paraguay’s tranquiltranquil charmcharm...from the field and from well down the consular food...

MAGAZINE

U . S . D E P A R T M E N T O F S T A T E

Paraguay’sTranquilTranquil

CharmCharmMAY2008

Present atthe CreationThe wit and wisdom ofDean Acheson.

12PerfectlyClearDepartment historiansdig into the Nixon tapes.

20

MAY2008S T A T E M A G A Z I N E | I S S U E 5 2 3

Post ofthe MonthAsunción, Paraguay,South America’sMother of Cities.

28

ON THE COVERMorning sunlight glints on theParaguay River as it snakes thoughthe countryside near Asunción.

Photograph by National Geographic.

36

10 Wings forThe DovesEmbassy’s DOJ advisers aid special-needs students.

14 Working TogetherEmbassy uses coordination forcyclone relief.

18 Heat of BattleEmbassy remains open during coup.

24 A Brand-New EraFamily Liaison Office celebrates30 years.

26 Up, Up and WAEDepartment retirees return for short-term assignments.

34 ART in AlgiersConfluence: American and Algerianart converge in Algiers.

36 Liberated LearningFrench institution gives U.S. diplomatsnew skills.

38 Beating the HeatWhen temperatures rise, find ways tocool down.

3 Letters

4 In the News

40 State of the Arts

41 Appointments

41 Retirements

42 Obituaries

44 The Last Word

FEATURES COLUMNS

2014

09Strengthening Tiesin Indonesia

2 | STATE MAGAZINE | MAY 2008

D.G. HARRY K.THOMAS

Even before the use of the term “family-friendly” came into vogue, the Departmentof State had been creating and extendingservices to employees and their families thatprovide the extra support they need to carryout their professional and personal respon-sibilities. Under the exceptional leadershipof Jim Forbes, the Office of Employee Rela-tions develops, implements and promotesquality of life policies and programs; main-tains human resources regulations;administers the discipline process; and,through State Magazine, informs employeesabout the work and lives of theDepartment’s greatest asset: its people.

Headed by Patricia Pittarelli, the Work/Life Programs division includes on-site andnear-site child care centers and resource andreferral services for child care; the eldercareEmergency Visitation Travel program,which helps employees care for elderlyfamily members by authorizing and fundingtravel to assist parents who are no longerable to live on their own; and a child caresubsidy for eligible employees facing thehigh cost of child care at the point in theircareers when their salaries are lowest. WLP

is also where employees with disabilities can request reasonableaccommodation to continue to perform the essential functions oftheir jobs.

Judy Ikels’ team in the Employee Programs division makes andinterprets policy on family-friendly leave, family and medicalleave, flexible work schedules, alternative work schedules, part-time employment and job-sharing options, telework and thevoluntary leave transfer program. In addition, EP manages theStudent Loan Repayment Program, which provides grants to helpeligible employees retire outstanding education loans.

Helping to ensure the integrity of the Department’s workforceis the Conduct, Suitability and Discipline division led by VictoriaWilliams, which is tasked with maintaining service disciplineand standards.

Let’s take a walk down your career path. You may have joinedthe Department while just starting your family. At that time, youmay seek assistance with child care, adoption services or leave forthese purposes. Later in your career, you may find yourself part ofthe “sandwich” generation, raising your children while providingcare for an elder or while seeking your own medical treatment. ERwill be the place to seek guidance on eligibility under the Familyand Medical Leave Act, which entitles employees to up to 12weeks of unpaid leave for these purposes. Workplace injuries areunpredictable, so ER trains bureau coordinators to be responsibleand manages liaison with the Department of Labor as necessary.

You may need confidential counseling and referral on how bestto manage stress in your personal or professional life. ER mayrefer you to the IQ: “Information Quest” program, a resource andreferral service, which can link employees to community resourcesfor child and elder care, and provide information related to legalmatters, health care and education, for example. ER is also therepository of expertise on choosing health and life insurance, andthe newer programs, such as the Long Term Care InsuranceProgram and dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts.

If you have been with the Department for a while, you havemost likely had occasion to call the Office of Employee Relationswith questions regarding leave policy or health and life insurancebenefits. Every Department employee will interact with HR/ER atsome time during his or her career at State.

HR/ER is the corporate center established to advise employeesand managers throughout the Department on how to effectivelyintegrate workplace flexibilities in their own careers, balance theirprofessional and personal lives and foster a workplace that attractsand retains committed employees. I encourage you to take advan-tage of what it has to offer.

We want to hear your ideas and get your feedback. I welcomeyour suggestions via unclassified e-mail at “DG Direct.” ■

Office of Employee Relations—Here to Serve You

Exciting JourneyI am a former creator, author and

editor of the Bureau of Resource Manage-ment’s Executive Perspective newsletter. Ijust want to commend you and thank youfor an exciting journey in the February2008 issue of State Magazine. Thearticles—beginning with the cover story,“Brazil’s Northeast Star–Recife,” all theway to the end—were enjoyable. It was asif I were reading a fascinating magazinefrom a newsstand. Well done!

Wanda Washington Program Analyst

Bureau of Resource Management

Laurels for HartyFaced with Maura Harty’s early retire-

ment, I want to share a point of view

from the field and from well down theconsular food chain: Throughout hertenure as assistant secretary of consularaffairs, Maura was larger than life, strong,warm, generous, rich in wit and wise. Infive short years, she became the dominantforce in reshaping the bureau into themost dynamic and professional consularservice in the world. She helped us defineand understand our new challenges, andmeet them, despite the greatest series ofchanges in technology, policy and proce-dure in consular history. She promoted avibrant esprit de corps and made each ofus especially proud to be consular officers,with a pride grounded in our knowledgethat we are now collectively more profes-sional and more effective in our workthan ever before. She gave us resources,training and close personal attention, and

above all she gave us a conviction that weare serving the higher purposes of ourwide-ranging mission. She helped makethe Consular Bureau greater than the sumof its many hard-working parts. We nowserve hundreds of thousands of Americancitizens overseas, millions of visaapplicants and our broad American“transforming” goals more effectively andwith a greater sense of collective determi-nation because of her leadership.

Her retirement is the end of an era, andwhatever the future holds, her lossto us is greater than her modesty—another of her strengths—will ever allowher to realize.

Mark O’ConnorDeputy Consular Section Chief

Buenos Aires

I just wanted to thank Judy Ikels and yourmagazine for the timely and needed article ontelework (State Magazine, February 2008).Perhaps if more of the “powers that be” readit, they’d realize what a boon telecommutingwould be to employees who have little or nopublic transportation where they live or totheir job (especially in Charleston, S.C.) andhave to deal with rising gas prices.

Charles WardCommercial Claims

Charleston Global Financial Center

TeleworkEndorsed

MAY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 3

Letters

Via E-mail: [email protected] /// Phone: (202) 663-1700 /// Fax: (202) 663-1769Mailing Address: 2401 E Street, NW, HR/ER/SMG, SA-1, Room H-236, Washington, DC 20522-0108

Letters should not exceed 250 words and should include the writer’s name, address and daytime phone number. All letters becomethe property of State Magazine. Letters will be edited for length, accuracy and clarity. Only signed letters will be considered.

Let Us Hear from You

NEWSFrom left, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor,Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice andAvon Chief Executive Andrea Jung listento a question during the seminar.

Meeting of the MindsSecretary of State Condoleezza Rice,

retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra DayO’Connor and Avon Products Chief Exec-utive Officer Andrea Jung addressed aMarch seminar at Main State on endingviolence against women.

“Women too often suffer the most,”Secretary Rice told the audience of nearly100 senior judges and legal practitionersgathered in the Loy HendersonAuditorium. She noted that one-third ofwomen worldwide are beaten, raped orabused at some point in their lives, aproblem that is pervasive in bothdeveloped and developing nations.

She called for nations to enforce theirlaws and fully fund their courts andpolice. “Women’s empowerment should be

since the 2003 end of Liberia’s civil war.Convictions fall short, however, becausemany victims have no access to a lawyer,or even a way to get to a courthouse—andthey have little trust in the system anyway,she said.

She also called for increased funding oflaw enforcement, but noted her nation hasa long way to go: In one Liberian countythere are more than 100,000 people ofvoting age and only 30 police officers.

The seminar drew federal and statecourt judges from around the UnitedStates, as well as high-ranking officialsfrom 17 nations, including the deputyattorney general of Pakistan and membersof the supreme courts of Benin, Ghana,Hungary and Bahrain.

a policy priority” for all nations, she said.O’Connor said women are more likely

to be abused if they are less educated andless wealthy. She also called for improvedlaw enforcement, particularly by addingfemale police officers and judges.

“If the face of justice is a man, womenare less likely to seek help,” she said.

Avon partnered with the Departmenton the roundtable meeting. The weekbefore the seminar, Avon gave $1 millionto the United Nations fund charged withstopping domestic violence.

Roundtable attendees heard from apanel of judges that included a member ofthe Supreme Court of Liberia, JudgeJamesetta Howard-Wolokolie. She saidrape in her nation has actually increased

Seminar Targets Violence Against Women


In February, the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base inAlabama hosted its seventh annual State Day. Forty-two StateDepartment employees, mostly Foreign Service officers, flew infrom Andrews Air Force Base to engage AWC students in seminarson cultural and political issues in the countries the students wouldsoon visit.

“The desk officers gained insights into the workings andthinking of military officers, [and students] learned about the useof diplomacy to further foreign policy goals,” said BenjaminChiang, desk officer for Brazil.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific AffairsAlexander A. Arvizu spoke on the role of East Asian countries inU.S. foreign policy. Joan Corbett, a senior adviser in the Bureau ofInternational Security and Nonproliferation, spoke on CentralEuropean issues.

At State Day’s end, the group and AWC staff went out fordinner and visited the Civil Rights Memorial Center, the churchwhere Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was pastor for six years and thestate capitol.

Cornelius Keur, AWC’s foreign policy adviser, said State Day is ahighlight of the AWC school year and receives high ratings fromAWC students and participating Department officers. The Depart-ment’s involvement is organized by the Office of InternationalSecurity Operations in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

Air War College’s State DayHonors Interagency Cooperation

The State Department delegationposes in front of the Air War College.

In February, the U.S. Embassy in Athens hosted its first regionalconference on Romani—often identified by the derisive term“gypsies”—issues. The conference brought together officers fromseven posts and six countries with experts from the U.S. HelsinkiCommission and the Organization for Security and Cooperation inEurope and featured Ambassador Daniel V. Speckhard as itsopening speaker.

The Roma are the largest ethnic minority in Europe,numbering between 10 and 12 million but are highlydiscriminated against and marginalized. Despite culturaldifferences among Roma people across Europe, manyface the same issues: high unemployment, illiteracy andhomelessness.

Andrzej Mirga, a Romani professor who is the senioradviser on Romani issues with OSCE’s Office for Demo-cratic Institutions and Human Rights, urged attendees toencourage governments to go beyond “window dressing”policies and emphasized early childhood education.

“If help comes [to someone] at the age of seven,” hesaid, “they are already at a disadvantage,” he said.

Erika Schlager, counselor for international law at theU.S. Helsinki Commission, said the number-one priorityof Roma communities is access to education.

