The Foreign Service Journal, May 2007

of the U.S. Agency for International Development, relegating it to sub- sidiary status in the foreign policy arena. The same was done to our cul- tural and propaganda arm, the U.S. Information Agency. The result is that today we have a warped foreign affairs establishment — heavy on the military and intelli- gence sides, but far too light on the reconstruction, foreign aid and cultur- al affairs sides. This urgently needs correction. Raymond Malley State/USAID FSO, retired McLean, Va. Refreshing Ideas As an active Foreign Service Limit- ed appointee who is new to USAID, I study the Journal with great interest and share its articles with colleagues in the United States and abroad. I have been especially interested in the “true confessions” aspects of retired officers who speak up now that they no longer actively serve. Your December focus, “Keeping the Lid On: Prospects for Peace in the Middle East,” captured my attention, for I have worked in that region’s hot spots since the mid-1970s. As we all grow up under the influence of par- ents, family, teachers, religious and cultural leaders, etc., we cannot help but develop attitudes and make as- sumptions that we hold dear. Those assumptions then became realities for us. In reading the FSJ articles, my mind was free to roam over a spec- trum of ideas beyond my own, which was refreshingly frightful and enlight- ening. Thank you so much for such experiences. Barney P. Popkin Environmental Protection Specialist Bureau for Asia and the Near East USAID Washington, D.C. One Foreign Service I was disappointed by Francis Xavier Cunningham’s letter in the February issue, which attempted to draw a parallel between the behavior of the characters in the opera “Ma- dame Butterfly” and relations between “substantive” and “non-substantive” officers of the Foreign Service. As an economic officer who is married to a management officer, I feel well-quali- fied to respond. While there may be self-important people who perceive themselves as superior to members of other cones, they soon learn to appreciate their col- leagues’ work when they need visa assistance for a contact or mainte- nance work on their air conditioning. And if they don’t learn to respect their colleagues, they may find that they get a rather grudging response to their requests! Mr. Cunningham’s letter is a prime example of the debilitating tendency of the Service to Balkanize itself. With only a few thousand members in the corps — in which I would include our wonderful office management special- ists, information managers and other professional staff, as well as colleagues in USAID, FCS, FAS and IBB — it makes no sense to divide ourselves through petty squabbles over which of us is more important. None of us can get along without the others; therefore none of us can be deemed to be supe- rior to the others. Rather than “Madame Butterfly,” the example I propose the Foreign Service adopt is Rudyard Kipling’s story, “Her Majesty’s Servants,” from the first Jungle Book . In this allegori- cal tale, several military draft animals (a cavalry charger, a pack camel, an artillery mule and so on) argue about their place in the army and which is more important. Their discussion makes clear that each has their own strengths and weaknesses, and each has an essential role to play. The story ends, as all Jungle Book tales do, with a poem, which contains this couplet: “Children of the Camp are we, serving each in his degree.” Words to remem- ber, perhaps, the next time we animals get to arguing about who is best. Colin Helmer Economic Counselor Embassy Kuala Lumpur Praise for the Boss The March issue brought yet another letter of praise for Under Secretary Karen Hughes that, like oth- ers before, was from a member of her staff. Am I the only one who finds these testimonials lacking in credibili- ty? Public expressions of praise for a supervisor from a subordinate should be embarrassing for all concerned, whether Foreign Service career offi- cers or political appointees. Perhaps these accolades would carry more weight if there were not an employee evaluation report connecting Ms. Hughes and the writers. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, a suck-up is a suck-up is a suck-up. What’s next? Her staff’s nomination of Hughes for sainthood? Or a Nobel Prize? Robin Berrington USIA FSO, retired Washington, D.C. Reflecting Literature I appreciated the September 2006 Reflections piece, “I Found Huck Finn in El Salvador,” by Jack Gal- lagher. The combination of Mark Twain and Huck Finn being rolled into such a well-written relationship with current events appealed to me greatly. Very depressing in recent years is the lack of a connection many Americans feel to any work written — or often even anyone writing — earli- er than, say, 1970! Steve Flora Foreign Service Specialist Embassy Dubai M A Y 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 7 L E T T E R S