Harlan Lee first became a foreign service officer in 1968 during the Vietnam War, and he was immediately dispatched to…
Peace Corps to Ambassador: Darryl Johnson in Thailand
Many young people enter the Peace Corps with the idea, if not the outright goal, that they might eventually become…
Rivalry in the Southeast: Preah Vihear Temple Dispute Between Cambodia and Thailand
Foreign Service Officer Thomas Donohue served in both continental and archipelagic Southeast Asia during a tumultuous period in which countries…
Remembering Thailand’s King and the Transition to Democracy
Bhumibol Adulyadej, also known as Rama IX, was the ninth monarch of Thailand and the longest-serving head of state in…
Thailand’s Bloodless Coups d’état
When a country undergoes internal conflict and something as dramatic as a coup d’etat, the results can often lead to…
The Queen of Thailand Deep in the Heart of Texas
There are many hallmarks of a good diplomat — the ability to understand foreign cultures, communications skills, flexibility, the ability…
Afghanistan Project–Richard Boucher
Ambassador Richard Boucher Oral Histories of U.S. Diplomacy in Afghanistan, 2001–2021 Interviewed by: Robin Matthewman Initial interview date: October 26,…
Finding a Family Abroad—How a Japanese Family Started a Foreign Service Officer’s Career
Being fluent in different languages is a fundamental skill for foreign service. While many foreign service officers learn languages as…
The First Diplomatic Visit in Forty Years to the “Land of the Eternal Blue Sky”—Donald C. Johnson’s 1984 Visit to Mongolia
Mongolia—sparsely populated, largely nomadic, and surrounded by nuclear superpowers. The end of the Cold War could not have been the…
China Invades Taiwan? No Chance!
“There is a sentiment that…we need to contain China to balance off its aggressiveness. That would be a disaster.” A…