Political officer Patrick Connell, from the U.S. Embassyin Athens, took Schlager to several Roma camps aroundAthens during her visit. Roma camps in Greece haveanywhere from 2 to 500 families living in makeshiftshacks and are generally located off the sides of highways

or near landfills. An estimated 150,000– 300,000 Roma live inGreece, including some Roma who have migrated from Albania inrecent years.

Suggestions during the conference ranged from book drives andreplacing roofs in Roma communities to such long-term goals asencouraging governments to make education, health care andhousing more accessible to the Roma people.

Embassy Holds Conference On Romani Issues

Greek Roma stand near theirhome in a camp just outsideof Patras, Greece.


In February, Ambassador Ryan Crocker presented the firstSpecial Immigrant Visa issued at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.It was also the first immigrant visa issued since the embassyreopened in 2004. The recipient was a Locally Employed staffmember who had worked at the embassy since 2004.

Previously, applicants for all types of immigrant visas had totravel outside of Iraq for their interviews and visa processing,sometimes facing security risks. Since reopening, the consularsection has processed a few visas, primarily nonimmigrantvisas for Iraqis’ official travel and U.S.-sponsored exchanges.Branching into immigrant visas was important because of thesecurity situation Iraqi employees faced.

The SIV program was created in 2006 for Iraqi and Afghantranslators and interpreters who had worked for at least oneyear for the U.S. Armed Forces or chief of mission. It allocated500 visas for fiscal years 2007 and 2008.

In September 2007, the embassy requested authorization tobegin processing a small number of SIVs on a pilot basis. Theconsular section hopes to expand SIV processing to includetranslators and interpreters who applied for their SIVs whileworking as Armed Forces contractors. In January, another SIVprogram for Iraqi citizens began, this one for those who haveworked with the U.S. government for a year in any capacity,including as contractors. This program allocates 5,000 visasper fiscal year beyond those for translators and interpreters.The consular section anticipates a growing demand forvisa interviews.

Baghdad Issues First Special Immigrant Visa

In the summer of 2007,university business studentJean-Pierre Triviño neededpractical work experience ashe neared graduation andMaria Andrea Negrete, ahuman resources assistant atthe U.S. Consulate Generalin Guayaquil, Ecuador, facedseveral staffing gaps. Theconsulate Local InternProgram proved to be awin-win solution forboth parties.

Created in 2006, LIP isbased on the Foreign NationalStudent Intern program andserves full-time students fromuniversities within the nineEcuadorian provinces of theconsular district. Severalpublic and private universitieschose to participate in LIP,including the renownedCatholic University and theUniversity of Guayaquil.

The program helps students’career and educational develop-ment and improves consulateoperations by providingeducated and motivated internswho assist with tasks associatedwith mission goals, particularlyintegrating the consulate intothe community.

Internships average two tofour months. Interns are nowin the consular, public affairs,political/economic andmanagement sections.

Host-country nationals whoare not U.S. citizens areeligible, as are foreign nationalswho have legal-resident orstudent status in Ecuador. Afterlanguage testing, they undergothe security clearance process.

For the most recent recruit-ment cycle, more than 60highly qualified applicantscompeted for just six positions.While the program is not

designed to be a source ofpotential permanentemployees, several former

interns have been hired forfull-time Locally Employedstaff positions.

Student Interns Provide LIP Service In EcuadorConsul General DouglasGriffiths, center in lightgreen shirt, poses withseveral members of theinaugural group of interns.

Vice Consul Elizabeth Lawrencelooks on as Ambassador RyanCrocker presents the U.S.Embassy in Baghdad’s firstSpecial Immigrant Visa.


In late February, Ambassador toSouth Africa Eric M. Bost hosted aregional roundtable conference inCape Town on the issues andchallenges facing the SouthernAfrican Development Community.Fourteen ambassadors and ninemission directors from the U.S.Agency for InternationalDevelopment, plus 22 staff fromWashington, D.C., attended the event.

The ambassadors and missiondirectors discussed regionalchallenges and debated U.S.responses. Sessions at the two-dayevent covered the crisis in Zimbabweand counterterrorism, illegalimmigration and other regional secu-rity matters. Other topics wereinfectious disease policy, thePresident’s Emergency Plan for AIDSRelief and economic, energy anddevelopment policy objectives in theregion, which has the world’s highestper capita incidence of HIV/AIDSand has endured decades of civil war.Also discussed were countering inac-curate stereotypes of Americans,promoting the mission of the newAfrica Command and advancing U.S.policy goals.

A highlight was a digital videoconference with then-Under Secretaryfor Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns,who characterized U.S. policy inAfrica as successful, citing as evidenceU.S. efforts to combat infectiousdiseases there.

SADC member nations includeAngola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi,the Republic of Mozambique, Swazi-land, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwethe Democratic Republic of theCongo, Madagascar, Namibia, Mauri-tius and South Africa.

Ambassadors Discuss SouthernAfrica’s Development

The U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai,India, recently celebrated the 50th anniver-sary of its move into a former maharaja’spalace, now called Lincoln House. The star-studded evening drew more than 400

attendees, including Bollywood notables,bejeweled maharajas from across westernIndia and longtime consulate friends.

The guest of honor was Dr. Digvijay Sinh,whose grandfather designed the facility as

his family’s summerresidence. He reminiscedabout playing there as achild. The consular sectionnow occupies the palace’sformer kitchen—appropri-ately, he said, as it remains ahive of activity.

“Visa applicants here in1958 averaged eight per day,”said Consul General MichaelS. Owen. “The consul generalenjoyed tea with many ofthem.” Today, the visa sectionadjudicates more than 1,200applications a day.

Since the 1957 sale of the property to theU.S. government, the palace’s sprawling ball-rooms have become offices, but thebuilding’s historic façade remains, as do thepanoramic seascape views from the consulgeneral’s residence on the upper floors.

The evening’s events included a slideshow of the past 50 years at Lincoln Houseand in Indian-American relations. A danceperformance starring Emmy-award-winningAmerican tap dancer Jason Samuel Smithand the renowned Indian Kathak-styledancer Pandit Chitresh Das demonstratedhow much our dance traditions share.

The celebration may be one of the last atLincoln House. The consulate general isscheduled to move into a new compound inthe Mumbai suburbs in the spring of 2009.The new building will better accommodatethe consulate’s needs, but the golden years inLincoln House will not soon be forgotten.

Lincoln Houseonce served as amaharaja’s palace.

Consulate General Celebrates 50 Years in Lincoln House

Ambassador Eric Bost, right,confers with AmbassadorMary Carlin Yates.

AcrossThe

Pond

A theater namedSTATE in one of thevillages of London,Kilburn, appears to bethe headquarters ofState Magazine. Photoby Michael Bricker


MAGAZINE STAFF

Rob WileyEditor-in-Chief

Ed WarnerDeputy Editor

Bill PalmerWriter/Editor

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ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

James A. ForbesExecutive Secretary

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Annette R. Cocchiaro

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The submission deadline for the July/August issue is June 15. The deadlinefor the September issue is July 15.

Staff members of the U.S. Embassy inTunis gathered with Ambassador Robert F.Godec in February to kick off a Departmentof State pilot project that will bring 170additional trees to the embassy compound.

“This excellent project will help improvethe environment and the quality of life foreveryone here,” he said.

The tree-planting is part of the Energyand Sustainability Design Program of theBureau of Overseas Buildings Operationsand could bring more trees to Departmentfacilities worldwide. The project will helpmitigate greenhouse gas emissions becausetrees process carbon dioxide and reabsorb

greenhouse gases and suspended solids. The embassy is planting 127 olive trees

and 43 shade trees.Including olive trees in the effort has

resonated strongly with the post’s Tunisianemployees. Olive trees are regarded highly inTunisia, where the more than 60 milliontrees outnumber the population six to one.

The environment receives conspicuousofficial support in Tunisia. Landscaping andpark improvements are evident throughoutTunis, and the nation’s Ministry of the Envi-ronment and Sustainable Developmentsponsors a number of “green” programs,including a national Tree Festival Day.

A TREE GROWS IN TUNIS

Ambassador Robert Godecaddresses onlookers beforeturning the first shovel ofdirt to kick off the tree-planting project.


On a rain-soaked, muddy day inFebruary at the Jakarta Police Academy’ssoccer pitch, both teams enjoyed a livelymatch in front of more than 200supporters and a half-time performanceby a Muhammadiyah band anddance team.

Captained by Syamsuddin,Muhammadiyah’s squad included Indone-

sian celebrities, the University ofIndonesia’s rector and otherMuhammadiyah members. The embassyteam included American and Indonesianstaff from several sections and agencies.The embassy team led 2-1 at the half,but Muhammadiyah rallied to tie thegame at 3-3.

After the game, the players shook hands,

chatted and congratulated each other.Syamsuddin presented the embassy with aplaque commemorating the occasion, andAmbassador Cameron R. Hume presentedMuhammadiyah with a signed photo bookabout the United States.

“The match was a great opportunity toget to know Muhammadiyah leaders andmembers and spend time with the embassycommunity,” Ambassador Hume said. “Thematch was also an excellent public outreachopportunity.”

The opportunity to meet on the soccerfield strengthened friendships with Muham-madiyah members and gave embassy staff achance to get to know each other better.Now, the local guard who greets staff at thefront gate is also the embassy’s hero: He wasthe game’s leading scorer. ■

John Jacobs is a consular officer and ScottKofmehl is an economic officer at the U.S.Embassy in Jakarta.

Personal relationships often form thebasis for professional cooperation inIndonesia. Prior to a business meeting,John Heffern, deputy chief of mission atthe U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, and DinSyamsuddin, chairman of Muhammadiyah,the second largest Muslim organization inthe world, discovered a mutual interest insoccer. Syamsuddin instantly challengedthe embassy to a soccer match.

SOCCER STRENGTHENS TIES IN INDONESIABY JOHN JACOBS AND SCOTT KOFMEHL

Just for Kicks

The embassy team, in blue, crouchesin front of the Muhammadiyah team atthe start of the match.

Near the U.S. Embassy in Tirana,Albania, behind a dirty beige wall with atattered iron gate, sits a small, worn andpatched building. Occasionally childrenemerge to play, but a brief glance tells youthat these children are somehow different.Perhaps it’s the tenor of their voices, maybeit’s the awkward way the children move, orit might be the adults who watch intentlyover the children’s playground antics.

One dark, damp, cold afternoon last fall,several Department of Justice International

Criminal Investigative Training AssistanceProgram advisers who work at the embassynoticed that unlike at most of thesurrounding buildings, when the city’s elec-tricity stopped working there was noimmediate roar of a generator—the schoolremained dark. Concern for the children ledthe ICITAP advisers to approach theschool’s director, Edo Sherifi, offering apizza party for the children and staff.

Though surprised by the interest, Sherifiagreed to allow ICITAP to throw a party at

the school, which is named “The Doves.” The school serves children with autism

who are not only mentally impaired butoften also have physical disabilities. Almostall of them would be classified as severelydisabled in the United States. As difficult asit is in the United States to obtain fundingfor special-needs students, it is even worsein Albania, a very poor country with highunemployment. Most of the students’parents cannot provide much for upkeep ofThe Doves.

