSA HEADQUARTERS: Staff: Governing Board: Executive Director Ian Houston: [email protected] (202) 338-4045; Fax: (202) 338-6820 PRESIDENT: John Naland Business Department STATE DEPARTMENT AFSA OFFICE: Controller Kalpna Srimal: [email protected] STATE VP: Steve Kashkett (202) 647-8160; Fax: (202) 647-0265 Accounting Assistant Cory Nishi: [email protected] USAID VP: Francisco Zamora USAID AFSA OFFICE: Accounting and Administration Assistant Alicia Campi: [email protected] FAS VP: Henry Schmick (202) 712-1941; Fax: (202) 216-3710 Labor Management FCS VP: Keith Curtis FCS AFSA OFFICE: General Counsel Sharon Papp: [email protected] (202) 482-9088; Fax: (202) 482-9087 Labor Management Attorney Zlatana Badrich: [email protected] RETIREE VP: Robert W. Farrand Labor Management Specialist James Yorke: [email protected] AFSA WEB SITE: www.afsa.org SECRETARY: F.A. “Tex” Harris Grievance Attorneys Neera Parikh: [email protected] and FSJ: [email protected] Holly Rich: [email protected] TREASURER: Andrew Winter PRESIDENT: [email protected] Office Manager Christine Warren: [email protected] STATE REPS: Anne Aguilera, STATE VP: [email protected] USAID Senior Labor Management Adviser Douglas Broome: [email protected] David Firestein, Susan Malcik, RETIREE VP: [email protected] Communications and Special Projects Assistant Asgeir Sigfusson: [email protected] Sandy Robinson, Shayna Steinger, USAID VP: [email protected] Member Services FAS VP: [email protected] Member Services Director Janet Hedrick: [email protected] Elaine Tiang-Chu, Daphne Titus, Andrea FCS VP: [email protected] Member Services Representative Michael Laiacona: [email protected] Tomaszewicz, Christopher Tremann Web Site & Database Associate Geron Pleasant: [email protected] USAID REP: Michael Henning Administrative Assistant Ana Lopez: [email protected] AFSA News Outreach Programs FCS REP: Rebecca Balogh Editor Francesca Kelly: [email protected] Retiree Liaison Bonnie Brown: [email protected] FAS REP: Kathryn Ting (202) 338-4045, ext. 516; Director of Communications Thomas Switzer: [email protected] IBB REP: Al Pessin Congressional Affairs Director Ian Houston: [email protected] Fax: (202) 338-6820 RETIREE REPS: On the Web: Executive Assistant to the President Austin Tracy: [email protected] Scholarship Director Lori Dec: [email protected] Janice Bay, Herman Cohen,

How to Contact Us: www.afsa.org/fsj and www.fsjournal.org Professional Issues Coordinator Barbara Berger: [email protected] David Passage, Jonathan Sperling Elderhostel Administrator Bernard Alter: [email protected]

44 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/JUNE 2009 A F V.P. VOICE: STATE I BY STEVE KASHKETT S A N A Bittersweet Farewell E W S our years as AFSA vice president for State have left me mayed by two of our most pervasive with decidedly mixed emotions. On the one hand, this failures, one internal and one exter- Fhas been one of the most fulfilling assignments of my nal. career. It has been an honor to stand up and defend the On the internal front, AFSA proved unable to soften the Foreign Service at a time when it has come under fire from hard-line attitudes and lack of sympathy for employee con- all sides. It has been a learning experience to see how our cerns among certain of our senior officers. Although these system really works — and doesn’t work. It has been a priv- individuals rose through the ranks, once they ascend to top ilege to fight for the things that matter in this diplomatic management positions they seem to forget that many of life we have chosen: fairness and equity in assignments, the their colleagues sometimes face difficult personal circum- ability to manage our personal and family lives honorably stances that require just a bit of compassion, or flexibility, while moving from one overseas post to another, and the from department management. It remains difficult for me opportunity to serve our country and make a difference in to understand this unwillingness to allow for humanitarian the world of foreign policy. considerations and this insistence By far, the most satisfying as- on applying the most rigid inter- pects of this job have been having The ludicrous image of the pampered pretation of the regulations, which the chance to get to know so many drives most of the grievances and Foreign Service colleagues person- diplomat contrasts with the harsh reality employee discontent that AFSA ally and working with AFSA’s su- of today’s Foreign Service, whose members deals with. perb professional staff to help the On the external front, despite hundreds of members who come spend most of their lives in the dusty vigorous public outreach efforts to us every year for assistance capitals of the developing world. — and despite our repeatedly when the “system” wreaks havoc publicizing the story of thousands with their lives and their careers. of members who have served in The bureaucratic horror stories combat zones — we never seem to I have witnessed firsthand are endless. But there is an un- make much headway in dispelling the pre-World War II paralleled feeling of gratification when AFSA can help re- public perception of the Foreign Service as a club for spoiled solve an injustice that threatens the well-being or career Ivy League brats who spend their time swilling champagne advancement of someone you admire. And I have come to at black-tie receptions in London and Paris. We hope Sec- admire the vast majority of the men and women of the For- retary Clinton will do a better job than her predecessor in eign Service who — despite all the hardships, the disloca- defending the real Foreign Service. tions and the nonsense they have to put up with — This ludicrous image of the pampered diplomat con- courageously perform a vital task for our nation in some of trasts with the harsh reality of today’s Foreign Service, the most difficult and dangerous places on earth. whose members spend most of their lives in the dusty cap- That said, my tenure at AFSA has been intensely frus- itals of the developing world, dealing with the thorniest trating at times. There was no pleasure in struggling for problems and crises confronting our nation. Yet this three years with an administration that, let’s face it, made derogatory perception damages our quest to secure public little secret of its disdain for the Foreign Service and its un- and congressional support for so many of the things we willingness to devote the resources necessary for diplomacy. need, including greater resources and staffing, legislation to There was no joy in watching helplessly as many of the fix the overseas pay gap, domestic partner benefits and paid “quality of life”benefits that the Foreign Service had earned maternity/paternity leave. over decades were eroded by neglect and budget cuts. The next AFSA Governing Board will take up these bat- AFSA shared the anguish throughout the ranks when one tles where we left off. I hope they will come to understand, single overseas mission became the exclusive obsession of as I have, that this is important, necessary work for which department leaders, to the detriment of every other em- we need an effective union. At least the next AFSA leaders bassy and consulate and every other aspect of the work of will start out with an administration and a Secretary of the Foreign Service. State that appear favorably predisposed toward the Foreign Perhaps most importantly, I leave AFSA baffled and dis- Service. I wish them well. J

JUNE 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 45 A F S V.P. VOICE: RETIREE I BY ROBERT W.“BILL”FARRAND A N E W S AFSA Has Your Back

he economic news of recent months leaves me more and privileges of its members: active-duty, retired (includ- persuaded than ever of AFSA’s important role as ing persons in transition to second careers) and surviving T“Watcher of the Hill”insofar as retiree benefits are con- spouses. First, as to the old question, which still sparks de- cerned. Even a cursory reading of Retiree Coordinator Bon- bate, especially among our older members: Is AFSA prima- nie Brown’s bimonthly newsletters reveals an increasing rily a professional association or a labor union? My reply is number of congressional bills affecting one or more federal that depending on the situation, its role can be one or the employee retiree benefits. A sampling of topics in Bonnie’s other or both at the same time. When Bonnie Brown de- recent newsletters — Medicare Part B, Premium Conver- scribes AFSA as “multidimensional,”she’s right. sion/Flexible Spending Plan, Social Security offsets, changes What is undeniably true is that AFSA is the only voice to the Thrift Savings Plan, sick-leave credit for FSPS retirees, that can be relied on, unencumbered by political or bu- When Actually Employed rules and related issues — attests reaucratic considerations, to defend the Foreign Service. We to this state of affairs. are able to speak truth to power when Foreign Service mem- The question I ask myself is: how much is this informa- tion worth in dollars and cents to AFSA’s retiree member- ship? Let’s take just one example: Medicare Part B. What would happen if its benefits were cut by, say, 20 percent? De- What is undeniably true is that pending on the state of your health and the frequency of your visits to the doctor, the sum of money involved could AFSA is the only voice that can be relied on, reach into several hundred dollars a year, much more than unencumbered by political or bureaucratic the cost of your annual AFSA dues. The time for seriously thinking about these matters is upon us. considerations, to defend the Foreign Service. For me, this is a perfect example of the congruence of AFSA’s organizational interests and those of its individual members. I am reminded of the line in the film “Jerry Maguire” when Tom Cruise’s character exhorts his client bers inside the system are unable to express publicly their football star:“Help me help you!” As I’ve said before, this is professional concerns or policy differences. our basic cry to the more than 7,000 Foreign Service annu- Second, with your continued support — and bless you itants who have chosen not to join our ranks and support for it! — AFSA remains an organization that you can count AFSA’s mission. on in this time of change to protect and preserve the bene- While we on the Retiree Membership Task Force con- fits you have justly earned after years of service to your tinue to reach out to these retirees through many channels, country. Its expert staff members fulfill one of our most im- I must be candid in saying that the going is slow. For portant roles: providing information and guidance to our starters, we lack solid information as to their whereabouts. members and their families in time of need. (I will resist And even when we have valid addresses and phone num- the temptation to name them individually lest I leave some- bers, there is the challenge of overcoming people’s tendency, one out; but rest assured they are all working full-tilt to in this day of screening devices, to refuse to pick up phone make your association the best of its kind.) calls or open the many requests for support they find in ei- As the State Department resumes its place at the head of ther their e-mail or snail mail. But we soldier on in our ef- the foreign policy table, AFSA will continue to watch the forts to sign up new members to assure the future viability Foreign Service’s back. of our association. Finally, to you retirees and members in career transition, Since this is my last column as vice president for retirees, I extend my deepest gratitude for the opportunity to serve permit me a few departing observations on AFSA’s role in as your representative on the AFSA Governing Board. It has promoting the Foreign Service and in defending the rights been an honor and a privilege. J

46 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/JUNE 2009 A F Briefs • Continued from page 44 V.P. VOICE: FCS I BY KEITH CURTIS S Attention Amateur A Radio Enthusiasts! The American Foreign Service Radio Our Friends on the Hill N Network, which has been in service since E 1968, exists primarily to support employ- W ees serving in the many embassies, con- S sulates, Peace Corps missions and other s I write this column, the fate of the Foreign Com- official postings around the world, as well mercial Service still hangs very much in the balance. as friends and colleagues on domestic as- AOn April 23 and April 28, Secretary of Commerce signment. Gary Locke testified on the Hill on our department’s Because this group meets on amateur budget. Commerce’s $7 billion budget is so broad,with so many urgent priorities, radio frequencies, people desiring to par- that FCS’s $237 million portion gets very little attention. Despite four hours of tes- ticipate need to have the appropriate li- timony, our budget issue did not get one mention. We are like Jonah, lost in the cense and authorization for the country in belly of the leviathan. which they are currently residing. The Secretary was questioned about the census, from which much political Since his arrival two years ago in Fort power stems; about digital television, the improper management of which is more Lauderdale, Fla., for assignment at the Re- likely to spur a revolution in this country than anything else; and on the National gional Information Management Center, Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- RIMC technician J Edgar McDermott, ama- ministration and climate change teur call NS5N, has activated the club sta- issues. He was grilled on patents tion, K4DOS, each week when he is not We have heard that there are and fried on fisheries. traveling. He reports that there is also a ambitious plans afoot for a We know that Sec. Locke is strong movement afoot to activate the significant increase of personnel knowledgeable and cares about main State station, W3DOS, and have trade issues, and we know he both in operation and available for TDY in the FY 2011 budget — has gotten the message that the amateurs wishing to participate in the now, if we can just last that long! Foreign Commercial Service is weekly nets or utilize the equipment for in bad straits and sorely needs casual contacts or contest participation. resources. In his confirmation “At the time of this writing, our Net Con- testimony on the Hill, the Sec- trol Station is KF7E, Jim Henderson, lo- retary called us“one of the most cated in Phoenix, Ariz.,” says McDermott. under-recognized and underappreciated services in government.” He regularly “The K4DOS station has operated as Net points out that the state of Washington, where he was governor for two terms, is Control in his absence and will continue to the most trade-dependent state in the union. But will this be enough to save us do so during my presence.” when the president is calling for widespread government cuts? Acting Under Secretary for International Trade Michelle O’Neill has been on If you have an active amateur radio li- the Hill twice recently, and although she was received in a positive and support- cense for your current location, McDer- ive way, she is not optimistic about FY 2010. We have heard that there are ambi- mott urges you to check in regularly, “if tious plans afoot for a significant increase of personnel in the FY 2011 budget — for nothing more than to test your long- now, if we can just last that long! range communications capabilities, The best thing we have going for us is the group of dedicated friends we have should the need ever arise.” developed over the years through our hard, caring and sincere work. Recently,the Below are the frequencies and times of Business Council for International Understanding delivered a strong and clear operations. message to the Secretary that we need more resources. (Thank you, BCIU Presi- dent and CEO Peter Tichansky!) The District Export Councils are working very AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE NETWORK actively on the Hill as well, and National Association of Manufacturers Vice Pres- EVERY SUNDAY ident FrankVargo was a star in his testimony there on our behalf. So we take great 14.316 MHz USB +/- QRM 1500-1530 UTC heart from our friends. Despite all our adversity, we know we make a difference 21.416 MHZ USB +/- QRM 1530-1600 UTC to many. 28.416 MHZ USB +/- QRM 1600-1630 UTC While this effort goes on, we continue to work with management on our midterm proposals, as well as on proposals they have put forward on changes in On the intranet, visit RIMC’s SharePoint the rules for promotion into and within the Senior Commercial Service. It goes Site at: http://irm.m.state.sbu/sites/rimc/ slowly, but I expect by my next writing there will be something to report. In the Florida/default.aspx meantime, thanks for your input and your help with all our efforts. J

