In the late 1970’s, in the wake of the Iranian Revolution and the ongoing hostage crisis, a massive oil shortage…
As If Getting a Venereal Disease Weren’t Bad Enough…
Chas Freeman had an extraordinary career in the Foreign Service. He accomplished the unparalleled feat of becoming nearly bilingual in…
A Completely Lawless Place – Beirut and the Assassination of Ambassador Meloy and Robert Waring
The Lebanese Civil War was a 15-year conflict that took the lives of more than 130,000 people. Throughout the early…
The Tiananmen Square Massacre — June 4, 1989
The 1989 massacre at Tiananmen Square was one of the most heart-wrenching displays of state suppression of peaceful assembly in…
Back in the USSR — Life as a Student in Moscow in the 1960s
Grim. Tedious. Unrelentingly cold and dreary. Add in KGB surveillance and the fear that they truly were out to get…
“The U.S. values amateurism over professionalism in diplomacy”
Chas W. Freeman, Jr. is one of those rare diplomats with brilliant language abilities who also was involved in an…
Operation Eagle Pull before the Fall of Phnom Penh
It took place in the shadow of the dramatic evacuation from Saigon, which signaled the close of an era and…
“Two Men, One Grave” — The Execution of Pakistan’s Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), served as president of Pakistan in the 1970s. By 1977, opposition…
Clare Booth Luce: Ambassador, Congresswoman, Playwright
Born in New York City in 1903, Clare Boothe Luce led a diverse career as a playwright, journalist, editor, and…
From The Bookshelf: Other Publications
Below we have provided a list of books that may be of interest to our readers and researchers that are…