The Foreign Service Journal, May 2003

36 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A Y 2 0 0 3 hough officially constituted in 1953, the Foreign Agricultural Service enjoys a tradition dating back to the American Revolution. This long history includes ongoing, close relations with the State Department. The first agricultural attaché was Thomas Jefferson. Before becoming Secretary of State, Jefferson was posted to Paris as the third-ranking officer of the American legation (after Minister Benjamin Franklin and his deputy, John Adams). In his memoirs, Jefferson wrote: “My duties, at Paris, were confined to a few objects: the receipt of our whale-oils, salted fish, and salted meats, on favor- F O C U S O N F A S T A N U NAUTHORIZED H ISTORY OF FAS I N A TRADITION DATING BACK TO THE A MERICAN R EVOLUTION , FAS HAS DEDICATED ITSELF TO IMPROVING MARKET ACCESS FOR U.S. AGRICULTURAL AND FISHERIES PRODUCTS . B Y A LLAN M USTARD Kevin Rechin