Less than a month before President Richard Nixon’s resignation on August 9, 1974, he took a presidential tour of the…
Four Days in September — The Kidnapping of the U.S. Ambassador to Brazil
It sounds like something out of Hollywood. Indeed, it was made into a Brazilian movie in 1997 with Alan Arkin…
Bob Strauss – “Hell, Mr. President, I didn’t even vote for you”
Ambassador Robert S. Strauss is one of the giants of Twentieth Century American politics and diplomacy, whose service dates back…
The Jonestown Massacre
Jonestown, Guyana was the scene of one of the most harrowing tragedies in American history. On November 18, 1978, at…
The Iran Hostage Crisis– Part II
In these excerpts, Bruce Laingen, then Charge d’Affaires of U.S. Embassy Tehran and one of the “super Satans” kept hostage at the…
“I’m still a dip kid”
Kathleen Turner was one of the iconic actresses of the 1980’s, starring in such movies as Romancing the Stone, Jewel…
Operation Dragon Rouge
William E. Schaufele, Jr. was the Congo Desk Officer at State from 1964 to 1965, when 330 people, including the…
Donn Piatt
Back to Diplomats and Diplomacy Donn Piatt: Gadfly of the Gilded Age “Told through the life of an extraordinary character,…
A Moveable Feast with Julia Child
Julia Child, who would have celebrated her 100th birthday on August 15, 2012, was a pioneer in bringing French cuisine…
Fascinating Figures
Diplomacy and foreign policy attract some of the smartest, most dedicated, and most interesting figures in every generation. In this…