EMBASSY’S DOJ ADVISERS AID SPECIAL-NEEDS STUDENTSBY DARREL HART, LEON STRIGOTTE AND BRENDA JAMES

Wings for The Doves

Samples of thestudents’ artwere mountedfor display.

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Pizza PartyOn November 14, 2007, ICITAP staff

members arrived at the school laden withpizza and other goodies. The childrentreated ICITAP to a short concert andshowed off their art projects. Later, Sherifitook the advisers to a room set aside todisplay the children’s art.

After visiting the children, the advisersdecided to adopt the school. Sherifi identi-fied the school’s three most important

needs: a generator to provide heat,lighting and the power to cook hot mealswhen the electricity was off; materialslike Play-Doh, crayons and coloringbooks for creative activities; and clothing.

Remembering the quality of the chil-dren’s artwork, the advisers and otherembassy staffers asked Sherifi if theycould purchase some of the artdisplayed. Local laws made thisimpossible, but the director offered togive the art to ICITAP staff. Thinkingquickly, the ICITAP advisers asked ifthey could have all the artwork and thencontacted the embassy’s communityliaison office for assistance incoordinating a wine-and-cheese silentart auction.

Art AuctionThirty-six pieces of art from the school

were donated, and on November 27 anauction was held at the embassy. Many fromthe community came to show support forthis collaborative effort. In addition to thechildren’s artwork, embassy staff donatedrestaurant meals, personal services, planetickets and one of the real stars of theevening—jars of peanut butter, which wereauctioned off for $50 a jar. At the end of the

evening, more than $2,500 had been raisedin support of the school.

A few days before the auction, anexpatriate board member of Raiffeisen Banklearned of the endeavor to assist the schooland arranged for the donation and installa-tion of a generator that is more than twiceas powerful as the school needed.

Thanks to ICITAP’s hard work, thegenerosity of both U.S. Embassy staff andthe international community in Tirana, the45 children of “The Doves” now enjoy thebasic necessities of heat and lighting all yearround. The money raised by the auction hasfunded a generator fuel tank, fuel andclothing for students.

But the story isn’t over. ICITAP familymembers in the United States have collectedactivity materials for the children, and addi-tional donations of money and equipmentcontinue to come in from the internationalcommunity in Tirana. To date, the ICITAPstaff have raised more than $4,000, and theyhave a new project—repairing the school’sboiler in order to phase out the ineffectivespace heaters currently in use. ■

The authors are, respectively, the ICITAPdirector, an ICITAP contractor and an officemanagement specialist at Embassy Tirana.

Attendees grab a slice at thepizza party. Below: Edo Sherifiis the school’s director.


Secretary of StateDean Achesonarrives at LancasterHouse in Englandin 1950.


Since joining the Department, SecretaryCondoleezza Rice on several occasions hasevoked the foreign policy legacy of formerSecretary of State Dean Acheson. In a Dec.11, 2005, op-ed piece published in theWashington Post, she wrote:

“Soon after arriving at theDepartment, I hung a portrait ofDean Acheson in my office... Ihung his picture where I did for areason. Like Acheson and hiscontemporaries, we live in anextraordinary time—one in whichthe terrain of internationalpolitics is shifting beneath our feetand the pace of historical changeoutstrips even the most vividimagination... Because leaderssuch as Acheson steered Americanstatecraft with our principleswhen precedents for action werelacking, because they dealt withthe world as it was but neverbelieved they were powerless tochange it for the better, thepromise of democratic peace isnow a reality in all of Europe andin much of Asia.”

Many State Department employees arefamiliar with Acheson’s transformationaldiplomatic accomplishments, including hispresence at the creation of the Lend-LeaseAct, the Marshall Plan, the North AtlanticTreaty Organization and other programs.

In addition to Acheson’s diplomaticachievements, which still shape ourinternational environment, he alsopossessed a keen understanding of andstrong dedication to the Department. Someof his admiration, advice and admonitionsfor the Department and its employees—expressed with his wry wit andwisdom—remain applicable andinspirational.

All of the Acheson excerpts below aretaken from his 1969 Pulitzer Prize-winningbook Present at the Creation, which covershis service at the Department from 1941through 1953.

Acheson on American diplomacy“I must plead as guilty as any of escaping

into immediate busywork to keep from thefar harder task of peering into a dim future,which, of course, should be one of a diplo-matist’s main tasks.”

“Since the best environment fordiplomacy is found where mutualconfidence between governments exist, rela-tionships of respect and affection betweenthe individuals who represent them furnisha vitally important aid to it.”

“[The] mixture of frustration andprogress...is the daily grind of foreignaffairs.”

“The simple truth is that perseverance ingood policies is the only avenue to success.”

“If I have said nothing new tonight, itmay well be because in a family of nations,as in families of individuals, we shouldexpect nothing more sensational thangrowth.”

“No characteristic so marked Americansto this day as the quick and helping handoffered not only to neighbors, but to fellowmen everywhere.”

Acheson on bureaucracy“The heads of all these divisions, like

barons in a feudal system...were constantlyat odds, if not at war.”

“The battle within the Department overdisposition of the research and intelligenceunits transferred from the Office ofStrategic Services in October 1945 is worthrecalling...to understand the self-inflictedwounds which impaired the standing of theState Department within the government.”

Acheson on making decisions “Where the boundaries of jurisdiction

were fuzzy or overlapping, meetings becameinevitable... These meetings gave theillusion of action, but often frustrated it byattempting to reconcile the irreconcilable.What was most often needed was notcompromise but decision.”

“Talk should precede, not follow, theissuance of orders.”

“[General Marshall] was impatient with atype of nonsense particularly prevalent inthe State Department known as ‘kicking theproblem around.’ All of us who haveworked with General Marshall havereported a recurring outburst of his: ‘Don’tfight the problem. Solve it!’ The discussionhe wanted was about plans of action.”

Acheson on State Department employees“I tried to make my audience think of the

Foreign Service and the State Departmentnot as stereotypes but as people giving theirwhole lives to the United States—competent, courageous, devoted.”

“[State employees] are a part of thatgreat and goodly company that stretchesback through the years to the verybeginning of our nation… Today, as always,there is here that devotion to country, thatloyalty to your work, that wisdom which isso necessary for our country.”

Acheson and his Department colleagues“never for one moment believed thatholding of office was a source of power; itwas an obligation of service.”

“As they [State employees] look backupon their service...during those puzzlingand perilous times, [they can be assuredthat] they played a vital role in setting themain lines of American foreign policy formany years to come and that they may feelin their hearts that it was nobly done.”

I once followed the footsteps ofAcheson’s daily walk between his office andhis residence in Georgetown. I ended thewalk by paying my respects at Acheson’sgrave in Oak Hill Cemetery, just a few stepsaway from his old home on P Street. There,near the top of a hillside, I found his namecarved on a stone that faces toward FoggyBottom—DEAN ACHESON—lookingalways, dutifully, to the Department and thehome of American diplomacy. ■

The author is acting director for theeDiplomacy Office in the Bureau ofInformation Resource Management.

THE WIT AND WISDOM OF DEAN ACHESON BY DAN SHEERIN Present at the Creation

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area, the OFDA’s representative in Kathmandu began preparations and a USAIDDisaster Assistance Relief Team assembled in Washington.

Within 36 hours of the storm warning, the government of Bangladesh evacuatedapproximately 1.5 million people from vulnerable sites. USAID worked withnongovernmental partners to deliver key relief supplies near areas expected to be hit bythe cyclone. The mission’s Defense attaché office began working with host-country offi-cials to facilitate the arrival of U.S. military assets and served as a key liaison with theBangladesh military.

On November 15, Cyclone Sidr made landfall in southern Bangladesh with winds of155 miles per hour. Despite the impressive evacuation efforts, the cyclone took an esti-mated 4,000 lives as an 18-foot tidal surge struck deep into coastal areas and high windsdestroyed structures. The storm displaced more than 3 million people, ruining crops,destroying livestock farms and damaging critical village infrastructure. Storm-inducedpower outages plunged the country into darkness.

As the storm hit, the embassy provided a comprehensive interagency response. Seniormission representatives met with high-level Bangladesh government officials to offersupport and identify needs. Advance teams from OFDA and the Marine Corps arrived

The three D’s of American foreign policy—diplomacy, development and defense—weredemonstrated by the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka’ssuccessful emergency response to Cyclone Sidrin November of 2007. Dubbed Operation SeaAngel II, the initial U.S. response combined theefforts of the Department of State, Departmentof Defense, U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment, government of Bangladesh andinternational donors.

Starting with the first reports of a gatheringstorm in the Bay of Bengal, the embassy inBangladesh was in close communication withthe U.S. Pacific Command and USAID’s Officeof Foreign Disaster Assistance. Around theworld, U.S. assets were moved into place—theUSS Kearsarge changed course to head to the

EMBASSY USES COORDINATION FOR CYCLONE RELIEFBY KAPIL GUPTA, PAMELA KAZI AND ALETA KOVENSKY

Working Together

Foreign Service officer Carter Wilbur, USAID officerJo Lesser-Oltheten and Major Michael Monti worktogether at the embassy control center.

planning. To accomplish this, the PacificCommand Augmentation Team organizedinteragency assessment teams that haveincluded the U.S. military’s civil affairspersonnel, engineers and medical specialists,and USAID and Department employees.The teams conducted detailed assessmentsto develop specific knowledge of the localand regional factors that contribute to civilvulnerabilities.

The teams spent three weeks in storm-ravaged southern Bangladesh, meeting withlocal officials and representatives ofnongovernmental organizations, andsurveying conditions. The teams alsoprovided local communities they visitedwith grants for small reconstructionprojects, such as repairing damaged schools.In village after village, the teams heardexpressions of gratitude and surprise at theefficacy of the ongoing relief operations.

The U.S. Embassy in Dhaka’s response toCyclone Sidr has strengthened the bilateralrelationship and successfully modeled howthe three D’s can help a country in need. ■

Kapil Gupta is an economic officer, andPamela Kazi and Aleta Kovensky are vice con-suls at the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka.

and joined mission representatives from USAID and the Pacific Command AugmentationTeam to conduct the initial reconnaissance.

Groundwork LaidTo prepare for the influx of U.S. military forces, Department and DOD officers jointly

secured country clearances for U.S. military aircraft. At Dhaka’s two main airfields, theembassy’s assistant general services officer and a member of the Defense attaché’s officeprovided logistical support to incoming U.S. military and USAID personnel. The embassyin Dhaka’s travel services staff facilitated immigration and customs processing forincoming U.S. military personnel and temporary support staff, reducing the time neededfor delivering critical relief supplies. A relief operations center at the embassy and aforward operating base for U.S. efforts were set up, the latter at the Bangladesh Army’srelief distribution hub at the Barisal airport in southern Bangladesh.

Operation Sea Angel II succeeded thanks to close coordination between the Department,DOD, USAID, the government of Bangladesh and USAID’s nongovernmental partners.USAID employees and Foreign Service national employees worked with nongovernmentalcontacts in the affected area to identify relief target areas, the supplies needed, where theycould be delivered and how they could be distributed. USAID FSNs, some of themphysicians, traveled with mobile medical teams from the USS Kearsarge and the USSTarawa to translate and assist in treatingdisaster victims.

