Scientist in the Sinai THE COVER—Tom Vrebalovich, science coun¬ selor at the US. embassy in Egypt, was photo¬ graphed by Tom Hartwell on the Sinai beach at Ras Mohamed. Cairo is November’s “Post of the Month.” See Page 34. United States Department of State Letters to November 1983 the Editor State No. 261 Lost film Arlington, Va. Dear Sir: Someone in Africa (perhaps a teacher in the Peace Corps?) who re¬ cently sent through the pouch for proc¬ essing an Instamatic cartridge of Kelly Photo color film will not get their prints unless they make themselves known. I say this because we recently found their cartridge fastened to a letter our son had pouched from Nouakchott enclosing his own roll of News stories Feature stories 35-mm. film for processing. The 2 Curb ‘unauthorized disclo¬ 6 Softball in the Service Instamatic cartridge had evidently sures’, President warns 17 Book review, by Deane Hinton come loose from its envelope in tran¬ 4 Senate acts on Foreign 20 Rules for fire safety sit, and had been affixed to our son’s Service legislation letter by a rubber band, simply because Photo story our son had put on the outside of his 9 Performance pay awards go 34 Post of the month: Cairo to 11 officers envelope: “Film’! Departments and features Wfe asked the helpful people at the 10 Foreign Service officer 12 Appointments 1 Letters to Editor Diplomatic Pouch Room whether they rescues 2 from drowning 21 "Ask Dr. 68 Library Booklist had any suggestions. They told us that 11 State issues handbook Korcak" 57 Look-Alikes they already have a large accumulation on career mobility 51 Bureau Notes 9 News of film which cannot be identified. 67 Current Highlights They recommended that film sent via 12 Reagan names 9 for Publications 65 Obituaries the pouch for processing be placed in ambassadorships 29 Diplo-Crostic, 37 Personnel: stout envelopes, and that the sender af¬ 15 2 arms control officials get by Becker Civil Service fix to each film cartridge with trans¬ new assignments 27 Education and 44 Personnel: Training Foreign Service parent tape a piece of paper with his 23 “Open season” for health 25 Grievance 44 Transfer name and address. Had the sender of insurance ends Dec. 9 Actions Tremors the Instamatic cartridge whose film we have had developed and printed (cost $6.65) done this, we would not be try¬ Statistics on ’83 Foreign Service promotions.50 ing to locate the sender through the good offices of State Magazine. To be certain that we are match- Editorial staff Executive editor Franci? J. Matthews Staff writer Donna Gigliotti —(Continued on Page 24) Editor Sanford (Whitey) Watzman Staff assistant Catherine Lawson □ Associate editor Barnett B. Lester Who’s a somebody? St.*iTE magazine (formerly the Department of programs—acronyms are not acceptable. The editor would like to hear State Newsletter) is published by the US. Black-and-white, glossy-print photos repro¬ about Department employees who Department of State to acquaint its officers and duce best. Each photo needs a caption, double¬ employees, at home and abroad, with develop¬ hold part-time public office in their spaced. identifying all persons left to right. ments of interest that may affect operations or Send contributions to State magazine. home communities—for example, personnel. DGP/PA, Room B-266. The office telephone as members of school boards or There are 11 monthly issues (none in August). numbers are (202) 632-2019,-1648 and -1742. other nonpartisan municipal or Deadline for submitting material for publica¬ county agencies. Telephone (202) tion usually is the 10th of each month. Although primarily intended for internal com¬ 632-2019, or drop a note to Editor. Contributions (consisting of general munications, State is available to the public information, articles, poems, photographs, art through the Superintendent of Documents, US. DGP/PA, Room B-266. work) are welcome. Double space on typewrit¬ Government Printing Office, Washington. DC. er, spelling out job titles, names of offices and 20402 □ November 1983 1 Security President Reagan: ‘Unauthorized disclosures are harmful’ ‘We intend to take appropriate administrative action’ President Reagan on August 30 issued the following as a “Memoran¬ dum for Federal Employees”: Recent unauthorized dis¬ closures of classified information concerning our diplomatic, military, and intelligence activities threaten our ability to carry out national security policy. I have issued a directive de¬ tailing procedures to curb these dis¬ closures and to streamline procedures for investigating them. However, un¬ authorized disclosures are so harmful to our national security that I wish to underscore to each of you the serious¬ ness with which I view them. The unauthorized disclosure of our Nation’s classified information