It was the end of a long, hard road. Although the Vietnam War had finally officially concluded, the Fall of…
Dinner with Imelda: Encounters with the Philippines’ Most Famous Dictatorship
In the wake of the Cold War, dictatorial regimes sprang up throughout the world, capturing international attention with news of…
Expecting the Unexpected in the Philippines: Confronting a Killer
When one thinks of life in the Foreign Service, they imagine living overseas, experiencing different cultures, and trying exotic foods.…
Drowning in a Strawberry Ice Cream Soda: Life as a Diplomat in the Philippines
World powers, including the United States, have long considered the Philippines to be of strategic importance. The entire landmass of…
“Am I Going to Watch a U.S. Senator Get Shot?”—Observing the Fall of the Marcos Regime in the Philippines
Senator John Kerry bravely pushed aside armed hostile Philippine military personnel and policemen, rushing into the barricaded church in front…
Life as a POW in the Japanese-Occupied Philippines
Ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces successfully invaded the Philippines. Those Americans and Filipinos who did not…
Witness to a Changing World
Witness to a Changing World is the life story of David Dunlop Newsom, a Foreign Service officer who rose through the…
The State Department Boys: Philippine Diplomacy and Its American Heritage
Here is the untold story of how, in the wake of independence in July 1946, the U.S. Department of State and…
The Bi-national Center and Upward Mobility Within the Foreign Service
Many career paths have people who are driven by a singular focus to get promoted above all else, and the…
Afghanistan Project-Francis Ricciardone
Ambassador Francis Ricciardone Oral Histories of U.S. Diplomacy in Afghanistan, 2001–2021 Interviewed by: Robin Matthewman Initial interview date: August 24,…