JUNE 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 47 A F S FS VOICE: FAMILY MEMBER MATTERS I BY ERIN KUSCHNER A N Letter from a Third Culture Kid E W Dear Mom and Dad, flames, the result of a box gone missing because you had to S Before you start congratulating me about finding my first get rid of moving weight. apartment after college, you should probably know: There’s I wish you had told me that dragon boat races, swimming an ant (and occasional mouse) problem. The landlord does tournaments in Bratislava and cow-tongue soup weren’t ex- not speak English, and the water smells like sulfur when it actly hot topics of conversation among American students. first comes out of the tap, just as it does in Taiwan. I feel like Along with the sense of pride I felt in sharing my stories, I’m home. there was loneliness, too, when no one responded with their I know I kicked and screamed my way through five coun- own frightening tales of Kazakh cuisine. tries, seven cities, four languages and more than 200 plane But mostly, you should have warned me about after — rides, but it has all been in preparation for this. Now I get to after all the diplomas were handed out and the caps had been choose my own destination, my own sponsors. Danger pay? thrown, my choices were going to be slightly different than Are you kidding? This is going to be a breeze. those of my peers. A triumphant return to my hometown Wait. A little help here, please? I may have bid on the was not possible (which one?), nor was living in a city close wrong post. to the comfort of relatives (the ones we saw once a year on I settled into college in yet another unfamiliar city,chosen home leave?). This new post has a lot to live up to, and it has more by the gods of wait-list mercy than my stellar applica- to be done on my own; now that I’m 22, there goes my edu- tion essay. Stage one of culture shock, excitement, slid cational travel allowance. quickly into stage two, denial. “They don’t even know where I hope I don’t sound bitter, though you would, too, if you Budapest is,”I would cry. “They’re all from Massachusetts!” smelled like sulfur after every shower. It’s just that the world But you helped me through it, with telephone calling cards was at my fingertips for so many years, and I was naive to that I abused, trips home at Christmas and the promise that think it could continue to exist so easily within my reach. Boston would soon feel like home. Now you are both 6,500 miles away and I am left wanting to I appreciate your help, I really do. But four years in an see more, with no idea how to do it on my own. American college did not “repatriate” me as I thought it I wish you had told me that picking a college destination would, and the well-established notion that being a TCK is was the least of my worries. In this city that I have finally not so easy to grow out of — well, that’s hitting me pretty chosen for myself, all I can think about is my next move, and hard as well. why the one after it may not leave me satisfied either. I wish you had told me that watching my friends ask for Love, simple things to be sent from home — a phone charger, an Your diplomat daughter extra pillow, some old movies — would bring out so much Erin Kuschner is a recent graduate of Boston College who currently anger in me. My spare blankets are in a fiery hell of FedEx resides in San Francisco.

See the New, Improved FSJ Online All 2009 issues of the Foreign Service Journal are now online in a new, more reader-friendly and easily searchable format. In taking this step to raise AFSA’s profile on the Web, the FSJ has teamed with Texterity, Inc., of Boston, Mass., one of the most prominent providers of digital publication services to associations. You will continue to access the magazine online as before, by going to www.afsa.org/fsj or www.fsjournal.org, but you’ll find many more features. You can read the magazine online, download it for offline reading, share articles with friends and much more. A brief guide on the site will introduce you to the new format and explain how it operates. Check it out and let us know what you think by sending an e-mail to [email protected] (also the general address to submit letters for publication, by the way). FSJ readers can now join us on Facebook as well; type “Foreign Service Journal” in the search box.

48 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/JUNE 2009 A F SEASONED LEGISLATIVE EXPERT STEPS INTO LEADERSHIP ROLE thou art, act well thy part” —as his phi- S losophy for an effective organization. A Ian Houston Named “Everyone plays a certain role in an or- AFSA Executive Director ganization likeAFSA,”he explains,“and if N each person takes that role seriously — E BY FRANCESCA KELLY even a role that is the most mundane — it will serve the organization well.” W an M. Houston has been named the Born in the San Francisco area, S new executive director of the Ameri- Houston is the son of immigrants from Ican Foreign Service Association. Scotland and England. He holds un- Houston has been instrumental in pro- dergraduate and graduate degrees from viding interim leadership since Decem- BrighamYoung University and the Uni- ber. After a competitive and careful versity of Kent (Canterbury, England) selection process, Houston was selected, with a focus in policy, political science says AFSA President John Naland, “be- and international relations. cause we believe him to have the skills Houston is on the faculty at the and abilities required to leadAFSA’s staff Lutheran College Washington Seminar in the coming years.” program and formerly at Northern Vir- SHAWN DORMAN Houston is no stranger to AFSA and ginia Community College,teaching sub- its policy and Foreign Service manage- Houston is excited about building on jects ranging from public policy to ment issues. As legislative affairs director AFSA’s past successes and traditions, international affairs. A volunteer soccer since 2006, his knowledge of and famil- while helping move it into a new era. coach for many years,he is also a self-de- iarity with complex legislative issues are “Weare a membership organization,”he scribed “struggling artist.” Houston’s respected throughout the organization points out,“and we are here primarily to hobbies include following the Green Bay and beyond. He has worked on foreign consciously serve and represent our Packers and reading: he especially loves policy, international development, members and their interests.” the novels of Charles Dickens. He lives poverty reduction and advocacy with When it comes to management style, in Lake Ridge, Va., with his wife Jolene nonprofits and government agencies for Houston cites an inscription over the and three children, Aidan, Griffin and more than 14 years. door of an old Scottish arch —“Whate’er Grace. J

AFSA Headquarters Building Reopens professional staff immediately began hosting board meetings and member- BY FRANCESCA KELLY ship lunches in the main floor’s spacious conference room. A warm combination of tile and wood, taking up most of the front entry wall, greets staff and visitors when they enter the building. Tall windows make the space light and bright, and neutral carpeting covers all floors. The second and third floors contain offices,cubicles, a small conference room, seating areas, efficient staff kitchens and bathrooms. SHAWN DORMAN An elevator affords easy access to the The new and improved AFSA conference room, left. Executive Director Ian Houston, left, confers with Member Services Representative Michael Laiacona, in Houston's newly renovated office, right. upper floors for members, guests and bulk deliveries. he substantial renovation of AFSA’s In April, working operations quickly “This is a new chapter for AFSA,” offices at 2101 E St. NW has finally returned to a normal stride, and em- says Executive Director Ian Houston. Tbeen completed after more than a ployees appreciated the simple dynam- “By returning to our offices, we’re in a year. Having weathered a challenging ics of a functioning office that allows better position to serve our members, worksituationduringwhichtheyfacedre- closer interaction among colleagues, which is our core mission.” He hopes location, then several months of displace- such as being able to walk just a few feet that members will stop by and visit the ment, AFSA staff eagerly began moving to get a question answered face-to-face. renovated headquarters. “This is, after back into the new space in late March. In a “back to business” spirit, AFSA’s all, their building.” J

JUNE 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 49 A F Foreign Affairs Day • Continued from page 43 S Attending the ceremony were those Fellow A-100 classmate Meagan A personally connected to the honorees, Call, one of many friends who attended such as Brian Adkins’ supervisor, Paul the ceremony, remembers him as “the Cantrell, chief of consular services at the most cheerful —and hilarious — per- N U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa. Digni- son in the whole 135th class.” E taries in attendance included Acting Another classmate,Matthew Buffing- W USAID Administrator Alonzo Fulgham, ton, met Adkins when they were both S FAS Administrator Michael Michener Pickering Fellows. “He took his role in and Director General of the Foreign the Foreign Service very seriously,” re- Service/Director of Personnel Harry calls Buffington, who has fond memo- K. Thomas Jr. AFSA board and staff ries of Adkins “sitting in the cafeteria members, including Professional Issues with his Amharic flash cards.” (See the Coordinator Barbara Berger, who or- Appreciation for Brian Adkins, “A Life ganized the ceremony also attended. Dedicated to Service,”in the May FSJ.) Also present was consular officer This year marks the 76th anniver- Jason Vorderstrasse, formerly posted to sary of the creation of the AFSA Me- Hong Kong and currently the global af- morial Plaques. The first plaque was

fairs officer in the Bureau of East Asian MIKKELA THOMPSON unveiled on March 3, 1933, by Secretary and Pacific Affairs Office of Regional The AFSA Memorial Plaque, with four new of State Henry L. Stimson at the en- and Security Policy Affairs. He has been names, after the ceremony on May 1. trance to what is now the Eisenhower instrumental not only in bringing Executive Office Building next to the diplomats from the past to AFSA’s at- White House to honor Foreign Service tention but also in doing extensive re- serving as vice consul in Port-au-Prince colleagues who lost their lives overseas. search on their lives and deaths, and Calcutta, Engdahl took up an as- When first created, the AFSA Plaque reflected in the first three of the follow- signment in Shanghai in October 1935. was inscribed with 65 names represent- ing biographical summaries. He was promoted to consul on April 26, ing more than 150 years of history. The honorees were: 1937. In late 1941 he traveled to Hong Since then, an additional 166 names • Edmund Roberts (July 29, 1784– Kong on courier duty, and was still have been inscribed, commemorating June 12, 1836) was appointed as a spe- there on Dec. 7, 1941. He was captured the deaths of 231 honorees in 70 differ- cial agent on Jan. 26, 1832. President by the Japanese not long after the fall of ent countries. Andrew Jackson tasked him to negoti- Hong Kong later that month, along In 2000, in cooperation with the As- ate commercial treaties with Muscat, with several other members of the For- sociates of the American Foreign Serv- Siam and Cochin China. He success- eign Service. Engdahl died in an in- ice Worldwide, AFSA established a new fully concluded treaties with Siam and ternment camp on May 14, 1942, type of plaque that honors Foreign Muscat before returning to the U.S. In approximately six weeks before most Service family members who have died March 1835, he left on a follow-up mis- Americans in the camp (including all abroad. Every year, during the AFSA sion to Cochin China and Japan. other members of the Foreign Service) Memorial Plaques Ceremony, a wreath Roberts contracted cholera or dysen- were repatriated. He is interred in the is also placed at that site, located on the tery and died in Macau on his way to Stanley Military Cemetery in Hong other side of the State Department Japan. He is buried in the Old Protes- Kong. (Read more about Engdahl in lobby, to recognize the sacrifices made tant Cemetery in Macau. Jason Vorderstrasse’s article on p. 27 in by those who accompanied their spouse • Thomas Waldron (May 21, 1814– this issue.) or parent overseas. Sept. 8, 1844) was appointed as the first • BrianDanielAdkins (Feb.2,1983– Later in the day, AFSA welcomed U.S. consul to Hong Kong on July 21, Jan. 31, 2009) was serving as a consular retirees and other Foreign Affairs Day 1843. This was a recess appointment, officer at Embassy Addis Ababa, his first guests to a reception at the newly ren- and he was later confirmed by the Sen- overseas assignment,when he was found ovated AFSA headquarters, organized ate on May 17, 1844. Waldron arrived murdered in his residence earlier this by Retiree Coordinator Bonnie Brown. in Hong Kong in early February 1844. year, shortly before his 26th birthday. Amb. Ed Dillery, chairman of the While in Macau on an official visit in Adkins, a native of Columbus, Ohio, AFSA Scholarship Committee, pre- September 1844, he died of cholera. He won a four-year scholarship to The sented merit scholarship awards with is buried in the Old Protestant Ceme- George Washington University in Wash- assistance from AFSA President John tery in Macau. ington, D.C., where he also attended Naland and Scholarship Director Lori • Felix Russell (“Russ”) Engdahl graduate school, graduating summa Dec. Full coverage of AFSA’s merit (July 28, 1907–May 14, 1942) joined the cum laude. He was a skilled linguist who scholars will appear in the July-August Foreign Service on Dec. 16, 1930. After spoke seven languages. FSJ. J