by those entrusted with its protection io improper, unethical, and plain wrong. This kind of unauthorized disclosure is more than a so-called “leak”—it is illegal. The Attorney General has been asked to investigate a number of recent disclosures of classified infor¬ mation. Let me make it clear that we intend to take appropriate administra¬ tive action against any Federal em¬ ployee found to have engaged in unau¬ thorized disclosure of classified information, regardless of rank or po¬ sition. Where circumstances warrant, cases will also be referred for criminal prosecution. ‘All of us have taken an oath.. The American people have placed a special trust and conEdence in each of us to protect their property with which we are entrusted, including classified information. They expect us to protect fully the national security ters is a necessity in this world. Each sis; peace often quite literally depends secrets used to protect them in a dan¬ of us, as we carry out our individual on it—and this includes our efforts to gerous and difficult world. All of us duties, recognizes that certain matters reduce the threat of nuclear war. have taken an oath faithfully to dis¬ require confidentiality. We must be charge our duties as public servants, able to carry out diplomacy with Lives are at stake an oath that is violated when unau¬ friends and foes on a confidential ba- We must also be able to protect thorized disclosures of classified in¬ our military forces from present or po¬ President Reagan by USIA; formation are made. tential adversaries. From the time of White House by Ann Thomas Secrecy in national security mat¬ the Founding Fathers, we have accept- ed the need to protect military secrets. about national security policies and our government and its policies, if that Nuclear dangers, terrorism, and ag¬ actions. Only a fraction of information is what our conscience dictates. What gression similarly demand that we concerning national security policy we do not have is the right to damage must be able to gather intelligence in¬ must be classified. our country by giving away its neces¬ formation about these dangers—and —Wfe have mechanisms for pre¬ sary secrets. our sources of this information must senting alternative views and opinions Wfe are as a Nation an open and be protected if we are to continue to within our government. trusting people, with a proud tradition receive it. Even in peacetime, lives de¬ —Established procedures exist of free speech, robust debate, and the pend on our ability to keep certain for declassifying material and for right to disagree strongly over all na¬ matters secret. downgrading information that may be tional policies. No one would ever overclassified. want to change that. But we are also a No excuse —Wbrkable procedures also exist mature and disciplined people who un¬ As public servants, we have no for reporting wrongdoing or illegali¬ derstand the need for responsible ac¬ legitimate excuse for resorting to ties, both to the appropriate executive tion. As servants of the people, we in these unauthorized disclosures. There branch offices and to Congress. the Federal Government must under¬ are other means available to express stand the duty we have to those who ourselves: No right to damage U.S. place their trust in us. I ask each of —Wfe make every effort to keep Finally, each of us has the right to you to join me in redoubling our ef¬ Congress and the people informed leave our position of trust and criticize forts to protect that trust. ■ November 1983 / On Capitol Hill Senate seeks to establish diplomatic relations with Vatican It takes action, too, on envoys’ political activities and Soviets in U.S. restrictions on the Soviet people here comparable to those placed on the Americans in that country. Vatican amendment In offering tne Vatican amend¬ ment, Senator Richard Lugar (R.-Ind.) observed that “juridically, the Vatican is a sovereign state and is formally recognized as such by over 100 nations.” He described it as “a sensitive diplomatic forum” and as “a significant political force for decency in the world.” Mr. Lugar continued: “This amendment would repeal the prohibi¬ tion, enacted in 1867, against the ex¬ penditure of funds to support a diplo¬ matic mission to the Vatican. This would permit, but would not require, the reestablishment of full and formal diplomatic relations with the Holy See, and I anticipate that the Presi¬ dent. in all likelihood, would take this action once this impediment is removed. “The United States maintained consular relations with the Vatican States from 1797 until 1848 and offi¬ cial diplomatic relations from 1848 until 1867. The decision in that year to withhold funds from the American mission in Rome was rooted in contro¬ versies arising from the struggle