The Foreign Service Journal, January 2013

8 JANUARY 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL LETTERS Thanks for Promoting Foreign Service Books This year’s edition of “InTheir Own Write” ( FSJ , November) was informative and thought-provoking. As Susan Maitra noted in her introduction, the majority of the books were self-published. The self- publishing genre has become increasingly sophisticated, offering quality production and professional editing for a price. What is still badly missing is reasonably priced publicity. The publicity given gratis by The Foreign Service Journal is therefore invaluable. Last summer I participated in a small- town book fair in Vermont. The author sitting next to me behind his pile of books was Pulitzer Prize-winner Tom Powers, author of the best-selling The Killing of Crazy Horse (Random House, 2010). The Christian Science Monitor called it a “masterpiece.” It won the L.A. Times prize for history and was a finalist for the New York Book Critics Circle Award. Mr. Powers suggested that we “barter” (exchange) our books, which was, of course, flattering to me. For the rest of the afternoon, we each sold only one book, mine to a high-school girl named Emma. Tom Powers is a very genial and generous man. He took the occasion to give me a lesson in reality. The propaga- tion of even good books, he said, is a very difficult affair. That is why the FSJ ’s help is so much appreciated. John J. Eddy FSO, retired Rochester, Vt . Ambassadorships for Sale Retired Ambassador Dennis Jett’s November Speaking Out column (“Psst! Hey, Buddy, Wanna Buy an Ambassador- ship?”) was both significant and challeng- ing. As someone who has long taken the position that sending novices to repre- sent our global superpower is not in the national interest, I would like to add three points to the discussion that I hope will take place on this important issue. To quote from the article, “Diplomacy is a profession”—and we are the profes- sionals. In that spirit, AFSA, the organiza- tion representing us, should take a strong public stance opposing the practice of selling ambassadorships. Even if it does not lead to a reduction in the percent- age of political appointees, what matters is that we begin to see ourselves more clearly as professionals—the most skilled practitioners of our profession. No other similarly qualified group would remain silent if unlicensed, unskilled or just plain inexperienced outsiders were put into senior positions in their profession. I would note that Amb. Jett does not call attention to the reasons that the For- eign Service Act and the president’s letter, in identical language, give chiefs of mis- sion (an ambassador’s operational title) “full responsibility for the coordination, direction and supervision of all execu- tive branch agencies” in their country of assignment. The objective is both obvious and critical: to inject a level of coordination and control into the implementation end of foreign policy. (Such control is much more difficult to achieve during policy formulation, since no agency can instruct another.) Thirty-two agencies operate in our embassies, most numerous in the more important (read: lots nicer) coun- tries chosen by political appointees. To expect a beginner to be able to effectively perform this critical function is to ignore the meaning of “experience.” The press in other nations, including some close allies, has expressed concern that sending a novice instead of a sea- soned diplomat seems to indicate that we do not take the relationship seriously. To use a clumsy analogy, would you be more comfortable discussing a complicated, serious medical question with a qualified M.D., or with someone who purchased the diploma a short time ago? My comments are not in any way intended to ignore or denigrate the abili- ties and accomplishments of the appoint ees, which are in any event irrelevant, but to oppose the joy of patronage that rewards them for giving large sums. There is no such thing as on-the-job training for the boss, which is why gener- als never command aircraft carriers. Our nation requires and deserves profession- als to promote our interests in today’s world. Edward Peck Ambassador, retired Chevy Chase, Md . “Argo”: Rousing If Not Completely Accurate An almost fanciful tale of the escape of six official Americans from the grips of revolutionary Iran has resurfaced after more than 30 years in Ben Affleck’s new hit film, “Argo.” In it, Affleck, who directs and stars, tells the story of what used to be known as “The Canadian Caper”—before it was revealed that the rescue was engi- neered by CIA “exfiltration” expert Tony Mendez, who got the fugitives out posing as a film production team. One participant in the Caper, retired FSOMark Lijek, outlined his escape, as well as his role as a consultant to the Argo film, in his October Journal article, “How Hollywood Does History.” Lijek illumi-