The Foreign Service Journal, June 1972
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL JUNE 1972 60 CENTS Works when you can’t! AFSA’s Income Protection Plan Pays up to $600.00 a month when you’re sick or hurt and can’t work! Here’s solid protection against the greatest single that continue whether you’re able to work or not. threat to your financial security — the loss of your income due to a disabling sickness or accident. What’s more, because of its many liberal benefits and valuable extras at low Association Group rates, Your AFSA Income Protection plan provides you your AFSA plan gives you more for your money and your family with the emergency cash you need than comparable coverage purchased on an to live on when your regular income is cut off by individual basis, disability. So get free facts on this outstanding plan today. This is TAX-FREE CASH you can use as you see Complete and mail the coupon below. You’ll receive fit — to buy groceries, make the house or car full details on this “must” protection without payments or take care of the numerous other expenses obligation. Joseph E. Jones, Administrator UNDERWRITTEN BY 1666 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Washington, D. C. 20009 Please rush me full details on AFSA’s Disability Income Pro¬ tection plan. The people who pay... Life Insurance Affiliate: United of Omaha Name. MUTUAL OF OMAHA INSURANCE COMPANY HOME OFFICE: OMAHA, NEBRASKA Address. City. State ZIP. American Foreign Service Association DAVID H. McKILLOP, President PRINCETON LYMAN, First Vice President HORACE G. DAWSON, JR., Second Vice President Board of Directors WILLIAM C. HARROP, Chairman THOMAS D. BOYATT, Vice Chairman BARBARA J. GOOD, Second Vice Chairman DAVID W. LOVING, Secretary-Treasurer JOHN J. TUOHEY, Assistant Secretary-Treasurer HERMAN J. COHEN JAMES L. HOLMES, JR. F. ALLEN HARRIS WILLIAM R. LENDERKING, JR. LINDA LOWENSTEIN W. A. WHITTEN FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Staff JUNE 1972= VOLUME 49, NUMBER 6 GERALD BUSHNELL, Executive Director MARGARET S. TURKEL, Executive Secretary CLARKE SLADE, Educational Consultant HELEN VOGEL, Committee Coordinator Science and the Shrinking Ocean 17 Journal Editorial Board CHARLES MAECHLING, JR. JOHN D. STEMPEL, Chairman TERESITA C. SCHAFFER, Vice Chairman The Stockholm Conference— AMBLER MOSS MICHAEL P. CANNING What Does It Mean? 20 FREDERICK QUINN RALPH S. SMITH FITZHUGH GREEN ANTHONY C. E. QUAINTON EDWARD M. COHEN Journal The Ides of May—Baghdad, 1941 23 SHIRLEY R. NEWHALL, Editor WILLIAM J. PORTER, in collaboration with GORDON H. MATTISON and THOMAS R. DE BRINE, Editorial Assistant WILLIAM S. FARRELL MclVER ART & PUBLICATIONS, INC., Art Direction Advertising Representatives OTHER FEATURES JAMES C. SASMOR, 295 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017 (212) 532-6230 ALBERT D. SHONK CO., 681 Market St., San Francisco, Calif. Communication re.- The Foreign Service Illusion, by James G. Huff 6 94105 (415) 392-7144 JOSHUA B. POWERS, LTD., 5 Winsley Street, London W.l 01- 580 6594/8. International Representatives. A Foreign Service Fable, by H. Christopher Martin 14 ©American Foreign Service Association, 1972. The Foreign Service Journal is published twelve times a year by the Amer¬ ican Foreign Service Association, 2101 E Street, N.W., Wash¬ DEPARTMENTS ington, D. C. 20037. Telephone (202) 338-4045 Letters to the Editor 2 Second-class postage paid at Washington, D. C. Special Book Essay: India's China War 28 The Bookshelf 29 JOURNAL Competition 36 The FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL is the journal of professionals in Editorials 44 foreign affairs, published twelve times a year by the American For¬ eign Service Association, a non-profit organization. AFSA News 45 Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the writers and is not intended to indicate the official views of the Department of State, the United States Information Agency, the Agency for International Proposed Amendments to the Certificate Development or the United States Government as a whole. of Incorporation 51 Membership in the American Foreign Service Association is open to the professionals in foreign affairs overseas or in Washington, as well as to persons having an active interest in, or close association with, Photographs and Illustrations: foreign affairs. Cover: Seer No. T, by Zehra Rehmatulla Post. Membership dues are: Active Members—Dues range from $13 to $52 annually depending upon income. Retired Active Members—Dues are $30 annually for members with incomes over $15,000; $15 annually for less than $15,000. Associate Members—Dues are $20 annually. For subscription to the JOURNAL, one year (12 issues); $6.00; two years, $10.00. For subscriptions going abroad, except Canada, add $1.00 annually for overseas postage. Articles appearing in this journal are abstracted and indexed in Historical Abstracts