The Foreign Service Journal, April 2015

48 APRIL 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL and evolving democracy and a newly sovereign nation. Having cultural sensitivities and respect for our allies, as well as honoring commitments, is important for American leadership and cred- ibility in the long term. These lessons continue to resonate today in as much as ques- tions pertaining to moral considerations in foreign policy and risk-mitigation in ending wars persist. Diplomats are often at risk during conflicts, but especially so when wars are ending and new power brokers jockey into positions of authority. It is often during such transitions that the environment becomes most dangerous because military involvement has been withdrawn or ramped down significantly, while nation-building efforts must continue, requiring that American advisers, USAID workers and State Department staff remain on the ground. The risks in Vietnam were compounded by the fact that there were presidential commitments to aid South Vietnam, as outlined in the Jan. 17, 1973, Nixon letter: “The freedom and independence of the Republic of Vietnam remains a paramount objective of American foreign policy,” and “The U.S. will react vigorously to violations to the agreement.” But, according to Admiral Elmo Zumwalt Jr., former chief of naval operations, they were never communicated to the U.S. Congress and the commitments were not honored. The Vietnam experience also demonstrated the importance of executive-legislative relations. It is challenging for democracies to continue protracted conflicts without support from lawmakers—clear communications and transparency are essential. As film director Rory Kennedy emphasized during the Sundance launch of the documentary “Last Days in Vietnam” I attended last year, it is important to think carefully about a strategy for ending wars in a responsible manner and mitigate risks to those who helped America as well as innocent civilians caught in the crosshairs. Kennedy’s Oscar-nominated docu- mentary covers the final hours’ efforts to save lives and the story of those left behind. As Colonel Stuart Herrington, who was on one of the last helicopters from the Embassy Saigon in 1975, notes, “Sometimes there’s an issue not of legal and illegal, but of right or wrong.” Not everyone was saved though, including more than 400 evacuees left inside the U.S. embassy compound. When a num- ber of my evacuation heroes have expressed sorrow for being unable to save more lives and for breaking promises because of orders fromWashington to call off the evacuation prematurely, I asked them to think of me and focus on all the lives they did save and what it has meant for us. State Department officers, like Phyllis Young, at right, help teach refugee children at the Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, refugee camp. A sign at the entrance to the Fort Chaffee refugee camp indicates the number of refugees housed there. Anne Pham plays with her brothers, John and Tony, at Fort Chaffee refugee camp in June 1975. U.S. Army U.S. Army U.S. Army