50 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/JUNE 2009 A F S CLASSIFIEDS A N E LEGALSERVICES TAX&FINANCIALSERVICES TEMPORARYHOUSING W ATTORNEY WITH 28 years’ successful ATTORNEY, FORMER FOREIGN SER- COMFORTABLE GUEST ROOMS rent S experience SPECIALIZING FULL-TIME IN VICE OFFICER: Extensive experience with to DACOR members for $99/night/single or FS GRIEVANCES will more than double tax problems unique to the Foreign Serv- $109/night/double, all taxes and continen- your chance of winning: 30% of grievants ice. Available for consultation, tax planning tal breakfast included. win before the Grievance Board; 85% of my and preparation of returns: Contact: Tel. (202) 682-0500, ext. 14. clients win. Only a private attorney can ad- M. Bruce Hirshorn, Boring & Pilger, P.C. E-mail: [email protected]. equately develop and present your case, in- 307 Maple Ave. W, Suite D, Vienna, VA Web site: www.dacorbacon.org cluding necessary regs, arcane legal 22180. Tel: (703) 281-2161. doctrines, precedents and rules. 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Per month 307 Maple Ave. W, Suite D, Vienna, VA lington, VA 22201. Tel: (703) 522-3828. included. $1,700 Studio, $2,000 1BR. 22180. Tel: (703) 281-2161. Fax: (703) 522-5726. Includes all utilities and a parking space. Fax: (703) 281-9464. E-mail: [email protected] Please contact Theodore at (703) E-mail: [email protected] 973-9551, or e-mail: [email protected] MORTGAGE with TBT Property Management. EXPERIENCEDATTORNEYSREP- RESENTING FS officers in grievances, BUYING OR REFINANCING A HOME? CAPITOL HILL, FURNISHED housing: performance, promotion and tenure, finan- Jeff Stoddard has specialized in home fi- 1-3 blocks to Capitol. Nice places, great lo- cial claims, discrimination and disciplinary nance for FSOs for over 7 years. cation. Well below per diem. Short term actions. We represent FS officers at all Working with Chevy Chase Bank, he is OK. GSA small business and veteran- stages of the proceedings from an investi- able to provide FSO-specific financing. owned. Tel: (202) 544-4419. gation, issuance of proposed discipline or Contact him at (703) 725-2455 or via e-mail Web site: www.capitolhillstay.com the initiation of a grievance, through to a at [email protected]. hearing before the FSGB. We provide ex- COLLEGEAPPLICANTS FINDPERFECTHOUSING by using perienced, timely and knowledgeable ad- the free Reservation Service Agency, Ac- vice to employees from junior untenured commodations 4 U. Tel: (843) 238-2490. officers through the Senior FS, and often HS JUNIORS & SENIORS: Writer/for- E-mail: [email protected] work closely with AFSA. Kalijarvi, Chuzi & mer guidance counselor provides profes- Web site: www.accommodations4u.net Newman. Tel: (202) 331-9260. sional & ethical college application essay E-mail: [email protected] coaching and editing. From brainstorming to polishing, I have helped overseas students CORPORATE APARTMENT SPECIAL- TAX&FINANCIALSERVICES get into top colleges. Reasonable rates. ISTS Abundant experience working with E-mail Francesca Kelly at [email protected] Foreign Service professionals and the loca- ROLAND S. HEARD, CPA or call (301) 718-1994. tions to best serve you: Foggy Bottom, • U.S. income tax services Woodley Park, Cleveland Park, Chevy • Practiced before the IRS Chase, Rosslyn, Ballston, Pentagon City. FIRST CONSULTATION FREE TEMPORARYHOUSING Our office is a short walk from NFATC. One- 1091 Chaddwyck Dr. SHORT-TERM RENTALS month minimum. All furnishings, house- Athens, GA 30606 wares, utilities, telephone and cable in- Cell: (706) 207-8300 TEMPORARY HOUSING cluded. Tel: (703) 979-2830 or (800) 914- E-mail: [email protected] 2802. Fax: (703) 979-2813. WWW.ROLANDSHEARDCPA.COM WASHINGTON, D.C. or NFATC E-mail: [email protected] FREE TAX CONSULTATION for over- TOUR? EXECUTIVE HOUSING CON- Web site: www.corporateapartments.com seas personnel. We process returns as re- SULTANTS offers Metropolitan Washing- ceived, without delay. Preparation and ton, D.C.’s finest portfolio of short-term, PIED-A-TERRE PROPERTIES, LTD: representation by Enrolled Agents. Federal fully furnished and equipped apartments, Select from our unique inventory of com- and all states prepared. Includes “TAX townhomes and single-family residences pletely furnished & tastefully decorated TRAX” unique mini-financial planning review in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. apartments & townhouses, all located in with recommendations. Full planning avail- In Virginia: “River Place’s Finest” is D.C.’s best in-town neighborhoods: Dupont, able. Get the most from your financial dollar! steps to Rosslyn Metro and Georgetown, Georgetown, Foggy Bottom & the West Financial Forecasts Inc., Barry B. De Marr, and 15 minutes on Metro bus or State De- End. Two-month minimum. Mother-Daugh- CFP,EA, 3918 Prosperity Ave. #230, Fairfax, partment shuttle to NFATC. For more info, ter Owned and Operated. VA 22031. Tel: (703) 289-1167. please call (301) 951-4111, or visit our Tel: (202) 462-0200. Fax: (202) 332-1406. Fax: (703) 289-1178. Web site at www.executivehousing.com. E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.piedaterredc.com

JUNE 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 51 A F S TEMPORARYHOUSING REALESTATE SHOPPING A DC FURNISHED EXTENDED STAY in BURN CALORIES, NOT GAS! Lovely SHOP IN AN AMERICAN Penn Quarter/Chinatown. The Lansburgh, 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath townhouse, 1,900 sq. DRUG STORE BY MAIL! 425 8th Street, NW. 1BR and 2BR apart- ft. Oversized 2-car garage, landscaped Morgan Pharmacy N ments w/fully equipped kitchens, CAC & fenced backyard. Vienna Metro 5-min. 3001 P St NW E heat, high-speed Internet, digital cable TV walk. Convenient access to major routes. Washington, DC 20007 w/ HBO, fitness center w/indoor pool, resi- Be in D.C. in minutes! $498,876. For more Tel: (202) 337-4100. Fax: (202) 337-4102. W dent business center, 24-hour reception info/pics: [email protected]. E-mail: [email protected] S desk, full concierge service, secure parking www.carepharmacies.com available, controlled-entry building, 30-day PORT TOWNSEND, WA. KALA PT. minimum stay. Walk to Metro, FBI, DOJ, WATERFRONT CUSTOM HOME 3000 110 / 220 VOLT EPA, IRS, DOE, DHH, U.S. Capitol. Rates sq. ft. Massive stone fireplace, den/office, TRANSFORMERS, MULTI-SYSTEM TV, within government per diem. Discount for sunroom, 2BR/3BA, 4-car garage, carport, ETC. guest apartment, association amenities. government, diplomats. Visit our Web site VISIT EMBASSY SHOWROOM $475K. Tel: (360-379-9300). at: www.TheLansburgh.com or call the 5810 Seminary Road Cell: (360) 301-4048. Leasing Office at (888) 313-6240. Falls Church, VA 22041 E-mail: [email protected] Tel: (703) 845-0800 HOUSE FOR RENT,ARLINGTON, VIR- E-mail: [email protected] GINIA North Arlington, furnished two-story. ONE-BEDROOMBEAUTIFULLY fur- Available July 15. One-year lease, $2,300 nished condo, including queen-size bed, per month. Three bedrooms, two baths, of- nice linens, dishes, cutlery, pots and pans, fice. Fenced backyard. Excellent schools: and wonderful art in secure building, for Tuckahoe Elementary, Williamsburg, York- rent by a single person or couple, from May town. Five blocks to Metro; convenient to 18. Freshly painted, with 2008 appliances (stove, microwave, flat-screen TV). Living Hwy 66, GW Parkway. room has leather sofa with queen-size sofa Tel.: (703) 532-5204 U.S. AUTOMOBILE PARTS WORLD- bed. One block to Trader Joe’s and Penn. WIDE: Express Parts has over 30 years ex- E-mail: [email protected] Ave; two blocks to Georgetown; Foggy Bottom/GWU Metro station 3 blocks away. perience shipping original and aftermarket HOUSING IS AVAILABLE in a remod- Close proximity to State Department, World parts for U.S. specification vehicles. Give us eled 4-unit townhouse, about a block and a Bank, IMF, PAHO, GWU. Rent includes the year, make, model and serial number of half from the Dupont Circle Metro station condo fees, water/sewage; you pay for your car and we will supply the parts you (Red Line). Each unit is furnished with a full- electricity and cable TV/Internet fees. need. size washer and dryer, fully equipped $1,900/month, plus $1,900 refundable Tel: (440) 234-8381. Fax: (440) 234-2660. kitchen with cherry cabinets, granite counter move-in security deposit. Minimum one- E-mail: [email protected] and stainless steel appliances, cable, wire- year lease, which may be abrogated for Web site: www.expresspartsinc.com less Internet, security system and a shared, needs of service, with 30 days' written no- private, enclosed backyard. Utilities in- tice. Preference given to longer leases. Contact Caroline Moncure Taylor at (202) CRAVING GROCERIES FROM cluded. Garage parking available. Special- 669-7100 or [email protected]. HOME? We ship non-perishable groceries ized in renting to government employees on to you via the Dulles mail-sorting facility or detail, we work with per diem. Contact your choice of U.S. shipping facility. [email protected]. FORSALE:BEAUTIFULCAPECOD on 1/3 acre of gardens in North Arlington www.lowesfoodstogo.com 1 Choose the store listed under the “Over- REALESTATE (Yorktown H.S.). 4 brs, 2- /2 baths, sepa- rate music room and dining room, formal seas” heading, choose “pickup” with a JOANN PIEKNEY/REMAX REAL- living room, large recreation room, 2 fire- note providing the mailing address and TORS: Complete professional dedication to places, full basement. Perfect for FS or shipping restrictions. You will receive a residential sales in Northern Virginia. I pro- military family leaving on assignment but confirmation e-mail from your Personal vide you with personal attention. Over 25 coming back later. Retiring FSO not quite Shopper. years’ real estate experience and Foreign ready to leave the area offers to sell for Service overseas living experience. $699K, with leaseback at $3,500 per SELLING YOUR VEHICLE? JOANN PIEKNEY. month for at least two years. Lock in a de- LOOKING FOR A VEHICLE? Tel: (703) 624-1594. Fax: (703) 757-9137. lightful home for the future at a bargain Since 1979, Steve Hart has been helping E-mail: [email protected] price, with a tenant to pay down mortgage Foreign Service members with their auto- Web site: www.movetonorthernvirginia.com while you are away. Call (703) 536-9658 motive buying and selling needs. evenings; ask for Bill. AUTO BUYING SERVICE GREAT TIME TO BUY! BUYS and SELLS Looking to buy, TRANSPORTATION sell or rent property in Northern Virginia? ALL MAKES AND MODELS This former FSO knows the market and PET MOVING MADE EASY. Club Pet Steve Hart, Auto Buying Service 2971 can help. Dave Olinger, GRI Long and Fos- International is a full-service animal shipper Prosperity Ave, Fairfax, VA 22031 ter, Realtors® Tel: (703) 864-3196. specializing in domestic and international Tel: (703) 849-0080. Fax: (703) 849-9248. E-mail: [email protected] trips. Club Pet is the ultimate pet-care E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.davidolinger.lnfre.com boarding facility in the Washington Metro- politan area. BOOKS SARASOTA, FL. PAUL BYRNES, FSO Tel: (703) 471-7818 or (800) 871-2535. retired, and Loretta Friedman, Coldwell E-mail: [email protected] CLOSE-KNIT DIPLOMATIC family's Banker, offer vast real estate experience in adventures in Tel Aviv, Paris, Helsinki and assisting diplomats. Enjoy gracious living, PLACEACLASSIFIEDAD $1.40/word Washington, and retirement in England: no state income tax, and a current “buyer’s (10-word min.). 3 words bolded free, ad- Sweet Magnolias & English Lavender: An ditional bold text 85¢/word. Header or Anglo-American Romance, an autobiogra- market.” Contact Tel: (941) 377-8181, or box-shading $12 each. Tel: (202) 577- E-mail: [email protected] (Paul) or 3588. E-mail: [email protected] phy of James O’Donald Mays. Web site: [email protected] (Loretta). www.newforestleaves.com

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GETTING FOUND: GLOBAL NOMADS 2.0

SOCIAL NETWORKING HAS A SPECIAL ROLE TO PLAY IN CONNECTING THIRD CULTURE KIDS.

