Association for Diplomatic Studies & Training

Dealing with Dragons, Bears, and Some Nice People Too A Diplomatic Chronicle by B. Lynn Pascoe
2024-11-19 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Dacor-Bacon House, 1801 F Street NW, DC, United States
THE ASSOCIATION FOR DIPLOMATIC STUDIES AND TRAINING
and
DACOR, An Organization of Foreign Affairs Professionals
request the pleasure of your company at
a reception to celebrate the 76th volume in the
ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Series for
“Dealing with Dragons, Bears, and Some Nice People Too A Diplomatic Chronicle”, by B. Lynn Pascoe
Tuesday, November 19, 2024, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
RSVP (Acceptances only) to programs@dacorbacon.org or 202.682.0500 x20
About the Book
To order the book
Printable order form for mailing

ADST 2025 AGM Distinguished Speaker - Evan Thomas
2025-09-18 14:00 - 15:30 | Dacor-Bacon House, 1801 F Street NW, DC, United States
Evan Thomas –“The Legacy of Henry Stimson: His Doctrine, His Decisions, and the End of World War II”
© Oscie Thomas. Posted with the author’s permission.
Please join us as award-winning journalist and scholar Evan Thomas shares his insights on the legacy of former Secretary of State and Secretary of War Henry Stimson. Thomas will draw from his research for his 2023 book Road to Surrender: Three Men and the Countdown to the End of World War II, examining the foundations of the Stimson Doctrine, the monumental decisions that led to the use of the atomic bomb in Japan, and what all this tells us about foreign policy today. A discussion will follow his remarks.
Thomas has published 11 books, including the Wise Men (with Walter Isaacson), Ike’s Bluff, and New York Times bestsellers Being Nixon and First: Sandra Day O’Connor. He was a writer and editor for over 30 years at Time and Newsweek magazines, including 10 years as Newsweek’s Washington bureau chief, and has appeared on many TV shows, including Meet the Press, CBS Morning News, the Colbert Report, and PBS’s Charlie Rose. Thomas taught writing and journalism at Harvard and Princeton, where, from 2007-2014, he was Ferris Professor of Journalism.
[Register to attend in person] [Register to participate virtually]

Special Book Event with Charles Trueheart: Diplomats at War
2025-10-14 18:00 - 20:00 | Dacor-Bacon House, 1801 F Street NW, DC, United States
Special Book Event with Charles Trueheart
Diplomats at War: Friendship and Betrayal on the Brink of the Vietnam Conflict
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
6:00 – 8:00 PM
DACOR Bacon House, 1801 F Street NW

Please join us as ADST and DACOR host journalist and scholar Charles Trueheart for reflections on his recent book Diplomats at War, winner of the American Academy of Diplomacy’s 2024 Douglas Dillon Award. In a book that is part family memoir and part historical exploration, Trueheart offers new insights into the diplomats at the center of U.S.-Vietnam relations in the fateful year of 1963 as our nations lurched toward all-out war. As son of the embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission and godson of the U.S. Ambassador, Trueheart witnessed an unraveling he has masterfully captured in this engrossing and heartfelt account that demonstrates the value of oral history in understanding diplomacy. He will deliver remarks in an interview format with Christopher Klein, recent Deputy Chief of Mission in Hanoi, and sign books after the event. Purchase Diplomats at War at the event or pre-order it below.

Charles Trueheart’s long career as a journalist and nonprofit executive included 15 years as a Washington Post correspondent and 10 years as director of the American Library in Paris. A graduate of Amherst College, Trueheart worked as a journalist across the United States and as a correspondent in Canada and France. Across his career, he served as associate director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University, director of the Kennedy School’s Public Affairs Forum and counselor and speechwriter for the U.S. Ambassador to France. His work has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The American Scholar, and other publications.

[Register to attend] [Pre-order the Book]

ADST’s 40th anniversary and launch of the 77th volume in the ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Series
2026-02-10 18:30 - 20:00 | Dacor-Bacon House, 1801 F Street NW, DC, United States
THE ASSOCIATION FOR DIPLOMATIC STUDIES AND TRAINING and DACOR, An Organization of Foreign Affairs Professionals request the pleasure of your company as we celebrate ADST’s 40th anniversary with a reception to launch the 77th volume in the ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Series: REPRESENTING AMERICA: Firsthand Accounts from A Century of U.S. Diplomacy.
Edited by
ROBIN MATTHEWMAN

RSVP (Acceptances only) to info@adst.org; Or to (202) 627-8939
Books will be for sale at the event or at Amazon here.
ABOUT THE BOOK