The coordination involved embeddedDepartment and USAID employees workingalongside the Marine Expeditionary Battalioncommand staff. The embassy worked with mili-tary planners to facilitate contacts with localand nongovernmental counterparts and answeroperational questions, which helped their mili-tary colleagues perform more than 100 sortiesby helicopter and aircraft. In the immediateresponse effort, the U.S. military transportedmore than 400 tons of food, 12,000 gallons offresh water and 200 tons of relief materials toremote sites in the affected areas. More than1,000 patients were treated by military medicalteams.

Effort ContinuesThe U.S. role in recovery from the cyclone

continues. The second stage of the embassy’sresponse centers on conducting interagencyassessments to support U.S. reconstruction

Clockwise from top: Cyclone victimsexpress their thanks for the relief effort;Foreign Service officer Heather Variavaand Lt. Colonel William Berris coordinaterelief at the forward operating base inBarisal; a Navy medic examines a childinjured during the cyclone.


Department of Stateemployees may be able to usetheir own credit cards to buylunch near where they work andthen forgo paying the card’s billfor a month or more.

Not so with their government-issued credit cards.

These cards are only forbusiness-related expensesarising when the employee isaway from his or her officialduty station. And the resultingbill must be paid in full within25 days of the closing date ofthe statement on which thecharge appears, even if theemployee has yet to bereimbursed for the expenses—or is never fully reimbursed.

The Office of Employee Rela-tions’ Conduct, Suitability andDiscipline Division manages theDepartment’s disciplineprogram. Cases of credit cardmisuse and failure to pay arereferred to CSD from the Bureauof Resource Management or thebureau where the employeeworks.

RM, which manages the creditcard program, first responds to abill’s nonpayment by sending aletter requesting the employee toeither pay the account in fullwithin 30 days or establish a

written repayment agreementwith Citibank, the bank issuingthe card. If the employee doesnot resolve the unpaid balance,garnishment of the employee’spay begins; that is, theDepartment takes the unpaidsum out of the employee’spaycheck. RM then refers thematter to CSD, where a casemanager determines the appro-priate disciplinary action.

When a credit card billgoes unpaid, the charges onthat bill are examined for appro-priateness, and many suchexaminations reveal misuse.However, misuse may be deter-mined independently ofnonpayment, since RM and theexecutive office of the employee’sbureau may review credit cardsat any time for nonallowablecharges. Misuse of the card mayalso result in disciplinary action.

Employees should read theircopy of the GovernmentCardholder AccountAgreement—which they signedwhen they agreed to the terms ofuse governing the card. Fullregulations are also at 4 FAM466 and 4 FAH-3 H-466. ■

The author is the deputy editor ofState Magazine.

GOVERNMENT CREDIT CARD BILLS MUSTBE PAID ON TIME BY ED WARNER


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In early February, the capital of Chadendured a two-day siege as rebels battledgovernment forces in an attempt to topplePresident Idriss Deby Itno. For Chadians itwas a sad reprise of the violence that haswracked the country since independence.For staff and family members of the U.S.Embassy in N’Djamena, it was a harrowingexperience, but one they endured withcourage and camaraderie.

Working under wartime conditions,embassy staff successfully protected U.S.government employees, family membersand private American citizens, and theembassy remained open.

On January 31, rebel forces wereadvancing across Chad from the east, andembassy personnel were instructed toconsolidate in the housing compound andthe chancery. Despite crowded quarters onthe compound, the group of 21, includingfour children and two infants, passed thenext 24 hours in good spirits. The next day,reports trickled in of truckloads ofwounded soldiers arriving at the hospital:Government forces had failed to turn backthe rebels in the east and were retreating toN’Djamena.

At 1:00 a.m. on February 2, familymembers were told to prepare to depart. A

five-car convey set off for the French-controlled air base at 4:30 a.m. Shortlythereafter, the first sounds of artillery firewere heard in the distance. At the airport,good-byes were said, hugs given and familymembers and nonessential staff quicklyboarded the Department of Defense–contracted aircraft. With passengers fillingall seats and hunkered down on the floor,the plane flew to safety into Yaoundé,Cameroon.

Trapped in CrossfireBy 9 a.m., rebel trucks were barreling

down the dusty roads of the city. It soon

AMBASSADOR STAYS DURING FAILED COUP BY LUCY TAMLYN

Heat of Battle

Seen over the embassy’s rooftop,the smoke of burning rebel vehiclesrises over N'Djamena.

became clear that the housing compoundand the embassy itself were in the path ofthe rebels and would be trapped betweenthem and government forces as a fiercebattle raged over the next two days.

Back at the housing compound, the 11remaining employees and two Americanprivate citizens took shelter on the floor ofa bedroom amid heavy fighting on all sides.The deafening report of a government tankoutside the compound wall rose above thesound of heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. An estimated 1,000bullets rained on the compound everyhour. An RPG exploded in a nearby tree,sending the Americans reeling andloosening the house’s corrugated tin roof.

Soon, the first wave of rebels surgedaround the embassy compound. Inaddition to Ambassador Louis Nigro and19 embassy employees, the chancery shel-tered 20 local guards, a private Americancitizen and a Chadian-American child andhis Chadian mother.

As the battle advanced and retreated,looters swarmed behind the rebels.Embassy guards looked on helplessly aslooters seized their treasured bicycles and

motorcycles from the parking lot. Thedestruction of classified material picked upspeed with embassy staff from all sectionswielding sledgehammers and doingshredder duty. Elsewhere in the city, assecurity permitted, French forces ferriedprivate American citizens and other expa-triates from hotels and residences to theFrench base for onward passage toLibreville, Gabon.

Battle WorsensA day later, the battle around the

embassy became more fierce. An RPGround went through a second-story wallnear the ambassador’s office, where anemployee had been minutes before. Theorder came to abandon the embassy.

At 3:15 p.m., Marine DetachmentCommander Robert Sutton and Sgt. PatrickShaw lowered the American flag, folded itand gave it and the embassy keys to theAmbassador. The last e-mail was sent toAmerican citizens, urging them to seekshelter at the French base. A Frenchhelicopter landed on an improvised landingarea behind the embassy to pick up theambassador and his group during a lull in

the fighting. They were joined at the Frenchbase by the Americans from the housingcompound, who had endured anotherexcruciating day in the crossfire beforebeing picked up by French forces inarmored personnel carriers. Governmentforces were slowly beating back the rebels.But the streets were filled with corpses. Thestench of charred and burning vehiclesfilled the air.

The U.S. Embassy in N’Djamena neverclosed, however. The ambassador and keystaff maintained a U.S. presence at theFrench base for the next two weeks, one ofmany French services that were greatlyappreciated. On February 14, the chanceryreopened and the flag was raised. Thedamage toll included six embassy housesthat had been completely looted.Fortunately, there were no fatalities amongthe Chadian employees, but many experi-enced terror, lost household goods andwere separated from their families.Employees can help them by contributingto the FSN Emergency Relief Fund. ■

The author is the deputy chief of mission atthe U.S. Embassy in N’Djamena.

Top left: Ambassador Louis J. Nigro, second from right, presents the flag tothe Marine detachment commander as the embassy is reopened. Bottomleft: Americans at the French base are, from left, Major Stephen Edwards,assistant Defense attaché; Wesley Pendergist, information managementofficer; and David Richeson, regional security officer. Above: The LocallyEmployed staff took shelter in the chancery during mortar attacks.


DEPARTMENT HISTORIANSDIG INTO THE NIXON TAPESBY RICHARD A. MOSSAND ANAND TOPRANI

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President Nixon, left, and Secretary of StateKissinger confer on the south grounds of theWhite House in October 1973.

In ContextTaken out of context, some quotes from those transcripts have grabbed

lurid headlines. For example, at the height of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971,Nixon and National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger derided Indian PrimeMinister Indira Gandhi with rather intemperate language. Nixon and Kissingerwere angry because they felt Gandhi had lied to them in November 1971 whenshe said that India wanted to avoid a war with Pakistan.

Journalists and scholars have often focused on the occasionally saucylanguage of the tapes rather than the substance of the conversations. TheOffice of the Historian encourages readers to consult the recordingsthemselves to gain a full appreciation of the content and context of theconversations.

In the course of its work, the office encountered moments that range fromthe profane to the poignant and from the introspective to the petty.Particularly interesting are Nixon’s frequent soliloquies on a wide variety ofsubjects, especially when addressing small groups. Talking to an intimategroup about the Defense budget, Nixon said: “If you compare us to theRussians, if you compare us to every other great power…we spend a hell of alot, and all we do is we waste 300 pounds on a 150-pound frame.”

Force and DiplomacyPerhaps more than anyone else in his administration, including those in the

military, Nixon recognized the need to sometimes marry force and diplomacy toachieve strategic objectives. Early in 1972, hoping to avoid an offensive by theNorth Vietnamese against the South Vietnamese, Nixon made several speechesand sent messages through a number of channels warning the North Vietnameseagainst any “precipitate” action. Nixon also prepared for a counterstrike, in theevent of an offensive, by bolstering American airpower.

In addition to its foreign and domestic poli-cies, the Nixon administration is alsoremembered for the secret Oval Office tapingsystem, which hastened Nixon’s downfall whena presidential aide disclosed its existence to thecongressional committee investigating Water-gate. The first collection of tapes, released in1996, continued to tarnish the reputation ofthe Nixon administration and swung thependulum of historical opinion decidedlyagainst Nixon. Significantly, the initial taperelease constituted less than 200 hours ofmaterial drawn from nearly 3,700 total hours.

To put the tapes into proper context, theDepartment of State’s historians have hadaccess to the larger universe of classified tapessince 2000, and to high-quality digitalmaterials since 2002. Mandated by Congress toproduce a “thorough, accurate and reliable”record of U.S. foreign policy, the Departmenthas reviewed hundreds of hours of materialand transcribed more than 1,000 pages. Thematerial will be included in the official docu-mentary series, Foreign Relations of the UnitedStates. When the final volumes are published,these transcripts will represent the largestsingle source of Nixon tape transcripts inexistence.

President RichardM. Nixon is usuallyremembered forthree things: theWatergate scandal,the opening toChina and détentewith the SovietUnion. The Nixonpresidency wasreally about muchmore, especiallyin the area offoreign policy.


Richard Moss, seated, andAnand Toprani prepare totranscribe the Nixon tapes.

As Nixon bluntly stated in one Cabinet meeting: “If we think about the realproblems of this war, public relationswise and the rest, I suppose many books will bewritten about it in the future…maybe it will come out all right… The only thing todo if the other guy gives you a, you know, a slap on the wrist [is] you kick him in thegroin… You know, that’s what we’ve got to do here.”

In May 1972, two weeks before going to Moscow for a historic summit meeting onthe Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, Nixon linked improved relations with the SovietUnion to reduced Soviet support for the North Vietnamese, who were waging amassive offensive against South Vietnam. The President emphatically asked BrigadierGeneral (and future Secretary of State) Alexander Haig: “How can you possibly go to

One year after his historic trip to China,President Nixon on May 3, 1973, briefedAmbassador David K.E. Bruce, prior to hisposting to Beijing. The following exchange,edited with ellipses, is from a section of theNixon transcripts published in January.