BY MIKKELA THOMPSON

hat are you doing right now? For a global nomad, social networking is a virtual scrap- Do you hate Facebook but book. I like that I can keep in touch with many of the post comments on Facebook friends I left years ago. I can feel a sense of community photos? Google people when without leaving my home. I can even reconnect with my in- hiring? Need to know what ternational schools. your acquaintances are think- Curious to learn more about the reach and role of social ing this very instant? If you’ve networking among global nomads generally, and the chil- had any of these impulses, then you are a social networker. dren of Foreign Service families and international school WAs a member of the Foreign Service community, joining alumni in particular, I have conducted an informal survey, LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, Hi5 or posting questions on the subject on listserves and on virtual Bebo will keep you connected to the entire global village. At “walls.” This article presents the highlights of my findings least where there is reliable electricity and access to the to date. World Wide Web, social networking is here to stay. The most popular social networking sites, according to An Irresistible Pull Wikipedia, are MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn “Social networking has had a tremendous impact on my in the United States; Nexopia in Canada; Bebo, Hi5, Face- life as a global nomad. Finally a way to keep in touch with book, MySpace and dol2day in Germany; Tagged, XING my friends all over the world — and in real time, too!” So and Skyrock in Europe; Orkut, Facebook and Hi5 in South responded an international school alumna to my inquiry. America and Central America; and Friendster, Orkut, Xi- “I’m on MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and I aonei and Cyworld in Asia. keep in touch with friends from middle school, high school, I’m one of those people who dislike Facebook, yet I’m college, grad school and every job I’ve ever worked, as well on the site a few times a week and use several other social as with people I’ve met more recently online. I attended an networking sites every day. Explaining my childhood as a international school, and the number of international global nomad was always a bit like describing life on the schools I see linked on Facebook is astounding.” other side of a looking glass. So in many ways growing up The fastest-growing demographic on Facebook consists in the Foreign Service prepared me for a 2.0 world. of individuals age 35-54. Many in this group are being brought to social networking by their children. “Who knows Mikkela Thompson, daughter of retired FSO Ward Thomp- when I first heard about Facebook? Probably through my son, is a global nomad, portrait painter and writer, and a for- children, who are much more electronically savvy than I mer business manager of the Journal. am,” one adult “convert,” a former Foreign Service child,

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wrote to me. The attraction of social wouldn’t want to be required to keep networking for her was being able to up with everyone daily. reconnect with former classmates and “Social networking has friends. Facebook “The school I attended, in Caracas, had a tremendous One of the fun elements of Face- folded the year I graduated. There book is photo sharing. I check my was no alumni organization, no impact on my life as a Facebook account every few days to records, no way to get in touch with see if anyone has scanned and posted anybody,” she explained. “Somehow, global nomad. Finally photos of me; some that have turned a network began — one person reach- up online are from decades ago. I feel ing out to another — and suddenly a way to keep in touch slightly queasy about this exposure of there was a site on Facebook, and my private life, but it can be very there were these faces that one might with my friends all amusing. On Facebook it is possible to be able to recognize (I graduated in “flag/delete” photos of yourself that the 1971, nearly four decades ago!). I am over the world — poster has tagged (labeled) with your a total convert.” name. But you can’t protect against My own experience with Facebook and in real time too!” photos that aren’t labeled. has been fairly typical of global nomads Privacy can be an issue for those and, probably, most other people over who do not feel that all their Facebook 30. Since I set up my account, people “friends” are actually friends. This is, from my past and present have been at least in part, a generational thing: I finding me. We engage in a flurry of Facebook relationship defaults to find it weird to read about what my back-and-forth e-mails catching up on what it actually is in real life. But that friends were thinking 34 minutes ago news — then, after a few months, the is fine with me. I like getting the next from their Facebook status updates, private messages stop. It is as if the chapter in someone’s story, but I but again, I’m over 30. For one 18-year-old I corre- sponded with, however, this ability to Selected Glossary have one’s friends do the keeping-up App – application – a computer program designed for a specific task is precisely what is so great about so- Avatar – an online persona used as a virtual identity cial networking. Instead of having to Blog – Weblog; a Web site used like a journal tell, e-mail or write a letter to others Delicious – a bookmarking social network about new developments in your life, Digg – a news-sharing Web site based on voting on news stories you can post news on Facebook, write IM – instant messenger a Tweet on Twitter, or add a video on- PM – private message line. Then those friends who care to PPC – pay-per-click – a method of generating revenue “follow” you can participate in your Podcasting – digital files of audio and video information virtual life. As the 18-year-old put it, RSS – Really Simple Syndication – frequent updating of news stories “Facebook is like a yearbook that con- SEO – search engine optimization – moving Web sites to the top of the search stantly refreshes itself.” function There are many groups on Face- Skype – service that enables phone calls using the Internet book that one can join. Some are Social Networking – a social structure made up of nodes and ties based on common experiences, like Twitterfeed – service that pushes your twitter to RSS school attendance. As the groups are Vidcasting – also vodcasting; video on demand user-generated, many of their names Viral video – a video that gains popularity through sharing via the Internet, usually are crude: Third culture kid — You via e-mail or IM wouldn’t understand; You know you Virtual Worlds (Second Life) – computer-based world went to an International School when Web 2.0 – second generation of World Wide Web usage, including social net- …; I went to an International School, working and blogs bitch!; Global Nomads (the one under Common Interests — Beliefs &

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Causes); Third Culture Kids Every- LinkedIn where; and so on. For those who consider social net- Figuring out what being “friends” “I want to know what working to be frivolous, there is on Facebook actually means can be LinkedIn, a professional networking confusing. For some people, the site happened to people, site that asks members to provide pro- has become a place where they list fessional information and resumés in everyone they know. It has become what kind of people they curriculum vitae style, including pho- like a high school popularity contest. tos and references. LinkedIn sends I am not “friends” with all my friends became, where they continual updates about your connec- on Facebook. tions and thus expands your network. One grown FS child told me he ended up.” Launched in 2003 as a “contact” was being sent so many friend re- platform, LinkedIn is playing catch- quests that he wanted to kill his whole up as a social networking site. It is account and start over. My advice was adding new applications, in addition that he “unfriend” people as a method to the resume building ones, includ- of cleaning up his account. He said ing such features as “100,000s of in- he would feel bad about doing that, Later, when I asked the FS kid if teresting discussions on LinkedIn.” even though the “unfriended” do not he had killed his account yet, he said The site is working to control the receive notification that they have just as he was about to, his high credibility of the discussions by add- been dropped. I reassured him that school sweetheart contacted him — ing managers, who are other users, in he could simply “ignore” friend re- and that made all the hours online an attempt to retain its “professional” quests. worthwhile. status.

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USEFUL LINKS:

ASSOCIATES OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE WORLDWIDE Web site created by Foreign Service spouses. www.aafsw.org

EXPAT EXCHANGE An online resource for information, employment, services and shopping overseas. www.expatexchange.com

FOREIGN SERVICE YOUTH FOUNDATION Provides information, advocacy and activities for Foreign Service youth. www.fsyf.org

GLOBAL NOMADS WASHINGTON AREA Activities, resources and information on Global Nomads. www.globalnomads-dc.org

TALES FROM A SMALL PLANET A Web zine for expats offering “Real Post Reports” and tales from around the world. www.talesmag.com

TCK WORLD Web site for the support and understanding of Third Cutlture Kids (TCKs). www.tckworld.com

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“I am a total convert. I truly believe in the social value of the Internet, though I am appalled by the lack of privacy and protection, the intrusion, the easy access.”

As an aside, LinkedIn is one of the sources mined by employers for back- ground on prospective employees. Its new advanced reference feature says it offers a “more credible and power- ful reference check.” All the em- ployer does is enter the company name and years of employment or the prospective employee’s name to find his or her colleagues, who can act as references.

Education: The Future Is Now Most organizations have incorpo- rated social networks into their out- reach activities. So I was surprised that international schools lag far be- hind in utilizing this versatile medium. According to my informal survey, social networking among the alumni of these schools was initiated by individual alumni, using search functions online, and not by the schools’ alumni staff. This is clearly a missed outreach and fundraising op- portunity for these international schools, whose students most likely will go on to make more than above-

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average incomes. it upon himself to keep a real-world “None of my schools reached out social network of phone numbers, ad- to me, and in general I simply had to I was surprised that dresses and meetings, sounded some- find people based on names,” an what relieved. “You are right about alumna of Kodaikanal International the international the relatively low amount of linkage School in India explains in an e-mail. on our official alumni Web site — “A fledgling LinkedIn group was schools lag far behind most of the younger graduates use started by another alum when the Facebook for active contacts,” he school itself said they were not inter- in utilizing this wrote. ested in administering such a thing. Very strange, backward thinking, versatile medium. Privacy Issues which may be related to the histori- “I truly believe in the social value cally bad Internet connections in of the Internet, though I am appalled India — but it has not stopped them by the lack of privacy and protection, from asking for money (by snail mail, the intrusion, the easy access,” one of generally).” The alum who set up the my interlocutors wrote, pinpointing LinkedIn group for KIS says he in- me that CIS hired its first-ever direc- one of the dilemmas posed by social tends to hand it over to the school tor of development in August 2008, networking. “For instance, anyone once its membership is too large to ig- and that the alumni page would be can post anything about me — pho- nore. her responsibility. Jim, who had ad- tos, gossip, it doesn’t matter what — Jim Keson, a former principal of the ministered the clunky alumni page and I have no way to stop or inhibit it. Copenhagen International School, told since its inception and had also taken Continued on page 66

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62 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/JUNE 2009 SCHOOLS AT A GLANCE Go to our Web page at www.fsjournal.org and click on the Marketplace tab for more information.

Annual Tuition, School Name Page Number Enrollment Gender DistributionPercent M/F BoardingPercent InternationalLevels Offered Common ApplicationAccepts/Offers ADDMiles and to LD Int’lInt’l Airport StudentsDorms Orientation w/E-mailHoliday & Phones Break CoverageRoom & Board (USD)

ELEMENTARY/JUNIOR/SENIORHIGH Barrie School 69 400 50/50 NA NA PK-12 NA Limited 31 NA NA NA 11,750- 24,080 British School 55 380 55/45 NA 50 PK-12 NN 10 Y NA NA 20,300- of Washington 24,250 Stone Ridge School 67 740 All girls NA 5 PK-12 NN 15 N NA NA 10,000- of the Sacred Heart 19,275

JUNIOR/SENIORHIGH Queen Anne School 69 155 NA NA NA 6-12 NY 15 N NA N 17,500 Tallulah Falls School 58 160 48/52 65 15 6-12 YN 75 YY N22,000

SENIORHIGH Advanced Academy 57 100 45/55 100 11 11-12 EEC* N Limited 50 YY Y10,300- of Georgia 19,900** Annie Wright School 65 160 All girls 45 35 9-12 YY 27 YY N39,000 Darrow School 71 100 60/40 80 15 9-12 YY 40 YY N42,150*** Interlochen Arts Academy 67 475 40/60 89 18 9-12, PG NN 16 YY N42,700 Orme School, The 61 200 50/50 70 33 8-12, PG NN 79 Y N/Y Y 37,250 St. Mark’s School 56 335 51/49 80 24 9-12 YY 30 NY Y43,600 Villanova Preparatory 59 315 50/50 35 30 9-12 Y Limited 82 YY N41,000 School Western Reserve Academy 60 375 55/45 63 12 9-12, PG NN 35 YY N39,100

DISTANCE LEARNING

American Public University 73 45,000 78-28 NA 1 A.A., B.A., NYNA N NA Y See below M.A. Tuition: 750 per 3 credits; 825 per 3 grad credits University of Missouri - 75 Independent study: Grade 3 through university. Bachelor’s degree completion. Ctr Distance & Ind. Study For more information, go to cdis.missouri.edu/go/FSJ9.aspx

Notes: NA - Not Applicable ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder LD - Learning Disability PK - Pre-Kindergarten PG - Postgraduate * Early-entrance-to-college program. ** Ltd. out-of-state tuition waivers. *** Tutorial program additional.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 64

JUNE 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 63 SCHOOLS AT A GLANCE Go to our Web page at www.fsjournal.org and click on the Marketplace tab for more information.

