U.S. Foreign Service Officer John Dinger arrived in South Africa to serve as a regional trade officer at the time…
Negotiating the Helsinki Final Act—Soviet Style
Following Allied victory in World War II, the world plunged headfirst into a bitter rivalry lasting decades between the two…
Daily Life in Japanese Custody: Japan Takes Over U.S. Consulate in Vietnam During WWII
About one month before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States officially entered World War II, tensions were already…
In the Heat of the Cold War: Diplomats in a Divided Germany
Ever since the Foreign Service’s infancy, Foreign Service spouses have traveled with their partners to all corners of the world,…
Dinner with Imelda: Encounters with the Philippines’ Most Famous Dictatorship
In the wake of the Cold War, dictatorial regimes sprang up throughout the world, capturing international attention with news of…
We are the World: Development Support in Africa
The work of the U.S. Foreign Service encompasses more than just advancing U.S. interests abroad. A critical part of it…
Parallels in Protest: From the Civil Rights to the First Intifada
In the 1960s, the United States experienced nationwide protests for the justice of African Americans in a society where the…
Trust in Diplomacy––Secretary of State George Shultz
Diplomacy is the practice of building relationships between people and countries in order to achieve mutual goals. Diplomacy, however, requires…
Looking through the American Lens: Photography USA Exhibit in the Soviet Union
During the prolonged years of the Cold War, USIA [United States Information Agency] executed over a dozen exhibits highlighting components…
The Consequences of Serendipity: From Peace Corps to USAID
Is anything ever truly up to chance? Or are these moments of chance instead a culmination of one’s hard work?…