The Foreign Service Journal, February 2012

6 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 2 Final Communications out of the USSR The December issue of the Foreign Service Journal was truly superb. The articles by Ambassador Jack Matlock and former political officer Tom Gra- ham brought back many memories. Of special interest was the July 1990 cable Graham highlighted in his article. While it was just one of thousands of ca- bles sent that year from Moscow, it caught this former Information Re- source Management officer’s eye. I remember hearing from across the room: “Tim, come take a look at this one!” It seems the cable (90 Moscow 23603: “Looking into the Abyss: The Possible Collapse of the Soviet Union and What We Should Be Doing About It”) was sufficiently sensitive to warrant what was called “double encryption.” That message would, indeed, as Am- bassador Matlock asserted, prove prophetic the next year. There is no question that it also tes- tifies powerfully to the divination pow- ers of the Foreign Service. Such cables trigger reflections not only on the sub- stantive intellect and powers of persua- sion brought to bear on events by our political, economic and public diplo- macy officers but, equally important, the critical support functions provided by the management section — specifi- cally, the outstanding team that I led: the IRM section. Looking back 20 years, I appreciate just how skillfully Moscow’s IRM staff managed critical communications in- volving cables like 90 Moscow 23603, supported negotiations regarding “Hot- Line” improvements and served as em- bassy liaison to Soviet ForeignMinistry officials for a fledgling Nuclear Risk Reduction Center initiative. We helpedmanage high numbers of official visitors that year, too — the most during the Cold War. Assign- ments behind the Iron Curtain as an In- formation Resource Management or Regional Information Management Center officer were always challenging, for our access made us highly prized KGB targets. But they also usually put us on the fast track to promotion and greater responsibility sinceMoscowwas the center of U.S. foreign policy, and communications support was critical. During the final year of the USSR’s existence, IRM had perhaps its finest hour. On the morning of March 28, 1991, a large fire broke out in Embassy Moscow. Curiously, it coincided with several huge rallies by the “Democra- tic Russia Movement.” Once evacu- ated, most staff returned to their living quarters; but for IRM, the fun was only beginning. With speed and courage, the team restored vital command and control cir- cuitry and addedmakeshift unclassified processing (our cafeteria became office space). Most urgently, it restored se- cure-voice capability, which the ambas- sador used to consult Washington that evening. These accomplishments, per- formed as sparks continued to fly and smoke still rose from the charred em- bassy, won the IRM team a Superior Honor Award nomination. Despite the challenges posed by a rapidly crumbling Soviet society and in- frastructure, Washington expected a world-class performance. My IRM team never flinched. I thank the Journal for this opportu- nity to highlight our achievements. The department can be assured of the same dedication from today’s Foreign Service IRM professionals. With the leadership support they deserve, they, too, will be ready to respond as history unfolds. Timothy C. Lawson Senior FSO, retired Hua Hin, Thailand Embassy Moscow Memories I loved reading the December issue of the FSJ , because it brought back a myriad of emotions and recollections. In fact, I have just retrieved from my father the entire file he kept of my 1987-1991 letters fromMoscow, which I wrote more as historical diary entries than as letters. I had been contemplat- ing what on earth to do with the in- credible stories I had memorialized in my letters when I received your issue. Admittedly, my perspective was to- tally different from that of those who were working at the embassy at the time. Kudos to the FSJ team, not only because the issue is so appropriate 20 years later, but —at least for me—be- cause it brought back to the forefront an incredibly strange, convoluted and L ETTERS