Annual Tuition, School Name Page Number Enrollment Gender DistributionPercent M/F BoardingPercent InternationalLevels Offered Common ApplicationAccepts/Offers ADDMiles and to LD Int’lInt’l Airport StudentsDorms Orientation w/E-mailHoliday & PhonesBreak CoverageRoom & Board (USD)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 63

SPECIAL NEEDS Glenholme School, The 73 111 80/20 93 7 5-12, PG N Y 50 N Y Y Call Gow School, The 59 148 All boys 100 22 7-12, PG N Y 20 Y Y N 46,250 Kildonan School, The 60 140 70/30 46 7 2-12, PG N Y 90 Y Y N 54,500 Landmark School 69 447 60/40 50 10 2-12 N Y 25 N Y N Call Oakland School 69 86 60/40 50 10 NA N Y 60 Y N N 42,000 Vanguard School 58 131 70/30 85 30 5-12, PG Y Y 50 Y Y N 42,000

OVERSEAS American Overseas 68 630 50/50 NA 65 PK-PG N Y 30 Y NA N 12,750- School of Rome 21,500 Country Day School, 62 150 50/50 15 80 PK-12 N N 40 Y Y N 28,050 Guanacaste Leysin American School 61 360 52/48 100 65 9-12, PG Y Limited 75 Y Y N 38,000 in Switzerland St. Stephen’s School 67 232 47/53 16 65 9-12, PG N N 12 NA Y N 39,970* TASIS, The American 65 700 46/54 21 39 PK-12 Y Limited 8 Y Y N 43,725 School in England Woodstock School 71 470 50/50 85 56 PK-12 N N 230 Y Y N 16,000- 19,000

POST- SECONDARY Rutgers University 73 52,471 48/52 40 1.7 B.A., M.A., N Y 10-25** Y Y Y 31,718 Ph.D. St. Mary’s University 74 2372 40/60 49 4.3 B.A., M.A., N Y 13 Y Y N 29,928 Ph.D. University of Kentucky 75 U.S. master’s degree programs, ranked by Foreign Policy magazine in the top 16. www.pattersonschool.uky.edu

OTHER Foreign Service 66 A support network for U.S. Foreign Service youth worldwide. Go to www.fsyf.org Youth Foundation

Notes: NA - Not Applicable ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder LD - Learning Disability PK - Pre-Kindergarten PG - Postgraduate *Dollar value is subject to exchange rate. ** Depends on campus.

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Continued from page 60 From the Facebook group, Yet for many of us, this is really the “You Know You Went to an International School When …” only way to communicate anymore.” 1) You can’t answer the question: “Where are you from?” It is a fact that there is scant pro- 2) You speak two (or more) languages but can't spell in any of them. tection or accountability online. Once 3) You flew before you could walk. posted, even material that you flag or remove is irrevocably out there. Peo- 4) You have a passport, but no driver’s license. ple, both young and older, are putting 9) National Geographic (or The Travel Channel) makes you homesick. huge amounts of personal information 10) You read the international section before the comics. on their social networking sites — 11) You live at school, work in the tropics, and go home for vacation. perhaps without thinking through the 12) You don't know where home is. consequences. 13) You sort your friends by continent. I myself have decided to treat 15) You realize it really is a small world, after all Facebook like a train station: if I run 16) You feel that multiple passports are appropriate. into people I know, and they want to 28) You know the geography of the rest of the world, but you don’t know the “friend” me, I usually accept. But I geography of your own country. try not to say or do anything on Face- 29) You have best friends in five different countries. book that I would not do or say in a 30) It takes 24 hours to reach home in a plane. train station. 31) You can only call your parents at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. There are also basic online rules, like knowing that typing IN ALL 33) School trips meant going to a different country. CAPS is the equivalent of yelling and

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is extremely rude. Also, most Web many groups you can join, but beyond sites have “rules of the road” that in- these platforms there are hundreds of clude staying civil and G-rated. Crude It is a fact that there is social networking sites for every con- language and personal harassment will ceivable interest and activity (see usually lead to “flagging,” which leads scant protection or Wikipedia for an encyclopedic list). to removal of the post and, often, ban- Soon Internet access will be avail- ning of the user from the site. accountability online. able on all flights (it’s already in place on some), so there will be no moment It’s A Wide, Wide World Once posted, even in the day or night when you cannot Many Internet activities are essen- tap into your social network. If there is tially visual. Perhaps this is why material that you flag electricity, there will be someone tap- YouTube is growing so fast. Its motto ping or scrolling through an app or is “broadcast yourself” and, with the or remove is reading a message, caught up in their Internet’s options, everyone can now virtual world, even as they are physi- become a star, and not just for fifteen irrevocably out there. cally next to you. minutes. With social networking and the For those who enjoy the written Web 2.0 world, international students word, there is blogging. You can pub- can keep up with everyone they have lish your photos, videos and words in ever met or would like to have met. your own blog. If you keep it com- get feedback — and once you do, you Just like that Foreign Service child pletely private, it remains a diary; but if are engaged in social networking. who was ready to kill his Facebook ac- you open it up to the world, you can Both Facebook and MySpace have count — until he was found. ■

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A VITAL POINT OF CONTACT: THE OFFICE OF OVERSEAS SCHOOLS

BY KRISTIN GRASSO AND CAROL SUTHERLAND

stablished in 1964, the Office of Over- percent are U.S. citizens, 29 percent are host-country citi- seas Schools coordinates and administers zens and 44 percent are third-country citizens. the Department of State’s Overseas To assist the schools, A/OPR/OS allocates money Schools Assistance Program. A/OPR/OS through grants, most commonly for salary support for U.S. works to ensure that the best possible citizens who have been trained in the U.S. as administra- educational opportunities are available tors, educators and other educational personnel; for Amer- for dependents of U.S. government per- ican educational material and equipment; and for in-service sonnel while stationed abroad. training for both staff and faculty. EWhile the office’s primary goal in supporting schools The safety of American children attending overseas abroad is to promote quality, American-style educational op- schools is of vital concern to the State Department. To this portunities, it also increases mutual understanding between end, the department has provided security-enhancement the people of the United States and those from other coun- grants totaling $80.4 million to 538 schools. Some of the se- tries through its assistance to overseas schools by demon- curity enhancements that are now in place at schools in- strating American educational ideas, principles and methods. clude shatter-resistant window film, public address systems, The schools A/OPR/OS assists are independent, non- emergency radios, security walls, bollards, gate systems and profit and nondenominational. In most cases, they were other physical security upgrades. These grants are part of established on a cooperative basis by U.S. citizens residing the Soft Target Initiative launched in response to congres- in foreign communities. The schools vary widely in histor- sional concerns over the security of U.S. citizens living ical background, size and complexity, ranging from tiny pri- abroad. mary schools with fewer than a dozen students to large K-12 schools with enrollments approaching 4,000. REOs Are the Backbone The Department of State does not operate these The Office of Overseas Schools draws its professional schools; instead, ownership and policy control are typically staff from public school systems, universities, foreign aid in the hands of parent associations that elect school boards. education programs and from overseas schools themselves. The boards then develop school policies and select admin- Six Regional Education Officers, each assigned a specific istrators, who oversee day-to-day operations. geographic region, are the backbone of A/OPR/OS. Some The makeup of the student body at these schools is in- of the issues the REOs deal with include the adequacy of ternational. Of the 121,970 students currently enrolled, 27 schools; accreditation; the opening of new facilities; and programs for children with special needs. Carol Sutherland is the Office of Overseas Schools’ informa- On any given day the REOs can be found advising par- tion coordinator; Kristin Grasso is associate information co- ents on the availability of educational opportunities over- ordinator. Continued on page 74

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JUNE 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 71 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT TIPS ON WRITING A COLLEGE ADMISSIONS ESSAY

FOREIGN SERVICE KIDS HAVE A DISTINCT ADVANTAGE IN CRAFTING THEIR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAYS.

BY FRANCESCA KELLY

• Write your essay before the start of senior year. Even if your essay describing your first game of chess at age 7 or your chosen colleges haven’t made their applications avail- your latest jazz guitar gig, try to include a reference to it in able yet, you can still compose at least a rough draft of your your conclusion. essay. That’s because many colleges, as well as the Com- • Write about something that is not already on your ap- mon Application (www.commonapp.org), give you a choice plication. You may have gone on a school trip to the Gala- of several essay topics, including “Write on a topic of your pagos Islands, but if that will be listed on your application, choice” or “Write about an experience that changed you.” choose something more illustrative of your character. One Get the essay done by the end of summer, before life gets of the best essays I ever read was by a student who wrote hectic in the fall of senior year. about a friendship that ended. There were no big, impres- • Show, don’t tell. Do not simply assert, “I am a very cre- sive words in this essay — it was just a simple tale told in an ative person.” Your reader will not trust you. In contrast, earnest way. It showed colleges much more than what was describing your experience painting a landscape in south- listed in his resumé. This applicant — who was not a ern Greece, for example, by evoking sounds, sights, smells, straight-A student, by the way — was accepted by nearly the sun filtering through the fields and the feel of the brush every college to which he applied. in your hand, will show how creative you are without your • Your overseas experience is very important, but it does ever using that adjective. not have to be the main theme. It can serve as a kind of • Turn any anecdote into something compelling by writ- “basso continuo” while another theme is the melody. For ing descriptively, deeply and with purpose. An essay on a example, if you’ve performed in plays wherever you’ve seemingly innocuous subject like raking leaves with your fa- lived, write an essay comparing your different acting expe- ther could go in any number of directions: capturing a riences in different countries. Look for experiences that peaceful moment after a tumultuous year; symbolizing your students who’ve lived in the U.S. all their lives could never relationship with your father; or even showing how, for a have. One of my students wrote about playing on a Bel- Foreign Service kid who has always lived in apartment com- gian national sports team — how many college applicants plexes, raking leaves is a new and exotic experience. have done that? • Grab the reader’s attention in the first sentence or two. • Ask someone to look over your essay, but don’t let any- The typical admissions reader is overwhelmed by dozens, one change your voice. Never submit your essay without even hundreds of applications. Consider starting yours having someone — an English teacher, a professional editor with a small, descriptive phrase rather than a blanket state- or another trusted and objective adult — check it for gram- ment: “I was following a school of silvery fish when I real- mar, syntax and spelling issues. But do watch out for peo- ized a large barracuda was following them, too,” rather ple who want to “fix” everything you wrote — they can edit than, “The day I learned to snorkel was one of the best days the life out of your essay. of my life.” The student I mentioned above was successful because • Good essays often come full circle. Whether you start he wrote an essay that was true to who he was. The appli- cation essay is your chance to show colleges who you are, Francesca Kelly is the Journal’s AFSA News Editor and, in and, in fact, they really do want to know. But the applica- her spare time, coaches students on their college application tion process is not just about making them want you — it’s essays. She worked as a high school guidance counselor while also about choosing the school that is the “right fit” for you. overseas. So be yourself. ■

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Continued from page 70

The safety of American children attending overseas schools is of vital concern to the State Department.

seas; helping parents locate schools offering programs for children with special needs; briefing ambassadors, DCMs or management officers on educational issues at post; or arrang- ing for an educational consulting spe- cialist to visit a school. Twice a year the REOs travel around their regions to meet with A Different Kind of College Ranking parents and embassy officers to dis- In September, Washington Monthly will unveil its 2009 “Annual College Guide,” cuss educational issues at post, visit a new and improved version of the post-secondary education survey that sorts the schools attended by U.S. govern- schools according to what they give to society (www.washingtonmonthly.com/ ment dependents and meet with college_guide/ ). school boards and administrators. Prospective college students and their parents will want to bookmark this site to have at their fingertips this very helpful alternative to the traditional “best” college A Wealth of Information rankings issued annually by U.S. News & World Report and other organizations. In the 2008-2009 academic year, Five years ago, Washington Monthly concluded that the public would be better the State Department assisted 196 served with more and different types of school rankings. The WM annual guide schools, and A/OPR/OS publishes a one-page fact sheet on each of them. ranks schools’ performance as engines of social mobility, as producers of the sci- The office also compiles a CD-ROM entific minds and research that develop new knowledge and drive economic growth, of detailed reports on more than 500 and as promoters of an ethic of service. preschools, elementary schools and “While other guides ask what colleges can do for students, we ask what col- secondary schools. These back- leges are doing for the country,” the magazine’s editors stated in the introduction grounders bring together information to their 2005 inaugural guide. on course offerings, special programs, In the 2007 WM guide, only Stanford shows up in the top 10. And among the programs for children with special Ivies, only Cornell figures in its top 25, thanks to the large number of graduates needs, extracurricular activities, grad- who earn a Ph.D. or join the Peace Corps. The elite schools’ “abysmal” record of uation requirements, etc. taking on and graduating poorer students is one of the reasons they don’t do well, This information is available from reports WM. The guide also surveys the country’s best community colleges. the Community Liaison Officer at — Susan Maitra, Senior Editor each post and on the A/OPR/OS in- tranet site. Copies of the CD-ROM

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The office publishes detailed reports on over 500 preschools, elementary schools, secondary schools and boarding schools.

