The State Department- More Than Just Diplomacy

For the State Department, image is a daily concern. Many constituencies have to be taken into account in its public declarations: the president, the Congress, the media, the taxpaying public and, finally, the many foreign governments attentive to what the State Department says and does. This book attempts, in large measure, to shed light on matters that the Department prefers not to talk about. A reporter has to be on the beat for a long time to accumulate enough anecdotes to fill even a relatively small book. In my case, my tenure in the building lasted just under 40 years. I have brief profiles on all secretaries I covered (except for two who served very briefly). I have highlighted bitter inter-agency policy struggles-Iran and Iraq are examples. Humor is not ignored on these pages. Nor were the rare instances of murder, two involving career diplomats and another occurring on the Department's seventh floor. At times, American diplomats have faced appalling dangers overseas, leading in some instances to assassinations, hostage takings or bombings of embassies. Every secretary of state travels extensively abroad. I was privileged to accompany nine to more than 80 countries. Some anecdotes I recount relate to trips I did not take but heard about from others. I am sure that many priceless stories, regardless of location, have fled from my memory bank. I have resurrected those that didn't. George Gedda, January 2014, Lake Mary, Fl