The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2011

A F S A N E W S 2011 AFSA CONSTRUCTIVE DISSENT AWARD WINNERS I n 2005 Joel Ehrendreich was serving as a mid-level political officer in Tokyo, in charge of coordinating external rela- tions, among other duties. When an invi- tation for the American ambassador to Japan to attend a memorial ceremony on Aug. 6 came from the mayor of Hiroshima, the ambassador asked Joel to handle it. He responded to the invitation with a “Yes.” The ceremony’s stated purpose was “to comfort the souls of those people whose lives were lost due to the atomic bombing, as well as to pray for the realization of everlasting peace.” For 59 years, the U.S. government’s policy had been to decline the invitation. “When I was tasked to respond to the invitation, I started to think, why not? It didn’t make sense to me to refuse the invita- tion. I felt the time had come to change our policy,” Ehrendreich explains. With such a controversial idea on the table, Ambassador Thomas Schieffer invited the country team to a meeting to discuss the pros and cons of the proposal. “I went to the meeting with a PowerPoint outlining my key points. I pointed out that although the Hiroshima mayor had used the event to criticize U.S. policy in the past, I felt that by being absent, we were per- petuating a free forum for criticism of the United States. “Also, other countries in Asia, particularly China, were using Japan’s actions during WorldWar II to put Japan on the defen- sive on various issues, including United Nations Security Council reform, participation in peace support operations and alliance transformation. I believed that by participating in the Hiroshima ceremony, the U.S. could provide moral authority and leadership in dealing with memories of WorldWar II, while strengthening our alliance with Japan by providing them the opportunity to turn the page with their neighbors,” says Ehrendreich. He also pointed out that U.S. representatives had attended memorial ceremonies at other sites, including Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Normandy. Accordingly, our absence in Hiroshima simply perpetuated a stigma that somehow the atomic bombing was too sensitive to be touched. Ehrendreich said that the reaction of those at the country teammeeting was less than positive. In fact, of the officers attending, only one of the 24 said, “This isn’t a bad idea.” Most felt that attendance at the memorial ceremony could be con- strued as some sort of apology for the bombing, or that we would be drawing undue attention to ourselves —which, in turn, could stir up anti-American feelings. In nominating Ehrendreich for the award, James P. Zumwalt, a minister counselor at the State Department, says: “Joel demon- strated considerable intellectual courage in countering this strong opposition and pointed out that a U.S. official could attend without issuing any official apology.” Although the department did not implement the recommen- dation in Ehrendreich’s Dissent Channel cable (05 Tokyo 4278), he continued to advocate a poli- cy change. Zumwalt states, “Joel was no longer in Japan, but he wrote me each year with a not-so-subtle reminder of his position on the issue.” Support for his idea contin- ued to grow while other sup- porters, even those who had never seen Joel’s dissent cable, began to appear. And finally, on Aug. 6, 2010, Ambassador John V. Roos attended the ceremony in Hiroshima. “In the end, Joel was right,” Zumwalt observes. “Ambassador Roos’ attendance at the ceremony was extremely well received by the Japanese people and the international com- munity. Indeed, it helped strengthen U.S.-Japan relations.” On that day, far from Japan, Joel recalls, “I was really proud to be an American and to see our ambassador represent our country in such a dignified and decent manner, while reinforc- ing the great friendship the U.S. and Japan have forged together since the bombing.” When asked what it took to change an outdated policy, Joel’s response was simply, “Think compassionately. And never give up.” William R. Rivkin Award FOR A MID-LEVEL FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER Joel Ehrendreich 40 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / J U L Y - A UGU S T 2 0 1 1 Joel Ehrendreich goes over a scavenger hunt strategy with children from a Singaporean orphanage during Corporate Community Day. On that day, far from Japan, Joel recalls, “I was really proud to be an American and to see our ambassador represent our country in such a dignified and decent manner, while reinforcing the great friendship the U.S. and Japan have forged together since the bombing.”