are also available to individuals upon request. in addition, A/OPR/OS main- tains a resource center on schools at each post including yearbooks, news- letters, school profiles and a few videotapes. As all Foreign Service parents know, the quality of education avail- able is a major factor they consider in the bidding process for overseas as- signments. Foreign Service person- nel being posted overseas who have school-age children should therefore make A/OPR/OS one of their first points of contact. To reach the Office of Overseas Schools, you can use any of the fol- lowing methods: Tel: (202) 261-8200 Fax: (202) 261-8224 E-Mail: [email protected] Internet: www.state.gov/m/a/os (Contains the list of REOs and their regions) Intranet: http://aopros.a.state.gov (Contains the list of REOs and their regions) Address: 2401 E Street NW (SA-1) Room H328 Washington DC 20241-0003 Resource Center Hours: Monday thru Friday, 8:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ■

JUNE 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 75 BOOKS

Our First Official modest roots, had little formal educa- Propagandist Creel favored the tion, and spent his newspaper career dissemination of mostly in Kansas City and Denver. positive information Given Creel’soutsider background and Selling the Great War: The closeness to the president, whom he Making of American Propaganda to the media, rather venerated, it is not surprising that Sec- Alan Axelrod, Palgrave Macmillan, than outright retary of State Robert Lansing, among 2009, $26.95, hardback, 244 pages. censorship, to gain others, complained about the power REVIEWED BY JOHN BROWN public support for Creel wielded. He was also the subject U.S. engagement in of much congressional criticism, even I have yet to meet a student who, World War I. during World War I. before taking a course I give at George- But Axelrod paints a largely sympa- town University, “Propaganda and U.S.
thetic portrait, praising Creel’s “re- Foreign Policy: A Historical Overview,” markable integrity” and the Committee can identify George Creel (1876-1953), suppression, was the key.” He thus fa- on Public Information’s overseas suc- the head of the Committee on Public vored the dissemination of positive in- cess (except in Great Britain), as well as Information — the first U.S. govern- formation to the media, rather than his ability to recruit talented agents of ment propaganda agency. outright censorship, to gain public influence from among writers, scholars The book under review, while not support for U.S. engagement in World and artists. in-depth scholarship, tells much about War I. At the same time, Axelrod does not the little-known Creel and his organi- While focused primarily on the sugarcoat his assessment of the “impul- zation. At a time when the federal gov- home front, the committee also oper- sive, mercurial” Creel or his activities. ernment was far smaller than today, the ated overseas. As Axelrod notes, citing For instance, he claims that the Nazis Committee on Public Information em- Creel: “The mission was to produce were inspired by the committee’s suc- ployed more than 100,000 people in its and disseminate propaganda on a cess as a propaganda operation — many activities (e.g., Division of News, global scale and through every medium though, regrettably,he does not identify Division of Women’s War Work, etc.). — not ‘propaganda as the Germans de- a specific source for this assertion. And Creel, a muckraking journalist who was fined it,’ but ‘propaganda in the true it was largely due to Creel, Axelrod says, a confidant of President Woodrow Wil- sense of the word, meaning the ‘prop- that “the CPI converted the commer- son and had worked on his political agation of faith.’” The media used were cial instruments of public relations and campaigns, set up this huge bureau- multitudinous, ranging from the tradi- advertising into weapons of war.” cracy almost single-handedly following tional — books, pamphlets — to the One of Creel’scontemporaries, Col- Wilson’s 1917 executive order. It oper- newly invented, such as film. lier’s editor Mark Sullivan, offered an ated until 1919. Creel, who called his recollections even less generous evaluation. Creel, Critical of the “iron silence” de- Rebel at Large, does not fit the con- Sullivan wrote, recognized just “two manded by the military in wartime, ventional image of the period’s foreign classes of men: There are skunks and Creel believed that “expression, not policy establishment. He came from the greatest man that ever lived. ... His

76 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/JUNE 2009 B OOKS
spectrum contains no mauve, nothing Brands, the Dickson Allen Ander- communications system. As Britain’s but plain black and white.” Just the son Centennial Professor of History at military situation continued to deterio- kind of world view needed to be Amer- the University of Texas at Austin, re- rate, Churchill increased the pressure ica’s first official propagandist? minds us at the outset that “Roo- for more American arms. FDR under- sevelt’s first-term allergy to foreign stood the gravity of the situation, but John Brown, a Foreign Service officer policy was topical rather than sys- continued to be wary of isolationist for more than 20 years, compiles the temic; he kept clear of the world not pressures. Desperate or not, Churchill Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Re- because he lacked strong views but had to wait until FDR deemed the view (http://publicdiplomacypressand because he realized that his views time right for more robust action blogreview.blogspot.com/). He also weren’t generally shared” by the U.S. against the Germans. teaches at Georgetown University and public. Thus, a major part of FDR’s In that regard, Adolf Hitler baffled is a contributor to Place Branding and campaign to prepare Americans for Roosevelt, Brands observes. Was he a Public Diplomacy, a journal published the nation’s foreign policy challenges madman, or a more conventional by Palgrave Macmillan. was sounding the alarm on the grow- politician masquerading as one? To ing menace posed by international get a handle on his nemesis, FDR sent fascism — without unduly panicking Under Secretary of State Sumner A Seminal Figure the public and handing his domestic Welles to Berlin to meet with the Ger- enemies yet another weapon with man leader in early 1940. Welles re- Traitor to His Class: which to attack him. ported back that, compared with his The Privileged Life and Like all smart politicians, Roosevelt chilling reception by Foreign Minister Radical Presidency of knew he needed more than slogans to Joachim von Ribbentrop, “Hitler was a Franklin Delano Roosevelt make his case. A supreme pragmatist, sweetheart, at any rate in personal H.W. Brands, Doubleday, 2008, he used all tools at his disposal. One of style and tone.” In terms of substance, $35, hardcover, 896 pages. the more effective ones, according to however, no progress was made. Brands, was obfuscation. Before a large Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor REVIEWED BY JOHN STARRELS Chicago crowd in the summer of 1937, quickly triggered a congressional dec- for example, he called for a “quaran- laration of war on Tokyo. Citing Ger- When George W. Bush upended tine” against German and Japanese ag- many’s military alliance with Japan, the post–World War II tradition of a gression. But he didn’t spell out what Hitler did precisely what FDR wanted multilateral U.S. foreign policy, he not he meant by that term: “In fact, lest his him to do by declaring war against the only repudiated the example of his fa- audience — in Chicago and beyond — United States on Dec. 11, 1941. ther, but that of Franklin Delano Roo- think he was advocating military action, Traitor to His Class may strike the sevelt, who painfully crafted an alliance he stressed the opposite: ‘It is my de- community of FDR experts as painfully system that set the terms of reference termination to pursue a policy of obvious in its analysis, but I nonethe- for American diplomacy over six peace.’’’ less urge you to read it. Not only is its decades. FDR’smachinations could only take prose straightforward and free of jargon With our advantage of hindsight, it is him so far, however. By the summer of but, more importantly, it provides real all too easy to forget how difficult it was 1940, Hitler’s Wehrmacht sat astride insights into the life of one of America’s for FDR to overcome the power of the Western Europe and was on the verge most fascinating and seminal public fig- isolationist lobby and public aversion to of invading Britain. This is where Win- ures. It’s hard to imagine what our international affairs. How he did so ston Churchill entered the picture. As world would have been like without constitutes approximately one-third of Brands and other historians have noted, him. I H.W. Brands’ magisterial biography of it was Churchill, more than any other our 32nd president, Traitor to His foreign leader, who kept FDR fully ap- John Starrels, a Washington, D.C.-area Class: The Privileged Life and Radical prised of the Nazi menace through pri- writer, was a senior public affairs offi- Presidency of Franklin Delano Roo- vate briefing papers, which passed cer at the International Monetary sevelt. under the radar of the White House Fund until his retirement in 2006.

JUNE 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 77 IN MEMORY

Edwin Melville Adams Jr., 94, a re- Following his retirement from the Foreign Service. She served in Toron- tired FSO, died on Oct. 17, 2008, of Foreign Service, Mr. Williams turned to, Aruba, Iceland and Hong Kong. lymphoma at Falcon’s Landing, a re- to acting, a career he had considered After retiring in 1966, Ms. Briggs set- tirement community in Potomac Falls, years before, during his final year in tled in Rockport, Mass., later moving Va. law school. He hosted radio and tel- to St. Augustine. Mr. Adams was born in Gridley, Ill. evision shows in Hollywood, appeared Ms. Briggs leaves no immediate rel- He attended the University of Illinois, in commercials for Ford and Four atives. Donations may be made in her receiving a bachelor’s degree in politi- Seasons Hotels, and was the writer for memory to Best Friends Animal Sanc- cal science and drama in 1936 and a an NBC series, “Venice, My Love.” tuary, in Kanab, Utah, at www.best law degree in 1939. He appeared in 24 movies, usually friends.org. He worked in the private sector cast as a congressman, banker, doctor from 1939 until 1942, when he joined or priest. He also wrote poetry; a the State Department’s World Trade novel, Petty Destiny (Xlibris, 2004);
Intelligence Division. and memoirs to be published posthu- Vincent William Brown, 84, a re- In 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. mously. tired FSO with USAID, died on Navy, serving first as a gunnery officer There are no immediate survivors. March 11 in Laguna Hills, Calif., sur- in the Pacific theater and then as an at- rounded by his family, after a pro- torney terminating industrial contracts. longed struggle with heart disease. In 1946, he returned to the State
A native of San Francisco and a vet- Department as a legal attaché to the Hazel Briggs, 92, a retired FSO, eran of the submarine service in the Allied Commission, uncovering Nazi died on Dec. 27, 2008, in St. Augus- Pacific Theater in World War II, Mr. assets hidden in bank accounts in tine, Fla., of natural causes. Brown held a bachelor’s degree in Switzerland and other neutral coun- Ms. Briggs was a native of Wyoming business administration from the Uni- tries. Later, as embassy counselor in and graduated from the University of versity of California at Los Angeles and Rome, he negotiated treaties for air Washington in Seattle. Until 1942 she was a graduate fellow in international and naval base sites, including Aviano worked for private industry in Wyom- relations at Harvard University’s Air Force Base and Sigonella Naval ing and South Dakota. Shortly after Kennedy School of Government. Base, which are still in operation. the start of World War II, she went to Mr. Brown was a pioneer in the Mr. Williams held various positions work for the Department of the Navy field of economic development. Be- in international economics and admin- in Seattle and, later, for the Depart- ginning as a project manager in the istration in Washington, finishing his ment of the Army’s Signal Corps in Marshall Plan in Paris after World War career in 1969 as special assistant to the Seattle. II, he devoted his career to managing deputy under secretary of State and as- Following the end of the war, she U.S. assistance programs in Tunisia, sociate dean of the Foreign Service In- was employed by the Department of the Congo, South Korea and Pakistan. stitute. State and later was integrated into the His last posting — from 1972 to 1977

