The Foreign Service Journal, May 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2021 15 50 Years Ago Home Rule for the District of Columbia P reoccupation with foreign affairs may not be an altogether valid reason for remaining aloof from the complex of conflicting interests at play in the efforts to achieve some measure of self-government for the District of Columbia. Foreign Service personnel living in the District may be called upon to vote with other residents in a refer- endum on home rule and later be free to participate in local election activity. The subject may be of more than academic interest to those who have homes in theWashington area and others who plan to retire there. The legislation (S-1118) that barely failed of enactment in 1965, like others before it, called for prior approval by referendum and exemption of District elections and political activity connected with them from the Hatch Act. The new District Delegate to the House, Walter Fauntroy, has vowed to press for home rule. It seems likely that the move for self-government will once again gather momentum. The recent achievement of District representation in the House is the latest step in a move for national representa- tion that began in 1882. —Henry B. Day, a retired Foreign Service officer, excerpted from an article of the same title in the May 1971 FSJ . NMAD Features Legacy of Edward J. Perkins T he life and legacy of the late Ambassador Edward J. Perkins was spotlighted in a Feb. 24 special “Diplo- macy After Hours” program of the National Museum of American Diplo- macy. The distinguished American career diplomat, who served as U.S. ambassa- dor to Liberia, South Africa, the United Nations and Australia, received AFSA’s 2020 Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy. He was inter- viewed in the December 2020 FSJ . In the virtual program, subtitled “Reflections on Families in the Diplo- matic Service,” NMAD Acting Director Jane Carpenter-Rock explored Amb. Perkins’ life and legacy in a conversation with his daughters, Katherine Perkins and Sarah Perkins. You can view the video at bit.ly/ nmad-perkins. Trio of State Employees Under Fire A trio of State Department employees has come under fire for espousing intolerant and racist views in the past few months. According to press reports, in early March, former State Department official Federico Guillermo Klein was arrested on six charges relating to his participation in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol—including assaulting a police officer. Klein, a Trump administration politi- cal appointee, was assigned to the State Department as a staff assistant in the Office of Brazilian and Southern Cone Affairs in January 2017 and held a top secret security clearance. He continued to work at State until resigning on Jan. 19, the day before Trump left office. At a March 9 court hearing, federal magistrate judge Zia Faruqui ordered Klein to remain in jail pending trial. On Feb. 26, Politico reported that Fritz Berggren, a midlevel State Depart- ment employee, has used social media for several years to publicly call “for the establishment of Christian nation- states,” warning that white people face “elimination” and railing against Jews, as well as Black Lives Matter and other social movements. Berggren is assigned to a State Department unit that works on special immigrant visas for Afghans and served as a financial management officer at U.S. Embassy Bahrain. “We will not comment on internal personnel matters beyond saying that these are personal views and do not represent those of the State Depart- ment,” a department spokesperson told Politico when asked about Berggren. “As a department, we embrace and champion diversity, equity and inclu- sion as a source of strength.” National Museum of American Diplomacy Acting Director Jane Carpenter-Rock (bottom left) discusses Ambassador Edward J. Perkins’ legacy with his daughters, Katherine Perkins (top right) and Sarah Perkins, on Feb. 24.