Brunei, situated on the northern shore of the island of Borneo in the South China Sea, is one of the…
House Un-American: Foreign-Born Wives of American Diplomats
Before World War II, there was a concern, particularly with upper-level Foreign Service officers like Ambassador William C. Bullitt, regarding…
The “Lavender Scare”: Homosexuals at the State Department
In the 1950s and 60s, security within the U.S. government, including the State Department, was on high alert for internal…
Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child: A Caning in Singapore
During the spring of 1994, Americans were gripped by an incident in Singapore which unexpectedly became a cause celebre: the…
Starting an Embassy from Scratch in Papua New Guinea
In the decades following World War II, as colonies across the globe gained independence, the United States worked to establish…
Which Witch?
When stationed abroad, Foreign Service Officers may face dangers such as carjackings, bombings, or even assassination attempts. However, for some,…
Board of Directors
Ambassador Anne Patterson Ambassador Patterson is currently the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of ADST. Patterson was the Assistant…
Sound and the Fury — The 1954 Geneva Conference on Vietnam and Korea
In April 1954, amidst growing tensions regarding the situation in the Korean Peninsula and Indochina, the international community convened a…
The Marshall Plan — “The Europeans did the job themselves”
After World War II, Europe was recovering from the devastation of conflict and suffered from high unemployment and food shortages;…
“There were no full bodies” – The Crash of Pan Am Flight 812 in Bali
On April 22, 1974, Pan American Flight 812, a plane known as the Clipper Climax, crashed into the mountainous terrain…