78 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/JUNE 2009 I N M EMORY

— was as director of the USAID pro- ican history at the University of Ore- ing him in the awkward position of a gram in Afghanistan. gon in 1953. persona non grata on the eve of his Upon retirement, Mr. Brown led a At the University of Oregon, Mr. scheduled departure for post (and on special initiative to globalize the oper- Grover was president of the Young the day he had sold his house in ations of the worldwide headquarters Democrats chapter. At a campaign Bethesda, Md.). Lisbon apparently of the Christian Science Church in event at the Eugene train station in undertook this rarest of actions to ex- Boston, Mass. He then completed an- September 1952, he was gaffed by an press disagreement with U.S. policy on other decade of international develop- elephant hook during a turbulent whis- Africa. The U.S. government chose ment consulting before retiring to his tle-stop visit by vice presidential candi- not to protest this usurpation of the as- home in Laguna Woods, Calif. date Richard M. Nixon. He was also a signment process and the Gro- Mr. Brown is survived by his loving charter member of the university’s Na- vers, freshly trained in metropolitan wife Francoise; a daughter, Valerie, and tional Association for the Advance- Portuguese, were reassigned to Brazil son-in-law John; a son Gregory and ment of Colored People chapter, an — even though the language was daughter-in-law Daphne; a son, Chris- organization and issue that created a markedly different. topher, and daughter-in-law, Betsy, stir at the time. Both prior to and after retirement in both retired Foreign Service officers; After serving in the U.S. Army for 1985, Mr. Grover also performed ex- and five grandchildren (Michael, Dani- two years, Mr. Grover entered the For- tended temporary duty in Equatorial elle, Andre, Melissa and Gabriel). eign Service in 1956. Although a Guinea, Haiti, and Antigua & Barbuda. The Brown family requests that any member of the political cone, he en- In retirement, the Grovers settled memorial donations be made to the joyed the variety of activities that the in Bethesda, Md. Mr. Grover worked American Foreign Service Association Foreign Service offered. In Spain, he for many years in the program division Scholarship Fund. Checks can be was vice consul at a two-man post (Va- of Meridian International Center in made payable and mailed to “AFSA lencia); in Rio de Janeiro, a commer- Washington, D.C. He was also an am- Scholarship Fund,” 2101 E Street NW, cial officer; in Bolivia, chief of the ateur genealogist and a longtime mem- Washington DC 20037, or individuals political section; in Medellin and ber of the New England Historical can visit www.afsa.org/scholar/ and Guayaquil, he was consul and consul Genealogical Society, the New Hamp- click on “Form to Make a Donation.” general, respectively; and in Santiago, shire Historical Society and the Hamp- he was deputy chief of mission. stead Historical Society, to which he In Washington, D.C., he served in bequeathed his Civil War library.
the Exchange of Persons Program, in Mr. Grover wrote a study, “Sons of Charles W. Grover, 80, a retired the Bureau of African and Near East Edmund,” tracing various Grover lines FSO, died on Feb. 26 at Charleston Affairs, as deputy executive director of back to an immigrant forebear. He Hospice Center in Charleston, S.C., Latin American Affairs, and in the Per- also wrote a book, Company E, based while visiting his son and family. sonnel Bureau. During two years of on letters to and from his great-grand- Mr. Grover was born in Waltham, postgraduate education, he pursued father and others. In it, Grover tells Mass. During the Great Depression, Latin American studies at Tulane Uni- the adventures of 24 Hampstead boys the family lived in several states in New versity and took senior training at Stan- who formed a subunit of the Eleventh England before settling in Gloversville, ford. New Hampshire Volunteers during the N.Y., in 1935. That is where he grew Each new posting offered new Civil War. up, so he always considered it his horizons, but the personnel apparatus Mr. Grover’s wife of 48 years, Janet home. itself sometimes also qualified as an ad- Halsten Grover, died in 2005. The Mr. Grover graduated from high venture. In 1963, the department as- couple had met when he was a junior school at Worcester Academy in Wor- signed Mr. Grover to Mozambique as officer and she an executive secretary cester, Mass., then spent a year at St. the assistant consul general. Unbe- at the Department of State. John’s College in Annapolis, Md. He knownst to Mr. Grover, the Portuguese He is survived by four children: received a B.A. in history from Antioch government refused to issue the nec- Marisa Grover Mofford of Altadena, College in 1951 and an M.A. in Amer- essary diplomatic visas — thereby leav- Calif.; Charles Halsten Grover, also a

JUNE 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 79 I N M EMORY

Foreign Service officer, currently as- After her husband’s safe return in warmer. Here she adapted to yet an- signed to Charleston, S.C.; Michael 1946, the couple moved to Indianapo- other new life as the wife of an active Eugene Grover of Jamaica Plain, lis, Ind., where he went to work for the member of the community and local Mass.; and Ellen Grover Reber of East Veterans Administration, and their first politician, doing service work and help- Douglas, Mass. He is also survived by son was born the next year. Mrs. Jones ing him with his involvement in activi- a sister, Mrs. Jean Sylvester of Buffalo, took classes in American and English ties with Murray State University, N.Y., and 10 grandchildren. literature at the Indianapolis campus election to the city council, and service Contributions in his memory may of Indiana University and, although on the board of a savings and loan. be made to the AFSA Scholarship Pro- she never attained a college degree, While living in Murray, she also gram. this experience cemented a lifelong re- perfected an old tradition of her family, spect for literature, poetry, history and making many exquisite quilts for her the value of higher education. children and grandchildren, and con-
In 1950, Mrs. Jones began prepar- tinued to read history and literature. Virginia Spitler Jones, the wife of ing herself to become an Air Force Mrs. Jones moved to Nashville, retired FSO Ambassador Marshall P. wife again. Her husband anticipated Tenn., following the death of her hus- Jones, died on March 17 of pneumo- being recalled to active duty for service band in 1985 to be close to two of her nia at the West Meade Health Care in Korea and at that point expected to sons. She also made visits back to the Center in Nashville, Tenn. make the Air Force a career. When he Washington, D.C., area where her Born in Kentland, Ind., on Sept. 2, was not called up after all, she encour- other son lived. She became an even 1918, Virginia Jones was the only child aged him to pursue an international ca- more voracious reader and continued of a farming family. Like many other reer of service with the State her tradition of service, receiving sev- rural families, they were hit hard by the Department. In 1951, after his selec- eral awards for the thousands of hours Great Depression and moved off the tion for the Foreign Service, they she gave to St. Thomas Hospital. farm to Mishawaka, Ind., adjacent to moved to Bethesda, Md. She is survived by her three sons, South Bend, where she attended grade The Jones’ first overseas post was Marshall P. Jones Jr. of Washington, school and high school. After gradua- Tel Aviv (1954-1956). This was fol- Va.; Tarpley B. Jones of Nashville, tion, she went to work at the Ball Band lowed by Belgrade (1956-1959); while Tenn.; and Zachary C. Jones of Brent- Rubber Company (later Uniroyal) in stationed there, Mrs. Jones went to wood, Tenn. She also leaves six grand- Mishawaka, where she met Marshall P. Germany for the birth of their second children (Erin Jones Swenson, Tarpley Jones, a salesman and recent graduate son. After a tour in Washington, they Brooks Jones Jr., Madison Jones, Jor- of Depauw University. In 1942, Vir- moved to Seoul (1961-1963), where dan Jones, Grant Jones and Turner ginia and Marshall were married in Las their third son was born. In 1966, she Jones), and two great-grandchildren Vegas, N.M., just before he enlisted in took on a new role as the wife of (Mountain and Caroline Swenson). the U.S. Army. an ambassador in Blantyre, Malawi. During World War II, Virginia While there, she did volunteer work Jones went to work for the University with leper colonies and devoted her-
of Notre Dame, in an office under the self to the role of wife of the chief of Edward Eugene Keller Jr., 79, a re- Golden Dome (the campus landmark mission and representative of the tired FSO, passed away at Sibley Me- atop the university’s main building) United States in this landlocked, poor morial Hospital in Washington, D.C., while Marshall Jones was serving with but beautiful country in Africa’s Rift on Feb. 11 from complications of the Eighth Army Air Force Bomber Valley. Parkinson’s disease. Command, based at High Wycombe After her husband’s retirement in Mr. Keller was born on Feb. 19, Abbey in England. She later said that 1971, they left the Washington area 1929, in San Francisco, Calif., and grew the sight of the Golden Dome every and moved to an active small college up in San Mateo, where his father, Ed- morning and the vibrant life of the uni- town, Murray, Ky., which was reminis- ward Eugene Keller Sr., was a former versity around her helped to sustain cent of the Indiana communities mayor. After graduating from Tufts her during the long years of the war. where they had each grown up — but University in Boston in 1951, he served

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as a first lieutenant on the USS Frank- the chair of the Edward Keller Profes- After spending two summers at the lin D. Roosevelt. sorship of North Africa and Middle University of Mexico, she went to Following discharge from the U.S. East at Tufts University. Paris in the summer of 1939, planning Navy in 1954, he attended the Wood- Mr. Keller was married to Sylvia to study at the Sorbonne. The out- row Wilson School of International Af- Keller-Egli from 1960 to 1966; the break of war made this impossible, but fairs at Princeton University,receiving a marriage ended in divorce. Mr. Keller she elected to stay in Paris and got a master’s degree in public and interna- is survived by J. Waltan Santos, his job working at the American Library. tional affairs in 1956. He entered the partner of 30 years. Years afterward she recalled her agita- Foreign Service that same year and tion as she watched German troops served as a career diplomat for more marching down the Champs Elysee. than three decades, with overseas post-
At the end of June 1941, she was ings in Algeria, Belgium, Brazil, Jordan, Philinda C. Krieg, 91, wife of re- forced to evacuate Paris when the U.S. Morocco, Switzerland, Turkey and tired FSO William L. Krieg, died on consulate and all American institutions Yemen. He also served at the U.S. Mis- April 8 in Sarasota, Fla. were closed. She traveled to Lisbon, sion to the United Nations in New Born in Maplewood, N.J., on Sept. where she obtained a clerical position York. 2, 1917, she was the daughter of John in the consulate general. While on a He retired in 1986 and lived in W. Campbell and Dorothy Harrison tour of Lisbon nightclubs she met a Washington, D.C., until his death. He Campbell. She grew up in New Jer- handsome young FSO named William was a member of the Tangier Ameri- sey and attended Swarthmore Col- Krieg. The two fell in love, but after a can Legation Museum and endowed lege, where she majored in French. few short months she was shipped

JUNE 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 81 I N M EMORY
back to the United States, while in Washington, D.C. year later, as a civil servant, was sent to William was assigned to Lagos after Mr. Melone was born in Auburn, Germany, where he worked as an ad- the Vichy French government vetoed N.Y., on June 30, 1928, the son of ministrative assistant in the office of the his posting to Dakar in French West Harry Roberts Melone and Dorothy U.S. High Commissioner for Germany. Africa. Swift Melone. He was president of He was then appointed resident officer She arrived in the United States in the senior class of 1946 at Auburn for Dieburg, Hesse, and from 1951 to October 1941 and spent the next year High School and graduated in 1950 1953 served as the film officer in the unsuccessfully attempting to arrange from Dartmouth College. He then U.S. Information Service office in Bre- transportation to Lagos. At last a va- studied international relations at Yale men. He served as director of Amerika cancy on the consular staff there University before entering the For- Haus there until 1955, when he was opened unexpectedly, so she was able eign Service in 1952. transferred to Naples, where he was to book passage across the Atlantic. During a 30-year career, Mr. Mel- the cultural affairs officer for southern She traveled to Nigeria through waters one served in Tabriz, Yaounde, Paris, Italy until 1958. He was transferred to infested with U-boats on an un- Niamey and Washington, D.C., and at Trieste in 1958 and commissioned as an escorted merchant vessel that was the United Nations. He was ap- FSO in 1960. sunk by German submarines on a later pointed ambassador to Rwanda in In 1961, Mr. Pancoast was assigned voyage. The happily reunited couple 1979 and served there until 1982. to USIA headquarters in Washington, was married in Lagos on Feb. 6, 1943. Mr. Melone is survived by his wife, where he was the desk officer for the Mrs. Krieg accompanied her hus- Domnica Djuvara Melone, of Tako- Mediterranean countries of Europe. band on subsequent assignments to ma Park, Md.; his daughter, Sandra He returned to Germany in 1965, first Caracas, Guatemala City and Santi- Djuvara Melone (and son-in-law An- as an information officer in Bonn and, ago, alternating with assignments in drei Popovici), and a granddaughter, a year later, as branch public affairs of- Washington, D.C. In Venezuela she Zoé Melone Popovici, all of Takoma ficer in Duesseldorf. After a detail to took an active part in the Caracas Park, Md.; his sisters Anne Deidrick the National War College for the 1970- Players, with a leading role in Noel and Mary McIsaac; and nine nieces 1971 academic year, he was posted to Coward’s “Blithe Spirit,” presented in and nephews: Nancy Deidrick Kosub, Accra in 1971, where he was public af- El Teatro Municipal, then the capi- Elgin Deidrick, Sara Deidrick Timms, fairs officer to Ambassador Shirley tal’s main downtown theater. In John Deidrick; and Martha, Jeffrey, Temple Black. Guatemala she was active in the Betsy, Caroline and David Post. In 1974, he returned to Washington, Union Church, and in Santiago she Contributions can be made in his D.C., to head the policy office at the worked as a volunteer with the Salva- memory to Search for Common Voice of America. In 1979, he was tion Army in rural areas. Ground at www.sfcg.org. named director of the Amerika Haus in Upon retirement, the Kriegs set- Munich, serving there for five years. tled in Bethesda, Md., until 1993, Returning to USIA headquarters in when they moved to Sarasota, Fla.
1984 as a senior program officer, Pan- Philinda is survived by her three chil- Edwin C. Pancoast, 83, a retired coast retired in 1986, settling in Chevy dren, Laurence John Krieg of Ypsi- FSO with the U.S. Information Agency, Chase, Md. lanti, Mich., Laura Krieg Morris of died on March 13. He is survived by his wife, Eunice Sarasota, Fla., and Helen M. Came of Born in New Jersey, Mr. Pancoast Billings Pancoast, of Chevy Chase, and Pittsfield, Mass.; nine grandchildren; served in the U.S. Army as a commis- three children: a son, Lawrence; and and two great-grandchildren. sioned officer from 1943 to 1946. He two daughters, Karen and Joanne. received his bachelor’s degree from Maryville College in 1949, and a mas-
ter’s degree from The George Wash-
Harry Roberts (“Bob”) Melone ington University in 1971. Thomas Rickert Reynders, 71, a Jr., 80, a retired FSO, died on Jan. 30 Mr. Pancoast entered the State De- retired FSO, died unexpectedly on from pulmonary fibrosis at his home partment in 1949 as an intern and a Feb. 1 in Kabul, where he was con-