and/or America: History and Life. Microfilm copies of current as well as of back issues of the FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL are available through the University Microfilm Li¬ brary Services, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 under a contract signed October 30, 1967. assign, failure to promote, etc., etc., and injunctions will be issued only if LETTERS TO | and to suspend all action until the the grievance board feels it necessary complaint is adjudicated. to prevent an injustice. I have just read in the latest Is Anyone Listening? Foreign Service JOURNAL that the Scramble for Cones Foreign Service Association actively ■ Please advise me whether there is ■ Once upon a time, when I joined supports the Bayh Bill, and this has the Foreign Service fourteen years some minority group which I could given me pause. We all accept the join or found. I have not been pro¬ ago, we were told that all FSOs in a desirability of having machinery to given class would be rank-ordered moted as rapidly as I would have remedy justified grievances. But this by a selection board and, within the wished, and this, in my opinion, is is not the same thing as machinery limits of available jobs and funds, clearly evidence of discrimination which will permit anyone, for what¬ would be promoted in strict accord¬ against me for being white, male, ever reason or whim, to hold up the ance with that rank ordering. This Protestant, middle-aged, beardless, functioning of the Foreign Service. was called, not inappropriately, the and happily married. Further evi¬ It seems to me that the AFSA merit system, and it seemed to work dence of discrimination may be and some of its members are getting quite well. found in the fact that: 1) I am up rather far away from the original Now, however, the merit system for reassignment; 2) I am in the concept of the Foreign Service as a has been deformed, if not de¬ Political Cone; and 3)1 am facing disciplined, elite corps dedicated to stroyed, by the cone system, under a probably indefinitely long stay in the furtherance of the international which officers may be promoted out the limbo world of non-assignment. interests of the United States and of class-wide rank order to satisfy To whom may I appeal for redress? prepared to serve anywhere at any the exigencies of a job-classification DONALD S. HARRIS time. Instead, I gather that the em¬ structure. We thus have the un¬ Berlin phasis is now predominantly on the pleasant result that officers who interest of the individual officer and would easily rank in the top 50 Free Trade? employee and on protecting him within their class are passed over ■ I would like to call to the atten¬ from undesirable jobs, hardship for promotion in favor of colleagues posts, and selection out. The ques¬ tion of your readers an excellent ar¬ who would be ranked well below tion is not “where can I do the most ticle in the Sunday, March 26 Wash¬ them on a class-wide basis, simply good?’ But, “how can I get the ington POST Outlook section by Bar¬ because the lower-ranked colleagues most?” have opted for the cone which has a bara Sharkey. It is hard for me to see how Ms. Sharkey presents a compel¬ current scarcity value. On the most esprit de corps can exist in a body recent promotion list, a number of ling argument in favor of the United which is so dominated by the indi¬ States adopting a protectionist posi¬ highly-qualified political officers vidual wishes of its members. One were held back in favor of col¬ tion rather than one of “free” trade. can hardly take pride in being a leagues in the economic and admin¬ While this is not exactly the situa¬ Foreign Service officer when one’s istrative cones. Should large num¬ tion as I myself see it, we are going colleagues are busily engaged in bers of political officers now rush to to see in the future more views avoiding undesirable assignments the favored cones of the moment, similar to those of Ms. Sharkey. and in wrangling with the senior If the Department intends to con¬ the economic and administrative of¬ officers of the Service (“Manage¬ ficers might well suffer similar dis¬ tinue its support for “liberalized” ment”!) over privileges and per¬ criminatory treatment next year. trade, we will have to develop ap¬ quisites. When promotion depends to so sub¬ pealing counter-arguments; ones with As I said at the beginning, I am the authority and imagination erf the not fully familiar with the provisions stantial a degree on the fortuitous writer, but which avoid presenting of the Bayh Bill, and I hope that choice of today’s favored cone, little assumptions as facts. the gloomy conclusions I have remains of the merit system. RICHARD F. KING jumped to are unjustified. If so, I If all the officers in a given grade were distributed among the cones in Falls Church shall be happy to hear from some¬ one who can clarify the picture.