In these excerpts, Bruce Laingen, then Charge d’Affaires of U.S. Embassy Tehran and one of the “super Satans” kept hostage at the…
The Iran Hostage Crisis — Part I
November 4, 1979 – Radical Iranian students take over the U.S. embassy in Tehran and hold 52 Americans hostage. The…
Tie a Yellow Ribbon — The Iran Hostage Crisis as Seen from the Home Front
Penelope (Penne) Laingen is the wife of Bruce Laingen, who had served in Germany, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan before being…
The Missiles of October
October 14, 1962, witnessed the start of one of the most potentially devastating moments in history, when the United States…
Fascinating Figures
Diplomacy and foreign policy attract some of the smartest, most dedicated, and most interesting figures in every generation. In this…
Intervening in Africa
Back to Diplomats and Diplomacy Intervening in Africa: Superpower Peacemaking in a Troubled Continent “Here are wisdom and insight (and…
Ellsworth Bunker
Back to Diplomats and Diplomacy Ellsworth Bunker: Global Troubleshooter, Vietnam Hawk “Bunker was one of our country’s great diplomats…[marked by]…
Born a Foreigner
Back to Diplomats and Diplomacy Born a Foreigner: A Memoir of the American Presence in Asia “. . .…
Crossing the Divide
Back to Diplomats and Diplomacy Crossing the Divide: An Insider’s Account of the Normalization of U.S.-China Relations “It is refreshing…
Vietnam and Beyond
Back to Diplomats and Diplomacy Vietnam and Beyond: A Diplomat’s Cold War Education Robert Hopkins Miller’s forty-year Foreign Service career,…