82 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/JUNE 2009 I N M EMORY
ducting a supervisory visit as the home- Amsterdam, where he was consul also led the American Bar Association’s office manager of two USAID-funded general. In assignments in Washing- Law and Democracy Project in Cam- projects implemented by Checchi & ton, D.C., he served as a special as- bodia in the early 1990s. Company Consulting, Inc. He was a sistant to the counselor; as a special Mr. Reynders was preceded in resident of Darnestown, Md. assistant to the foreign affairs adviser death by his daughter, Siobhan Reyn- Mr. Reynders was born in Worces- for Vice President Spiro Agnew; as an ders, in 2002 and by his parents, John ter, Mass., and educated at Andover adviser to the late Patsy Mink, when and Louise R. Reynders. His wife of Academy. After receiving his B.S. in she was assistant secretary of State for 41 years, Joyce Mercer Reynders, died economics at Princeton University in oceans and international environ- on March 8. Mr. Reynders is survived 1959, he served in Korea in the U.S. mental and scientific affairs in the by a brother, John R. Reynders, of Or- Army until 1962. He earned a law de- mid-1970s; and as director of the Op- ange, Conn. gree from Harvard University in 1966 erations Center. and was admitted to the Massachusetts At the time of his death, Mr. Reyn- bar. He worked briefly for the De- ders was a senior associate at Checchi
partment of Justice before joining the & Co. Since joined the firm in 1996, Joyce Mercer Reynders, 66, wife of Foreign Service in 1966. he had project management responsi- the late FSO Thomas R. Reynders, died Mr. Reynders was a Foreign Serv- bilities for USAID-funded legal devel- on March 8 of lung cancer in Shady ice officer with the Department of opment and institutional reform pro- Grove Hospital in Rockville, Md. State for 20 years, serving overseas in jects in Afghanistan, Indonesia, Mada- Mrs. Reynders was born in Bristol, Jakarta, Hamburg, Rome, Paris and gascar, Montenegro and Israel. He Va. She graduated in 1965 from Rad-

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ford College, where she was a member Mrs. Reynders was a member of on Oct. 12, 2008, of pneumonia in of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. After the Darnebloomers Garden Club, and Alexandria, Va. When suddenly taken graduation she came to Washington to her home and garden were featured on ill, she had just celebrated their golden work for the District of Columbia several of their holiday tours. She was wedding anniversary and her birthday. Crime Commission. also a member of the Altar Guild of All Mrs. Skoug served with her hus- From 1967 to 1987 she accompa- Saints Episcopal Church in Chevy band in Germany, Mexico, Czechoslo- nied her husband on his assignments Chase, Md. vakia, the Soviet Union, Venezuela to Jakarta, Hamburg, Rome, Paris and Her husband of 41 years, Thomas (twice) and Washington, D.C., be- Amsterdam. Following her husband’s R. Reynders, preceded her in death by tween 1958 and 1990. From her first retirement, the couple settled in just over a month. She was also pre- tour in Munich, where she was corre- Darnestown, Md. deceased by their daughter, Siobhan sponding secretary of the German- Joyce Reynders was an executive Reynders, in 2002, and by her parents, American women’s club, she was assistant to Ambassador Bruce Lain- Gordon and Ruby Mercer. She is sur- proactive in outreach toward the host gen at the American Academy of vived by many dear friends and several country and made friends readily. Diplomacy from the late 1980s until cousins and aunts. Having studied German and French at 1993. From 1996 to 2001, she assisted Randolph-Macon Women’s College, General Alexander Haig at Worldwide where she graduated as an art major, Associates Inc. She also worked as an
she acquired fluency in Spanish on her agent for Weichert Realty’s Potomac Martha Reed Skoug, 76, wife of re- own and also spoke acceptable Czech Village office from 2004 until 2008. tired FSO Kenneth N. Skoug Jr., died and Russian.

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In days when the “performance” of others seeking relief at the embassy. works of art will keep her memory wives still received official comment, Despite hardship involved in three green on walls around the world. those about her were exceptional. years of service in Moscow during the She was also a gourmet cook, (Her conduct did not change when Cold War (1976-1979), where she skilled hostess and convivial enter- the grading stopped.) Having been in- resided many miles from the embassy, tainer. Her sincerity, lively humor and troduced to society in New York City, she made the most of her opportuni- warm smile always won the esteem of Mrs. Skoug was at ease at lunches or ties to arrange and guide embassy colleagues and associates. However, dinners with dignitaries such as Soviet tours to explore Russian culture. In- she regarded her chief responsibility Foreign Minister Gromyko and Pres- deed, she regarded Moscow as the as providing a serene and cheerful ident Carlos Andres Perez of Vene- most interesting post at which she ever home, as she did for her family wher- zuela. Yet it gave her equal satisfac- served. ever in the world they might be. tion to visit poor areas of Caracas in Mrs. Skoug was a trained, prize- She is survived by her husband, 1989 and 1990 and present contribu- winning artist whose watercolors and Ken, of Alexandria, Va.; her daughter, tions to the needy as wife of the charge acrylics, especially those of old church- Reed Stevens Skoug-Roller of Harleys- d’affaires, and she regretted not hav- es and winter scenes in the Soviet ville, Pa.; her son, Kenneth N. Skoug ing done more of that. Union, were appreciated by diplo- III of Plymouth, Mich.; and five During the 1968 Soviet invasion of matic colleagues and the international grandchildren: Curtis, Cecilia and Czechoslovakia, she opted not to be business and journalistic community. Evangeline Martha Roller, and Ken- evacuated but remained at post where She was always glad to paint a specific neth N. Skoug IV and Meganne she assisted American citizens and scene upon request of a friend. Those Skoug.

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Parker Drummon Wyman, 87, a in Berlin. In 1948, he was assigned to position at that time). Service as diplo- retired FSO, died on March 3 at his Cairo as a political officer, returning in mat-in-residence at the University of home in Chevy Chase, Md., of brain 1950 to Washington, D.C., to serve in North Dakota (1968-1969) was fol- cancer. the German affairs office. He was de- lowed by a year in Washington, D.C., Mr. Wyman was born in Evanston, tailed to Harvard University in 1951 as the State Department adviser to the Ill. He attended Harvard University, for a year as a German specialization Joint Chiefs of Staff (1969-1970). where he was a member of Phi Beta trainee and then posted to Duesseldorf In 1970, Mr. Wyman was assigned Kappa, and graduated cum laude with in 1952 as a political, and later eco- to Vietnam for a two-year posting at a bachelor’s degree in government nomic, officer. In 1955, he was posted the head of a 100-man combined mil- and international relations in 1944. to Milan as chief of the economic sec- itary-civilian team in the province of He received a second bachelor’s de- tion, returning to Washington in 1958 Tay Ninh as senior adviser in the Civil gree in 1983, in systems analysis, from for a four-year tour in the Bureau of Operations and Revolutionary Devel- the University of Maryland. Mr. Economic Affairs and a one-year train- opment Support program. In 1972, he Wyman served from 1943 to 1946 ing detail at the Industrial College of was sent to Addis Ababa as DCM, with the U.S. Army in Europe, where the Armed Forces. serving as chargé d’affaires during the he participated in the Battle of the Mr. Wyman returned to Berlin in first 13 months of the Ethiopian Revo- Ruhr. 1963, where he served first as an eco- lution. He returned to Washington, In 1946 Mr. Wyman joined the For- nomic officer, then as chief of the eco- D.C., in 1975 to serve as office director eign Service, beginning a 38-year nomic section, and finally as political for economic affairs in the Bureau of diplomatic career as a consular officer adviser (the deputy chief of mission International Organizations.

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He was posted as DCM in Lagos in 1977, returning to Washington, D.C., in 1980 as international affairs adviser to the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He then served as a systems analyst in the Bureau of Information Management before retiring as a min- ister counselor in 1984. Mr. Wyman went on to become an independent contractor for the State Department from 1984 to 1995, devel- oping and overseeing a program for the management of nonexpendable prop- erty. He enjoyed visiting many posts around the world to train personnel on that program. In retirement, Mr. Wyman served as an election judge and chief election judge in a Chevy Chase precinct from 1998 to 2002. He edited a newsletter for the Montgomery County chapter of the Evergreen Society, an adult- learning unit of Johns Hopkins Uni- versity, from 2000 to 2004. He was also a volunteer at Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic from 1995 to 2008. He was a member of the All Saints Episcopal Church in Chevy Chase, Md., the Chevy Chase Club, the Gib- son Island Club and the Harvard Club of Washington, D.C. His professional affiliations included Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired, as well as the American Foreign Service Associ- ation and the Association for Diplo- matic Studies and Training. Among Mr. Wyman’s other interests were tennis, chess, genealogy and stamp collecting. Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Patricia Howland Wyman of Chevy Chase, Md.; four children, Cheryl Wy- man of Washington, D.C., Joyce Mc- Gugan of Chestnut Hill, Mass., Robert Wyman of New York, N.Y., and Can- dace Wyman of Johnson City, Tenn.; and seven grandchildren. I

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JUNE 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 91 REFLECTIONS

Afghanistan Revisited

BY BRUCE LAINGEN

orting papers recently from my the overwhelming Soviet presence. assignment as DCM in Kabul There was no Today? The U.S. military force in the Sfrom 1968 to 1971, I relived pos- mention of poppies. country is expected to soon reach itive memories — especially when con- 55,000, with perhaps another 30,000 in sidered against the changes in that supporting NATO forces. country’s troubled history since.
So much for the hopes and optimism Deep in my files was a post report of those now-long-ago days. The “Great that included photos of a brand-new highway was evolving — the U.S.- Game” for influence in Afghanistan chancery in Kabul, a city described as funded segments linked with Soviet- continues. The Taliban have replaced rapidly growing at 400,000 people built highways from Kabul north the Russians and we, with President (today it’snearly 10 times that number). thorough the Salang Pass and on to Hamid Karzai as a partner,face some of The report also describes active Amer- Mazar-i-Sharif and the Soviet border. the same difficulties (and new, more ican communities in the Helmand Val- I remember those road trips for non- daunting ones) as we try to help build ley, Kandahar and Jalalabad; a large existent service stations and an embassy democratic governmental processes in USAID program in education and agri- driver capable of coping with leaks in an a still deeply traditional society. cultural development; a good-sized overheated radiator by the creative use In 1963, King Zahir Shah had put in USIA program; and a growing Peace of apricots from roadside orchards. place a constitutional democracy. Today Corps presence. USAID workers traveled frequently we know full well from the painful Afghanistan is portrayed as a land of to the Helmand Valley and their head- record since — including the king’s “rugged beauty, sharp contrasts, of quarters in the town of Lashkargah — ouster by his cousin Daud in 1974 — desert wastes and lush green valleys evident in a headlined report from the that this governing experiment has yet seen from the towering mountain ridges Kabul Times of May 10, 1969: “A 21- to prosper. of the Hindu Kush.” That same month, Percent Increase in Wheat Harvesting Equally uncertain is U.S. military Look magazine carried a glossy,12-page Expected in the Helmand.” success in attaining the objectives that spread, “Crossroads of the Silk Route.” The article was accompanied by a began with our intervention in 2001. Kandahar, then the country’s sec- photograph of then-Ambassador Robert Pursued at great cost, in both human ond-largest city, had a brand-new air Neumann, standing proudly with both and material terms, since that time, a terminal building, said to be worthy of turbaned and white-shirted Afghan stable and terror-free Afghanistan is future refueling stops by PanAm and farming experts in tall stands of wheat. now a major strategic goal in the broad other airlines. It was already served in- There was no mention of poppies. region, both for us and NATO. ternally by Ariana Airlines, which was In painful contrast, the Washington No one could hope more for success proudly flying a brand-new Boeing 727. Post of April 6, 2009, has a front-page than those of us who enjoyed diplomatic The post report’s recommended read- story and large color photo captioned service in Afghanistan in the years fol- ing? Caravans, by James Michener. “U.S. Marines fire 120-mm rockets on lowing the opening of the U.S. legation My files contain accounts of jaunts Taliban positions in southern Afghani- in Kabul, back in 1952. I by American families on U.S.-funded stan’sHelmand province.” In 1968, de- highway projects linking Kabul to Kan- fense and air attachés (the latter flying a Ambassador Bruce Laingen was a For- dahar and the Helmand Valley, and ex- two-engine prop plane) managing a eign Service officer from 1949 until tending west to Herat and the Iranian small army leadership training program 1987. He is a past president of the border. A nearly nationwide circular — a geopolitical gesture to “balance” American Academy of Diplomacy.

92 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/JUNE 2009