Special Book Event with Ben East: Profiles in Service: Peace Corps Roots in American Diplomacy
2026-03-24 18:30 - 20:00 | Dacor-Bacon House, 1801 F Street NW, DC, United States
The ADST’s latest release in the Diplomats and Diplomacy series—Profiles in Service: Peace Corps Roots in American Diplomacy—follows the throughline from participation in grassroots citizen exchange to challenges and achievements in highwire diplomacy. The featured individuals played a role in major global events of the last seven decades, from domestic school desegregation efforts in the 1950s to the Iran hostage crisis of 1979–81; they contributed to rebuilding wartorn societies in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam and rebuilt infrastructure devastated by natural disasters.

Author Ben East will discuss how his research using ADST’s unique oral histories, contemporary interviews, and other material shaped the narrative. Whether with the Peace Corps, USAID, or the U.S. Department of State, these diplomats helped keep America safe, strong, and prosperous despite increasing turbulence and uncertainty. Among the diplomats featured in Profiles are:

Ambassadors Frank Almaguer; Charles Baquet, III; Donald Bliss; Parker W. Borg; Brenda Brown Schoonover; David Greenlee; Christopher Hill; Franklin Pierce Huddle, Jr.; John Limbert; Michael Metrinko; Peter Tomsen; Victor Tomseth; Kathleen Stephens; and Pamela White.

Paperback editions of Profiles in Service will be available for purchase during the event.
[Register to attend] [Pre-order the book]

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Capturing, preserving, and sharing the experiences of America’s diplomats

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History of U.S. Diplomacy: From Its Beginnings to Today Exhibit Opening
2026-04-29 08:00 - 17:00 | Russell Senate Office Building
ASSOCIATION FOR DIPLOMATIC STUDIES AND TRAINING requests the pleasure of your company at the reception for the opening of the exhibit in the Russell Rotunda:
History of U.S. Diplomacy: From Its Beginnings to Today
RSVP: info@adst.org
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM on April 08, 2026
Russell Senate Office Building
Room 325

ADST at the AI+ Expo in Washington, D.C.
2026-05-07 08:00 - 2026-05-09 17:00 | Walter E. Washington Center
ADST participated in this year’s AI+Expo Conference held from May 07 to May 09 at the Walter E. Washington Center in Washington, D.C. Organized by a non-partisan, non-profit organization SCSP.ai, the conference brought together leaders from government, private sector, academia, and student organizations for discussions about AI, emerging technologies, and national competitiveness. With more than 20,000 attendees, it is one of the largest AI-related gatherings in the world.
Over the course of three days, ADST presented its newly developed AI bot called Negot[ai]tor, which turns historical insights into actionable negotiation solutions, as well as its oral history and book program. As part of the booth presentation, ADST team members answered questions from attendees, demonstrated the bot’s capabilities, and discussed the broader value of diplomatic oral histories and emerging technologies in diplomatic tradecraft education and training.
ADST’s Fran Leskovar took the stage on May 09 to deliver remarks on the Negot[ai]tor as part of the conference’s career talk series. In his remarks, he introduced the audience to how the AI bot was conceived, how the bot works, and its educational and training value. The presentation also highlighted how ADST is leveraging emerging technologies to make diplomatic history more accessible.
ADST received positive feedback on the Negot[ai]tor and its broader mission, with many praising our AI-bot as an innovative and unique addition to the conference. Attendees expressed particular interest in how the project combines diplomacy, history, and emerging technologies to create practical educational and training tools grounded in real-world diplomatic experience.

Society for History in the Federal Government Annual Meeting
2026-05-14 00:00 - 2026-05-15 23:59 | Library of Congress, James Madison Memorial Building
At the annual meeting of the Society for History in the Federal Government, the ADST team presented a panel discussion on efforts to attract new audiences to our diplomatic oral history archive, including launch of the “Century of Service: Portraits of Diplomacy” initiative, publication of the anthology “Representing America,” and development of the “Negot[AI]tor” bot in collaboration with the National Foreign Affairs Training Center.

Celebrating Margery Thompson and 30 years of the ADST-DACOR book program
2026-06-09 18:30 - 20:30 | Dacor-Bacon House, 1801 F Street NW, DC, United States
On June 9 at 6:30pm, we will be celebrating 30 years of the ADST-DACOR book program, the retirement of our amazing Margery Thompson who established and developed the program, and 40 years of ADST. Please join us in celebrating Margery’s achievement, the book program and ADST at forty. You can rsvp here.
