Senator Chuck Hagel, who has been nominated by President Obama to be the next Secretary of Defense, was awarded ADST’s…
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 I
November 4, 1979 – Radical Iranian students take over the U.S. embassy in Tehran and hold 52 Americans hostage. 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…
The Missiles of October
October 14, 1962, witnessed the start of one of the most potentially devastating moments in history, when the United States…
Dancing with the Stars…And Stripes in the Congo
Michael Rives joined the Foreign Service in 1950 and served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Brazzaville from 1963 to…
“It was an Unwinnable War”
George Ball was the Under Secretary of State for Economic and Agricultural Affairs in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. He supported…
Fascinating Figures
Diplomacy and foreign policy attract some of the smartest, most dedicated, and most interesting figures in every generation. In this…
The Unofficial Diplomat
Back to Memoirs and Occasional Papers The Unofficial Diplomat: A Memoir “From the Chinese Army’s crackdown in Tiananmen Square to…