Nixon: I mean, we’ve got to get along withthis one-fourth of all people in the world,the ablest people in the world, in myopinion, potentially. We’re going to getalong, or not. It’s no problem for the nextfive years, but in the next 20 years it’s thecritical problem of our age.

Bruce: Yes.

Nixon: China’s it.

Bruce: Yes, I think it is.

Nixon: The other thing is…you should letthem know how…how much I appreciatedour welcome when we were there. Thesecond thing, we look forward to sometimereturning. Third, we would very much hopethat Chou En-lai will see his way clear tocome here to the U.N.—

Bruce: Yes, of course.

Nixon: —or something, as I would like toentertain him here—

Bruce: Um-hmm.

Nixon: —and it can be worked out in theproper way. And fourth—and I think this isthe most important—that I look upon theChinese and American relationship as, really,the key to peace in the world. Always havethat in the back of your mind, withoutplaying it too obviously, the fact that theonly thing that makes the Russian game gois just the Chinese game.


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TranscriptsShow Nixon’sHigh RegardFor China

National Security Adviser Kissinger gestures ashe talks with President Nixon about a Vietnamsettlement on November 25, 1972.

the Soviet Union and toast to Brezhnev and Kosygin and sign a SALT agree-ment in the Great Hall of St. Peter when Russian tanks and guns are kickingthe hell out of our allies in Vietnam?”

Nixon went through with the summit after he made the decision tomine Haiphong Harbor and escalate the bombing against Hanoi.

In early 1973, Henry Kissinger slipped into the Oval Office to informNixon that incoming U.S. Ambassador to the Sudan Cleo A. Noel Jr.,Chargé d’Affaires George Curtis Moore and Belgium’s Deputy Chief ofMission Guy Eide had been murdered by terrorists. The tapes captured apoignant silence as the men sat speechless for a few moments.


Respect for FSOsNixon’s contempt for the Department may be well

known, but the tapes reveal that he also appreciated thedangers faced by the Foreign Service. Following the eventsin Sudan, Nixon expressed concern for Foreign Service offi-cers serving in hazardous areas and coordinated withSecretary of State William Rogers to arrange a meeting withthe Foreign Service Association to honor the victims andaddress the concerns of diplomatic personnel.

The transcripts used in Foreign Relations are the productof years of dedicated effort by Office of the Historian staffmembers. Transcribing the tapes entailed selection by histo-rians, many reviews by transcribers and carefuldeclassification and editing. In February, Department Histo-rian Marc Susser reported to the Advisory Committee onHistorical Diplomatic Documentation that his office’s NixonTapes Group had completed all new research in andtranscription of the Nixon tapes for the Foreign Relationsseries. Look for the transcripts to appear in more than adozen forthcoming volumes of Foreign Relations atwww.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/nixon. ■

Richard Moss started in the Historian’s Office as a graduatestudent intern and is now a contract historian. He is a Ph.D.candidate at George Washington University. Anand Topraniis contract historian and is a Ph.D. student at GeorgetownUniversity. Together, the authors completed the transcriptionwork for the final 130 hours of tapes for inclusion in theForeign Relations series.

Nixon’s contemptfor the Departmentmay be wellknown, but thetapes reveal that healso appreciated thedangers faced by theForeign Service.

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“We wanted a logo that would be moremodern and inclusive, representing our diverseclient base and that we are constantly changingto meet the needs of the Foreign Servicefamily,” FLO Director Leslie Brant Teixeira saidin her remarks to the guests. “We wanted touse this anniversary to begin a process of re-branding FLO, and a new logo was a goodstarting point.”

Lucky BreakFLO had been asked to join a broader initia-

tive to internally brand State Departmentprograms just when it wanted a fresh look forits 30th anniversary. FLO wants to repeat there-branding success of the Office ofRecruitment, Examination and Employment inthe Bureau of Human Resources. The bureauwants icons to represent all facets of its offices.With the assistance of Rachel Friedland, REE’semployment marketing and communicationsspecialist, and the JWT advertising agency,FLO got a new logo.

FAMILY LIAISON OFFICE CELEBRATES 30 YEARS BY KATHRYN VIGUERIE

A Brand-New EraWhen the Family LiaisonOffice celebrated its 30thanniversary at a ceremonyin the Benjamin FranklinRoom at Main State inMarch, guests were greetedby a large poster displayinga colorful abstract image: acircle of red, blue, greenand yellow interlockedfigures that seemed inconstant motion. This isFLO’s new logo, which, asthe poster says, illustrates adynamic and energeticorganization that embraces,supports and empowersits clients.

Re-branding is a proven concept. Many well-known commercialbrands have gone through public efforts to craft a new identity orstrengthen an old one. A new logo is one piece of the strategy.

Teixeira said the new logo “visually connects what we are sayingto clients to what we are actually doing for clients, helping them tounderstand that we have a lot to offer.”

Although FLO is well known by Department employees andfamily members, not everyone is aware of the breadth of itsservices or that it serves more than just the traditional nuclearfamily.

“Historically, employees have viewed FLO as the office thatsupports Foreign Service family members, meaning spouses andchildren,” Teixeira said. “When we in FLO talk about ‘family,’however, we mean the very broad Foreign Service family—direct-hire employees of U.S. agencies going to, serving at or returningfrom a posting under chief of mission authority and their spouses,partners, children, parents and even siblings in some cases.

“We have programs, services and resources for all of thesedifferent community members.”

First StepFLO hopes the new logo will be the first step in a long-term

effort to ensure everyone in the Foreign Service family is aware ofFLO’s services. One service is providing information. For anyonecoping with life issues and a highly mobile lifestyle, FLO providesinformation, resources, personal support and referrals. FLO canprovide assistance or information regarding such matters as adop-

tion, elder care, the special needs of “members of household”—those who are not on or entitled to be on an employee’sorders—raising children overseas, divorce, special-needs educationand expeditious naturalization.

FLO publications include the newly published The Spouse andPartner Guide to the Foreign Service, Welcome Back!: Information forEvacuees, Inter-Country Adoption Guidelines for the Foreign ServiceFamily and many more. FLO also offers links to other Departmentresources via its Web site, www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo. FLO also hasprograms or initiatives for specific groups, including

• spouses and partners trying to find meaningful and fulfillingwork overseas,

• families coping with an absent parent who is on an unaccom-panied tour,

• employees and family members who have experienced anevacuation,

• single employees who feel isolated at post,• everyone who has used a community liaison office, and • anyone who faces the difficulties of Foreign Service life.Teixeira said FLO plans a long-term re-branding and outreach

effort that will include using technology to better reach clients. “People know we are here, but we need to show them that we

are here for them,” she said. “It’s also important for them to knowwhat we can do for them. We will be making a major effort to dothat throughout the year and into the future.” ■

The author is FLO’s communications and outreach coordinator.

Under Secretary PatrickKennedy addresses theFLO celebration.

FLO Celebrates 30th BirthdayThe Family Liaison Office is “the best ally families can have” overseas,

said Deputy Secretary John Negroponte, one of several Departmentofficials to laud FLO at the March celebration of its 30th anniversary.

Another speaker at the ceremony in the Benjamin Franklin Room ofMain State, Under Secretary for Management Patrick Kennedy, said FLOhas “made the lives of everyone in the Foreign Service a little easier.” Hecited FLO initiatives on family-member employment and special-needschildren and FLO’s support for those serving on unaccompanied tours. Healso said he has called for a new family-member employment program.

Kennedy introduced the woman he called “Mother FLO,” LesleyDorman, former president of the Associates of the American ForeignService Worldwide, who was instrumental in the founding of FLO.

She said FLO came into being because “AAFSW was able to create anoffice in the Department—an unusual feat.”

FLO Director Leslie Teixeira said FLO’s goals for the future include addi-tional initiatives on family-member employment, education and youth, anda focus on more professional training of community liaison office coordina-tors and adding new CLO coordinator positions. She noted how FLO hasgrown from “two and a half employees” to a staff of 17 and said FLO hasa new logo to reflect its growing diversity of clients and of FLO itself. Shesaid FLO is promoting its services via its Web site and other media.


WAE employees do not cost the Depart-ment additional employer contributions forretirement or health insurance. They arealso experienced workers with “a level ofexpertise we are lacking,” said LindaTaglialatela, deputy assistant secretary in theBureau of Human Resources.

Recent HR data indicate the Departmenthas 1,286 WAE employees, whosupplement the permanent Foreign Servicework force of 11,326 by about 10 percent.There were also about 1,584 positions ableto be filled by WAEs, the most common of

them being security specialist, examinerand consular officer.

In 2005, there were an estimated 1,150WAEs and about 1,400 jobs that could befilled by WAEs, said David Dlouhy, whocalculated the totals while director of HR’sOffice of Retirement. Dlouhy is nowhimself retired but has returned to HR onWAE status.

Large UserAmong the bureaus, Consular Affairs is

one of the larger employers of WAEs. In a

2007 cable on consular issues, Secretary ofState Condoleezza Rice called for increasedconsular use of WAEs, saying “Over theyears, many posts have benefited fromWAE time, energy and expertise, and Iknow that many of you rely on WAEs to fillcritical gaps.”

There are also positions outside of CA.Lloyd Neighbors, for instance, retired in2005, but returned as a WAE in 2007 on theChina Desk’s public diplomacy operation.

Although WAEs can work no more than1,040 hours per year and can earn no morethan their highest salary prior toretirement—working more would reducetheir retirement annuities—they can put inadditional hours by working as contractemployees, and Dlouhy said he sees thistrend increasing, too.

Civil Service retirees can also return tothe Department, but generally do so ascontractors. While Civil Service employeescan be hired as WAEs, it is not cost benefi- P

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More than 1,000 State Department employeesare Foreign Service retirees who have returnedunder “when actually employed” status. Theranks of these temporary workers may begrowing as the Department seeks to gainadditional experienced employees whileoperating under budgetary constraints.

DEPARTMENT RETIREES RETURN FOR SHORT-TERM ASSIGNMENTS BY ED WARNER

Up, Up and WAE

Lloyd Neighbors is a WAE employeecurrently serving in the Bureau ofEast Asian and Pacific Affairs.


cial for them to do so. That, however, couldchange. Rep. James Moran of Virginia hasproposed legislation that would eliminatethe pay disincentive for Civil Service retirees,a bill supported by the Office of PersonnelManagement as a way to deal with thecoming surge in federal employeeretirements.

Crisis WorkOne new area where WAEs will find roles

is in assisting nations having stabilizationcrises. According to John Herbst,coordinator for reconstruction and stabiliza-tion, WAEs are part of the Department’sStandby Response Corps, which was createdfor deployment to regions needing stabiliza-tion. Members of the corps have alreadybeen deployed to Darfur and eastern Chad,and other deployments are under considera-tion, he said.

Herbst said WAEs are needed forstabilization work because they represent “awhole career’s worth” of Foreign Serviceexperience. There are 149 WAEs and 108Department active duty personnel in theStandby Response Corps, and S/CRS islooking for additional retired and activeduty personnel to sign up.

