The Foreign Service Journal, March 2017

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2017 11 these places are free and independent countries, out of bounds, off limits, not grounds for poaching. Good fences make good neighbors. Richard A. Virden Senior FSO, retired Plymouth, Minnesota Required Reading on Russia Congratulations on a superb analysis of today’s Russia and the interview with George Shultz in the December issue. As a target of continuous Soviet dis- information attacks from 1963 to at least 1993, I am sensitive to any effort by Rus- sia to continue those practices. Because they didn’t like what I was reporting as DCM/chargé in Kabul (1980-1981), the Soviets nearly derailed my successful 40-year career by convincing the govern- ment of India to declare me persona non grata, just as I was about to take my post as political counselor in New Delhi. But after reading the articles in the December FSJ —and, in particular, those by Raymond Smith and Louis Sell—I can see that there may be a better approach to dealing with Russia than strict con- frontation. Perhaps the somewhat controversial choices by President-elect Trump for Secretary of State and ambassador to Moscow will find such a path. This FSJ should be required reading for both of them. Good luck! George G.B. Griffin Senior FSO, retired Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania The Critical Role of IRM Specialists As a modern-day information man- agement officer (IMO) working to sup- port the Foreign Service and our policy objectives, I greatly enjoyed reading and could certainly relate to Tim Lawson’s excellent article, “Communications Behind the Iron Curtain,” in your De cem- ber issue. Not unlike his own challenges facing the Soviets during their dying days, my team and I here at the U.S. mission in Geneva often find ourselves pressured by our own “nuclear reduction” goals and objectives, as the last two years of delega- tions and visits by the Secretary of State will attest. I would hope to see more articles and stories like Mr. Lawson’s in The Foreign Service Journal showcasing the important, often critical role the Bureau of Informa- tion Resources Management and IRM specialists play in advancing U.S. interests around the world. Steve Mort IMO U.S. Mission Geneva Professionalism and Dedication Behind the Scenes As an information management technical specialist (IMTS/T) who pre- viously served in Moscow (2012-2014), I was intrigued by Tim Lawson’s article in the December Journal . The dedication, effort and sacrifice demonstrated by information resources management (IRM) communicators during the Cold War have rarely been acknowledged outside IRM. Twenty-five years on, communica- tors continue to support the global mission of the Foreign Service, often behind the scenes and with little recog- nition but, hopefully, with the highest level of professionalism and dedication for which our predecessors set the bar. With the events of the recent period taking place in Moscow and Washing- ton, IRM’s mettle may soon be put to