215 Days in the Life of an American Ambassador

“This is a remarkably revealing book about the Foreign Service and the role of a career ambassador, the workings of an embassy and its relation to Washington, things Bulgarian, and Ambassador Herz himself. He tells it as he sees it, without pulling any punches.”

Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker

Martin Herz wrote this candid, highly readable exploration of the realities of diplomatic life and East-West relations during his last months as U.S. ambassador to the People’s Republic of Bulgaria. While set in Eastern Europe, the account has universal application to the everyday operations of U.S. diplomacy. Entering the Foreign Service in 1946, Martin Herz served in Vienna, Paris, Phnom Penh, Tokyo (in each case as a political officer), Tehran (political counselor), Saigon (minister-counselor for political affairs), and as ambassador in Sofia, as well as in several positions in Washington, including that of deputy assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs. He was vice chairman and board member of the American Foreign Service Association. A dedicated practitioner and teacher of diplomacy, Ambassador Herz was also a prolific and astute writer and editor on the subject.