To become a WAE, retirees or those aboutto retire should approach a bureau, typicallytheir former employer, to see whether it hasa WAE job needing their skills. There is nocentral clearinghouse for available WAEpositions. Some bureaus make this processsimpler, though. CA, for instance, has a listof consular WAE openings that it producesafter assessing posts’ needs worldwide. ■

The author is deputy editor of State Magazine.

While serving at the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, Pat Clarkwas one of the nonimmigrant visa section’s most productive employees,interviewing more than 100 applicants per day.

Clark is 82. She may be the State Department’s oldest employee. She is certainlythe oldest Bureau of Consular Affairs employee serving under when actuallyemployed status, according to CA management analyst Elizabeth Power.

Clark is on what she calls her second Foreign Service career, having retired as aconsular officer in 1990 and returned as a WAE in 1991.

The work has “kept me young,” said Clark from her home in San Rafael, Calif.,from which she ventures forth at least once yearly for a consular-related tour atsome overseas post.

She worked 10 weeks in Ciudad Juárez in 2007, for instance, not so much for themoney, she said, as for the intellectual challenge and opportunity to travel. She hasdone WAE tours in her beloved Paris, where she still maintains a Left Bank apart-ment,“up and down thewest coast of Africa”Frankfurt, Casablanca,Moscow and Bucharest.

Clark barely made itinto the ForeignService. She failed thegrammar part of thewritten exam but thengained a waiver throughthe help of a ForeignService recruitingofficer who went to batfor her withWashington. She joinedthe Department in 1959and later, she said, hadthe joy of meeting andthanking her earlysupporter, Esther Rice,in Main State in 1973.Clark had advanced toFS-1 by retirement.

During her years inthe Foreign Service, sheamassed a 200-itemcollection of international art that she later donated to a college in Iowa Falls,Iowa, where she was raised (State Magazine, March 2003). Art from the collectionand background information is on the Web at www.patclarkart.org.

Clark got her first WAE assignment through word of mouth, but now choosesfrom CA’s assignment list.

Asked how she was able, as she put it, to “keep up with the young ones” in theNIV section at Ciudad Juárez, Clark noted that she has done consular work since1971 and can now quickly ascertain whether applicants qualify for a visa. If theydon’t, she said she always tries to “leave them with their dignity intact.”

Consular work was perfect for her, she said, because “I’m a people person;I love it.”

Clark turned 82 in April and is eagerly awaiting her next overseas assignment.

ASSIGNMENTS KEEP WAE YOUNGBY ED WARNER

82 AND COUNTING

Linda Taglialatela is deputyassistant secretary in theBureau of Human Resources.

Pat Clark celebratesa recent birthday.

Asunción glitters in thefading light of dusk.


SOUTH AMERICA’S MOTHER OF CITIES | BY MICHAEL EDWARDS

Asunción

Capital>>> Asunción

Total area>>> 406,750 square kilometers

Approximate size>>> Slightly smaller thanCalifornia

Government>>> Constitutional republic

Independence>>> May 14, 1811 (from Spain)

Population>>> 6.67 million

Life expectancy at birth>>> 75.3 years

Languages>>> Spanish and Guarani

Currency>>> Guarani (PYG)

Per capita income>>> $4,000

Unemployment rate>>> 11.4 percent

Import commodities>>> Vehicles, consumergoods, tobacco andpetroleum products

Export commodities>>> Soybeans, animal feed,cotton and meat

Internet country code>>> .py


AT A GLANCEParaguay

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Asunción, also known as the “mother of cities,” isone of the oldest colonial cities in South America.Founded in 1537 by the Spaniards, Asunción sits atthe crossroads of a diverse, landlocked country.Augusto Roa Bastos, Paraguay’s most famousauthor, called his homeland “an island surroundedby land.” Asunción and the surroundingcountryside, with its charming tranquility and colo-nial heritage, evoke images of an isolated placeforgotten by time.

Paraguayan scholar Juan Carlos Herken said,“Paraguay is not a country; it is an obsession.”Paraguayans truly have a strong affection for theircountry. Family ties are strong, and manyParaguayans will go out of their way to welcomevisitors. The culture is dominated by a mixtureof Spanish, indigenous Guarani and immigrantinfluences.

The Guarani, with the help of Jesuit missionariesin the 17th and 18th centuries, contributed theirlanguage, arts and music to a culture heavily influ-enced by Spanish colonialism. Subsequentimmigrant groups such as Germans, Koreans andLebanese established ethnically diverse enclaves.

These influences are reflected in cultural eventssuch as Carnaval and in local specialties such as aopo’i (hand-woven shirts), harp music, asados(barbecues), yerba mate tea and German-stylepastries.

Since its independence from Spain in 1811,Paraguay has had a colorful history marred by wars,including a war against Argentina, Brazil andUruguay in the 1860s that killed two-thirds of its

population. The country finally emerged fromdictatorship in 1989 when Alfredo Stroessner’s 35-year rule ended in a coup d’état. Paraguay is nowundergoing democratic transition and economicreform. The Colorado Party has enjoyed 61 years ofuninterrupted rule, the current world record, andthe opposition remains fragmented. However,Paraguay has made progress in building democraticinstitutions, fighting corruption, stabilizingits economy and improving education and healthservices.

A Strong RelationshipThe United States established its first mission to

Paraguay in 1852, and the bilateral relationshipremains strong. Many Americans have come toParaguay’s aid in times of need, most notably Presi-dent Rutherford B. Hayes. As arbitrator of a landdispute in 1878, he ordered the return to Paraguayof a large portion of the Chaco region. TheParaguayans named the territory “Presidente Hayes”in his honor. In addition, the Paraguayangovernment issued a stamp in 2007 honoringformer Ambassador and General Martin T.

McMahon, who served in Paraguay andstrongly advocated on its behalf duringthe War of the Triple Alliance(1865–70). Many Asunción street namesrecognize influential Americans,including President John F. Kennedy,Senator Huey Long and Walt Disney.

More than 60 Americans from 11agencies work at the U.S. embassy tocombat corruption and transnationalcrime, foster democratic institutionsand promote economic growth.

The mission supports Paraguay incombating terrorist financing in thetriborder area of Paraguay, Argentinaand Brazil; narcotics trafficking; intellec-tual property rights violations; andmoney laundering. The Drug Enforce-ment Administration and Departmentof State provide extensive support toParaguay’s counternarcotics efforts. U.S.Treasury advisers help Paraguay improveits efficiency and transparency, and theembassy’s regional legal adviser assistswith legal reform.

Mission personnel also assist localagencies in combating trafficking in persons. Theyhelped the government in 2007 open its first shelterfor female victims of trafficking. Embassy personnelprovide equipment and training programs to thearmed forces and specialized crime units to increaseParaguay’s capability to support peacekeeping oper-ations and domestic stability.

The embassy has selected 500 of the best andbrightest Paraguayan students from disadvantaged


Clockwise from left: Ambassador James Cason,second from right, sings at a traditional Paraguayanbarbeque; Neatly trimmed shrubs lead up to theentrance of the National Palace; Paraguayan school-children await a visit from the U.S. ambassador.Opposite page: Jesús, Paraguay, is known for itsJesuit mission ruins.


economic backgrounds for three-year English-language scholarships. Embassy personnel also helpthe National Library preserve its decaying newspaperarchive.

The U.S. Agency for International Developmentadministers a $35 million Millennium ChallengeAccount Threshold Program directed at promotingenforcement and strengthening key institutions. Theagency’s Paraguay Vende program helps localbusinesses and promotes better natural resourcemanagement. Its health programs support pharma-cies, health insurance systems and reproductivehealth services. USAID has also donated hundreds ofcomputers to public schools.

Paraguay has the world’s third-largest Peace Corpscontingent with more than 180 volunteers workingthroughout the country. The embassy has distributed$35 million in cancer-related medicine andequipment donated by private sources to Paraguayanfacilities since 2005. When the country experiencedits worst forest fires last September, the missionprovided more than $1.2 million to aid firefightersand disaster victims.

Community LifeThe embassy’s 15-acre compound features a

subtropical arboretum, a large garden and acollection of animals, including deer and peacocks.The chancery and ambassador’s residence, featuring1950s-era avant-garde architecture, will be razedwhen work begins on a new embassy compoundin 2010.

Asunción offers great schools, excellent housingwith swimming pools, a short commute and a variety

of restaurants, services and activities. Named theworld’s least expensive capital city in 2007 by MercerConsulting, Asunción has affordable household helpand personal trainers who teach everything from theSpanish language to salsa dancing. Asunción is alsohome to many inexpensive churrasquería (barbeque)and ethnic restaurants, great arts and crafts, andmany cultural events featuring Paraguayan arts andmusic. Soccer aficionados can watch some of the bestfútbol in the world. Paraguay offers a bonanza ofopportunities for those who enjoy outdoor activitiessuch as fishing, hunting and outings at the largeestancias (ranches) that dot the countryside.

Crime, inconvenience and isolation are theconcerns most often cited by missionpersonnel. Although violent crime inParaguay is still relatively low by LatinAmerican standards, it is rising. Thecountry’s weak infrastructure makes travela logistical challenge. Air travel is difficultin and out of the country, with no directflights to the United States, and mail deliv-eries and shipments are infrequent.Scarcity of job opportunities and thelanguage barrier limit employment oppor-tunities for spouses.

Asunción is an architectural feast for theeyes that blends decaying remnants of itscolonial past with concrete-blockmonoliths dating from the Stroessner era.Hidden amid the decaying buildings aresuch gems as the National Palace, NationalCathedral and Pantheon of Heroes. Onemillion Paraguayans, one-sixth of thepopulation, live in greater Asunción, andthe city continues to grow as ruralresidents arrive looking for work.

A biologically diverse country the size ofCalifornia, Paraguay has a terrain that

ranges from the semiarid Chaco to the subtropicalOriental. Its ecosystems are among the world’s mostdiverse. An agrarian-based society with a distinctivelygaucho flavor lies just a few minutes outsideAsunción. The city is a great base from which toexplore nearby hidden gems such as San Bernardino,a lakeside resort town. Encarnación with its famousCarnaval parades and Jesuit mission ruins, and theimpressive Itaipú Dam, the world’s largest hydroelec-tric dam, are just a few hours away. And no stay inParaguay would be complete without a trip to IguazíFalls in the triborder area.

Paraguayans show immense resolve in tacklingserious challenges, as evidenced by their success onthe soccer field. With the help of the U.S. Mission inAsunción, they are working to overcome their polit-ical and economic challenges. ■

The author is a political officer at the U.S. Embassyin Asunción.


Above left: Embassy employees enjoy a Texas-themed July 4th party. Right: A traditional Paraguayan bottle dancer uses her head. Below: Not far fromAsunción is Caacupé, home to one of Paraguay’s most famous attractions, theVirgin of Caacupé. Opposite page: Ambassador James Cason chats with arecipient of free eye surgery made possible by an embassy-sponsored program.

With contemporary abstract American art andrepresentational Algerian art, the art collection forthe new U.S. Embassy in Algiers takes embassy staffand visitors on a visual exploration of the cross-cultural influences between Western and Islamiccultures. The collection’s paintings, photography,mixed-media works and wall sculptures demonstrateIslamic influences on Western art and, conversely,Western influences on secular Islamic art.

The Algiers collection, installed in August of2007, is one of the many new embassy projectstaken on by the ART in Embassies New EmbassyCompound team in recent years. The collection of30 works of art draws from well-known to emerging

contemporary American and Algerian artists.Curated by ART in Embassies Chief CuratorVirginia Shore, the collection celebrates the artisticdialogue between the visual languages of Islamicand Western art, which has yielded incredibleartistic developments in both Islamic and Westerncultures.

A seasoned veteran of ART in Embassies andcurator of many ambassadorial residencecollections, Shore, who is overseeing and developingthe new ART NEC endeavor, is well versed in ARTin Embassies’ mission to further the StateDepartment’s public diplomacy effort by providingoverseas audiences with a sense of the quality, scope

CONFLUENCE: AMERICAN AND ALGERIAN ARTCONVERGE IN ALGIERS BY CLAIRE D’ALBA

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Above: BarbaraTakenaga’s spheresand blossoms twistand turn into a cas-cade of color.


ART in Algiers

and diversity of American art. The goal of visual publicdiplomacy drives the new embassy collections as well, but thenew collections include American art and art from the hostcountry. By showcasing the artistic achievements of bothcountries, the embassy collections emphasize culturalconnections between American contemporary art and that ofthe host country.

The Algiers embassy collection, like all the new embassycollections, began with in-depth research of the hostcountry’s artistic culture and its connections to American art.ART NEC consults art journals, online resources, dealers,related museum exhibitions and specialized curators.Concurrently, ART NEC confers with the post staff to iden-tify in-country art and collaborates with project architectsand designers to ensure that the art not only makes a culturalconnection, but also complements the architecture of theembassy building. Focusing on the lobby, atrium and execu-tive suite, ART NEC seeks to acquire and commission workswith an organic connection to the space. Atriums thrive withworks like Gary Lang’s Conquering #2 (Star Painting), acrylicon canvas, 1995.

After careful research, Shore begins the selection, negotia-tion and acquisition process, yielding a hybrid collection ofAmerican and in-country art with a myriad of culturalconnections and directions. With varying means of abstrac-tion, including geometric, floral, lyrical and calligraphicforms, the American works in Algiers forge a direct connec-tion to the basis of Islamic art.

Charles Arnoldi and Gary Lang create vibrant, colorfulgeometric abstractions, while Pamela Crimmins’ abstracted

nature photographs and Susan White’s organichybrids recall familiar imagery within a newcontext. W.C. Richardson’s paintings layergeometric grids with organic loops and curves,and Barbara Takenaga’s spheres and blossomstwist and turn into cascading color burstingout of a grid. Amy Ellingson’s paintings exploreabstraction through calligraphic gesticulations.

The Algerian works demonstrate thatalthough naturalistic human and animal formsremain absent from religious Islamic art andarchitecture, representational imagery has flour-ished in the secular art of Islamic cultures.Lazhar Mansouri’s photographs of people fromhis hometown, Ain Beida in northern Algeria,exemplify the emergence of representational artforms from Islamic cultures. Similarly, Algerian-born Zineb Sedira’s photographs explore herrelationship with her Algerian family historyand Muslim heritage. On the other hand, SamtaBenyahia, also Algerian born, fuses both

Western and Islamic artistic traditions with MediterraneanIslamic architectural motifs in combination with photographsaddressing gender, space and power.

Like the other new embassy art collections, the Algierscollection brings artistic life and beauty into the embassy.Multilingual labels and full-color catalogs of the collection,both produced with generous translation assistance from thepost, guide the viewer through the collection, facilitating anunderstanding and appreciation for the artistic achievementsof the American and host cultures. ■

The author is an assistant curator in the ART in Embassiesprogram.

Left: An oil-on-aluminum work titled "Junk"by Charles Arnoldi. Below: An installation ofan Amy Ellingson painting combines traditionand innovation.


rench writer Victor Hugo’s statementthat “He who opens a school, closes aprison” is especially apt given that one

of France’s most prestigious academicinstitutions, the École Nationaled’Administration, is located in a former

medieval prison. ENA is a graduate schoolestablished by General Charles de Gaullein 1945 to train French students and profes-sionals for senior positions in public service.

For U.S. diplomats, ENA is also the site ofa unique long-term training program formid-career officers.

In our era of transformational diplomacy, diplomats mustacquire new knowledge and skills to meet new challenges. ENAtraining builds functional skills, regional expertise and languageproficiency through a program of academic and professional work,group exercises to improve management and leadership skills andpublic diplomacy experiences, all in a foreign-language setting.

Department candidates have participated in ENA programs sincethe 1970s, concentrating since 1990 on the Cycle InternationalCourt, an intense international study program that brings togethermid-career public servants from more than 30 countries. Studentsrepresent the diplomatic corps, the military and civilian agencies.After the program, many go on to senior government posts in theirhome nations.

FRENCH INSTITUTION GIVES U.S. DIPLOMATS NEW SKILLSBY KIMBERLY KRHOUNEK

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Liberated Learning

The exteriorof the ENA.

F

Focus on Europe and BeyondNow set in Strasbourg, France, the CIC program covers

French government and institutions, as well as regionaland functional issues. It includes modules on theEuropean Union, crisis management, negotiation skillsand media training. The proximity of several importantEuropean institutions, such as the European Court ofHuman Rights, European Parliament and Council ofEurope, gives students an opportunity to meet importantEuropean leaders.

Students complete several major research and writingprojects, participate in roundtable discussions, give oralpresentations and conduct group projects highlightingcrisis and management skills. The curriculum also offersprofessional work experience in the French civil service.

Personal ExperienceDuring my CIC experience last year, I worked for two

months in a prefecture, similar to a state governor’s office,where I completed a study on how to overcome a backlogof applications for French citizenship—work with strong

correlations to the processing of U.S.immigrant visa applications. I alsointerned at a shelter for batteredwomen, researched climate change andlectured in French on subjects such aselections and U.S. peacekeepingcommitments.

Many of today’s internationalchallenges require new skills andapproaches coordinated with multiplepartners in different countries. Officersattend ENA to acquire regionalexpertise and to cement relationshipswith partners from around the world.This is a training assignment with long-term benefits for the employee, themission and the Department. ■

The author is the senior political-militaryofficer in the political section of the U.S.Embassy in Paris.

While visiting the Council of Europe, theauthor, far right, stands with three friendsfrom the ENA program: from left, VekinRattanapant (Thailand), Bodo Andrianarisoa(Madagascar) and Ketilbjorn Hertz (Denmark).


Many oftoday’sinternationalchallengesrequire newskills andapproachescoordinatedwithmultiplepartners indifferentcountries.

When Temperatures Rise,Find Ways to Cool Down

By Ron Martin

Beatingthe Heat

Many people are surprised to learnthat, of all weather events, heat is thenumber-one killer. According toNational Weather Service statistics,38 percent of weather-related deathsin the United States between 1975and 2004 were due to heat. Otherweather-related threats had far lowerfatality rates and included floods(19 percent), lightning (11 percent)and tornados (11 percent).

Four environmental factors affect heat-related stress to thebody: temperature, humidity, radiant heat (such as direct expo-sure to the sun or a hot object) and wind. Increased bloodcirculation to the skin and perspiring are the primarymechanisms the body uses to dissipate heat and maintaina stable internal temperature. Perspiration cools the bodyas it evaporates, and lower humidity promotes evapora-tion. The body must have adequate fluids and electrolytesto replace water lost through perspiration.

Fans increase air velocity and can cool the body byenhancing evaporation. However, when temperaturesexceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees centigrade),they may have the opposite effect. Heat flows from awarmer to a cooler source. Normal body temperature is98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees centigrade), so if youuse only a fan in extreme heat your body temperaturemay still rise. You need to use a water mist or wet clothson the skin to generate evaporative cooling.

Cool ClothesDid you ever wonder why many desert nomads wear

long, loose, light-colored clothing? It keeps them coolbecause the light-colored clothing reflects some of thesun’s radiant heat. The clothing also insulates the bodyto keep it cool, and the evaporation of perspiration coolsthe cloth.

People at risk for heat stress include those who areunaccustomed to a hot climate, older than 65 or youngerthan 1, in poor physical health, taking certain medications(e.g., for blood pressure, depression or insomnia),performing vigorous activities or under the influence ofalcohol.

If the body cannot rid itself of heat, it will store it, leading to aprogression of physical responses. One is heat rash, often called“prickly heat,” which may occur in humid environments where

sweat is not easily removed from the skin. Another is heatcramps, which tend to occur during exercise and affect the

active muscles if you drink too much water withoutadequately replacing your body’s salts. A third is heat

exhaustion, which occurs while the body is stillsweating. The individual feels fatigue, nausea,

headache and/or giddiness. Victims’ skin isusually clammy or moist, they may become

pale or flushed and their bodytemperature may be normal or

slightly elevated.A fourth problem is heat stroke,

which is life threatening andfollows heat exhaustion. At thispoint, perspiration stops, thebody temperature usuallyincreases above 104 degreesFahrenheit (40 degrees centigrade)

and the individual may becomeconfused, delirious or unconscious,

or go into convulsions or a coma. Victims must be cooled andreceive prompt medical attention to prevent death orpermanent injury to the brain and vital organs.

Safety TipsWhen working in a hot environment, these are some simple

precautions to reduce susceptibility to heat stress:• Give yourself time to adjust to a hot climate. Two weeks is

adequate for most healthy people. • Hydrate yourself the day before your exposure to heat.• Drink plenty of fluids while you are in a hot environment.• Stay out of direct sunlight.• Plan your schedule to take advantage of cooler nighttime

or early-morning hours.• Wear loose, light-colored cotton clothing.• Avoid vigorous exercise during the hottest part of the day.• Cool yourself with water mist, wet cloths or immersion.• Take frequent breaks, preferably in a cool location.• Avoid drinking alcohol to prevent further dehydration.The National Weather Service has a chart to help gauge the

effects of heat and humidity at www.srh.noaa.gov/shv/Heat_Awareness.htm. Other Web sites on heat-related illnessinclude www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/heattips.asp,www.mayoclinic.com and www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heatillness.html. ■

The author is a certified industrial hygienist with the Safety,Health and Environmental Management Division.

Heat235

Flood107

Lightning66

Tornado65

Winter Storm–44

Wind–55

Cold–24

Hurricane–15

Note: Does not include the loss of life due to Hurricane KatrinaSource: National Oceanographic and Atmospheric and Administration

National Average YearlyWeather Fatalities (1975-2004)


Safety

Performances are on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m.in the Dean Acheson Auditorium.

Coming Events

Mix of Artists Highlights SeriesThe State of the Arts Cultural Series and

the Foreign Affairs Recreation Associationcelebrated the new year with an eclectic mixof talent that included a phenomenal “pianofour hands” duo, a poet and a jazz vocalist.

Ukrainian-born pianists Oksana Skidanand Dmitri Nazarenko performed the pianofour hands. Skidan graduated from theLeontovich Music School and from DonetskMusic College before entering the DonetskState Conservatory. She is now

performing and teaching in the Washington,D.C., area, and has appeared at the GeorgeMason Center for the Arts, the TowsonUniversity Center for the Arts and theEmbassy of Ukraine. Nazarenko completedhis music degrees at the Special MusicSchool and Conservatory in Kharkov andreceived his doctor of music degree in 2003from the University of Maryland. Hecurrently teaches at Montgomery Collegeand in his private studio. Although four-handed piano is extremely difficult,

this dynamic duo weaved a tapestryof music.

J. Joy “Sistah Joy” MatthewsAlford helped the series cele-

brate Black History Monthwith a heart-gripping and

moving poetic journey through many oflife’s experiences. Some of her poetic selec-tions have been published in the book Lord,I’m Dancin’ As Fast As I Can.

Jazz vocalist Ericka Ovette delighted theState Department audience with her rendi-tions of songs by many 20th century greatladies of jazz, including Sarah Vaughn, NinaSimone, Billie Holiday, Carmen McRae andElla Fitzgerald. She has a wonderful talentfor weaving the lyric into the music andprovided the audience with insightfulcommentary about the great ladies and theirmusic. Accompanist Paul Pieper on guitarperformed with her seamlessly. ■

The author is a computerspecialist in the Executive Secretariat.

Arts


June 4 Romantic Trio withLi-Ly Chang, Piano

June 18 TBA

July 2 Sonya Sunhee,Classical Piano

July 9 TBA

August 20 Antonio Adams,Dramatic Tenor

September 17 Third AnnualTalent Show

June 4

June 18

July 2

July 9

August 20

September 17

Assistant Secretary forEducational and Cultural AffairsGoli Ameri of Oregon, a former businessowner with an interest in education andwomen’s issues, is the new AssistantSecretary for Educational and CulturalAffairs. Previously, she was a U.S. repre-sentative to the United Nations GeneralAssembly and before that a public dele-gate to the U.N. Commission on HumanRights in Geneva. She founded eTinium,a consulting and market research firmspecializing in the telecom industry. Anative of Iran, she is married and hastwo sons.

U.S. Ambassador to the Holy SeeMary Ann Glendon of Massachusetts, alaw professor, is the new U.S.Ambassador to the Holy See. Previously,she taught law at Harvard University. She has also taught at the University ofChicago and Boston College. She waspresident of the Pontifical Academy ofSocial Sciences. In 1995, she led theVatican delegation to the U.N.Conference on Women. She was aconsultant to the U.S. Conference ofCatholic Bishops’ Committee on Interna-tional Policy. She is married and hasthree daughters.

U.S. Ambassador to LatviaCharles W. Larson Jr. of Iowa, apolitician and businessman, is the newU.S. Ambassador to the Republic ofLatvia. Previously, he served in the IowaSenate and House. He is a foundingpartner of Lincoln Strategies Group, apublic affairs firm. He served with theArmy in Iraq during Operation IraqiFreedom, where he spearheaded human-itarian missions and was a helicopterdoor gunner. After his combat tour, heedited a book profiling 29 heroes fromthe war on terrorism. He is married andhas two sons.

U.S. Ambassador to NigeriaRobin Renee Sanders of New York, acareer member of the Senior ForeignService, class of Minister-Counselor, isthe new U.S. Ambassador to the FederalRepublic of Nigeria. Previously, she wasinternational adviser and deputycommandant of the Industrial College ofthe Armed Forces. She was ambassadorto the Republic of Congo and twiceserved as director for Africa at theNational Security Council. Her otheroverseas postings include the DominicanRepublic, Portugal, Sudan, Namibia andSenegal.


APPOINTMENTS

* Beck, EnidBerry, Peter J.Cortes, JamiletteKegley, AdeletLangley, Gloria A.

Linn, Margaret A.Nowakowski, Emilie ArlettePlace, Roselyne M.Thompson, Linda Marie

Harley, Joyce E.Litt, David C.Manley, Victor E.Perreault, Jacqueline Rose

CIVIL SERVICE >>>FOREIGN SERVICE >>>

retirements

OBITUARIES

Howard Randolph BrandonSr., 93, a retired Foreign Service officer,died of a heart attack Oct. 30 in Athens,Ga. He joined the Department in 1940.His overseas postings included Canada,Bolivia, Algeria, India, Argentina, Franceand Luxembourg. He retired in 1965 to a

farm, but soon moved to Madison, Ga., where he spent the rest ofhis life. He enjoyed politics, reading, foreign languages andinvesting in the stock market.

William Clark Jr., 77, a retiredForeign Service officer and formerambassador to India, died Jan. 22 of acerebral stroke in Washington, D.C. Heserved in the Navy during the KoreanWar and joined the Department in 1957.His overseas postings included Freetown,

Tokyo, Kobe/Osaka, Sapporo, Okinawa, Seoul, Cairo and NewDelhi. After retiring in 1993, he held the Japan Chair at the Centerfor Strategic and International Studies. He was also president ofthe Japan Society.

John Wainwright DeWitt,74, a retired Foreign Service officer,died Feb. 5 of pulmonary fibrosis inGainesville, Fla. He served in the MarineCorps before joining the Department in1960. His overseas postings includedMonterrey, Brasília, Cali, Guayaquil, Rio

de Janeiro and Paris. After retiring in 1985, he taught geography atRadford University in Virginia. He moved to Gainesville in 1997.He wrote a book on the economic development of the UnitedStates and Brazil.

Donald C. Ferguson, 79,a retired Foreign Service officer, diedMarch 1 of multiple myeloma. He lived inSan Diego, Calif. He served in the Navyand joined the Department in 1956. Hisoverseas postings included Colombia,Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thai-

land. He retired in 1986 to California, where he grew avocadosand exotic fruits and worked as a computer consultant. Heenjoyed travel, bridge, opera and theater.

Hazel Weaver Fobes, 93,widow of retired Foreign Service officerJohn E. Fobes, died Feb. 19 in Asheville,N.C. She was a librarian in the UnitedStates, France and India, where she andher husband lived. In Asheville, she was apolitical activist who campaigned for

clean air and water. She loved gardening and feeding wildlife.

Samuel J. Hamrick Jr., 78, aretired Foreign Service officer, died Feb.29 of colon cancer at his farm in Rappa-hannock County, Va. He served in theArmy before joining the Department in1960. His overseas postings includedLebanon, Canada, Zaire, Ethiopia and

Somalia. After retiring in 1980, he wrote critically acclaimed spynovels under a pseudonym and a nonfiction book, Deceiving theDeceivers, under his own name.


Margaret Hussman, 91,a retired Foreign Service officer, died Jan.27 at her home in Tucson, Ariz. Sheserved overseas in Singapore, Hong Kong,Zurich, Palermo, Rome, Madrid andMexico City. She volunteered with theInternational Rescue Committee and was

its European director for 10 years in Paris. In 1990, she retiredfrom the IRC and spent her remaining years in Idaho andArizona.

Louis H. Kuhn, 66, a retiredForeign Service officer, died Feb. 15 inNaples, Fla., after a long illness. He servedin the Army before joining theDepartment. He served overseas in Thai-land, Indonesia, Fiji, Papua New Guineaand Sri Lanka. After retirement, he taught

college-level economics, lectured on foreign affairs andvolunteered for the Naples Council on World Affairs.

Francis P. McCormick, 81,a retired Foreign Service officer, died June5 of acute leukemia at his home inOrlando, Fla. He served in the Armyduring World War II and joined theForeign Service in 1948. His overseaspostings included Frankfurt, Budapest,

Nairobi, Beirut, Nicosia, Jidda, Panama City, Ankara andDamascus. He retired in 1979. He was known for his Irish charmand unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

Grace A. Rafaj, 80, a retiredForeign Service officer, died March 11 ofnatural causes in Arlington, Va. Shejoined the Department in 1948 and wasposted to Beirut, Moscow, London,Rome, Kabul, Freetown, Brussels, Teguci-galpa, Kinshasa, Manila, Bogotá, Port au

Prince, New Delhi, Phnom Penh and Seoul. She retired in 1981 todo more traveling.

William E. Schaufele Jr., 85, a retired Foreign Serviceofficer, died Jan. 17 in Salisbury, Conn., after a long illness. Hejoined the Department in 1950. He served as ambassador toUpper Volta (now Burkina Faso) and Poland. His other overseaspostings included Germany, Morocco and the Congo. InWashington, he was inspector general and assistant secretaryfor African affairs. After retiring in 1980, he was president ofthe Foreign Policy Association and director of The Institute ofWorld Affairs.

William C. Stewart, 86, a retired Civil Service employee,died Feb. 14 in Albany, Ga. He served in the Navy during WorldWar II. His 25-year career with the Department included assign-ments in Germany and Vietnam. After retiring in 1976, he earneda master’s degree in linguistics and taught English as a secondlanguage.



Richard Nixon’s presidency will beremembered for many things by manypeople, but perhaps no one will forget hisforeign relations breakthrough, the historicvisit to China, and the audio tapes of hisconversations in the Oval Office.Generations of future diplomats and histo-rians will be able to study the Nixonadministration’s foreign policy strategiesbecause the Department’s Office of theHistorian is transcribing the foreign policy-related portions of the tapes and publishing

the information in the series ForeignRelations of the United States. Departmenthistorians have transcribed more than 1,000pages of conversation, and when the projectis finished, it will be the largest single sourceof Nixon tapes transcripts in existence.

Department outreach and assistance toother nations continued to grow in recentmonths. In Albania, the U.S. Embassy inTirana’s colleagues worked withDepartment of Justice staff to providespecial help to a group of special-needschildren. In Bangladesh, the U.S. Embassyin Dhaka played a big role in thecoordinated emergency response toNovember’s Cyclone Sidr. Embassycolleagues cooperated with the Departmentof Defense, U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment, the government ofBangladesh and international donors toprovide much needed—and appreciated—assistance to cyclone victims.

Those relief efforts continue because ofclose cooperation between teams of U.S.military civil affairs personnel, engineersand medical specialists, and USAID andDepartment employees. The teams haveconducted local assessments and providedcommunities with grants for smallreconstruction projects, such as repairingdamaged schools.

When the bullets fly, discretion is alwaysthe best part of valor. But when anattempted coup d'état erupted in Chad lastFebruary, colleagues at the U.S. Embassy inN’Djamena also had a job to do: keep itspeople, the facility and American privatecitizens safe during the intense fighting. Atone point, a rocket-propelled grenade wentthrough a second-story wall near theambassador’s office, where an employeehad been minutes before.

The government of France housed theambassador and other officials at a Frenchmilitary base—where the U.S. embassyremained in operation. No employees werekilled or injured, although many locallyemployed staff members lost householdgoods and were separated from their families.

Finally, a final salute to our colleagues enroute to their final posting: Howard RandolphBrandon Sr.; William Clark Jr.; JohnWainwright DeWitt; Donald C. Ferguson;Hazel Weaver Fobes; Samuel J. Hamrick Jr.;Margaret Hussman; Louis H. Kuhn; Francis P.McCormick; Grace A. Rafaj; William E.Schaufele Jr.; and William C. Stewart. ■

Coming in June• 25 years after the Beirut Bombing • Assisting Elderly Parents

• Hurricane Warnings ... and much more!

Diplomacy, Past and Present

Rob WileyEditor-in-Chief

THE LASTWORD

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