The Foreign Service Journal, June 2003

(See sidebar, p. 24.) That subcommittee held further hearings on grievance legislation in the fall with Under Secretary Macomber and federal labor management experts testifying, but the House eventually adjourned without ever considering the Senate’s bill. Though State and the other foreign affairs agencies won the battle against the Bayh Bill, they lost the war, for they had to allow the formation of unions. The Revolution That Succeeded By the late 1960s, the Foreign Service was seen even by its own members as a deeply flawed institution. To be sure, it continued to be staffed by “the best and brightest” and ably served the pressing national securi- ty needs of the nation during the Cold War. But it was an institution in which the sum of its parts was less- ened, not enhanced, by its antiquated systems and practices — that succeeded only because of the bril- liance and dedication of its members. It seemed that the Foreign Service had lost its way, turned inward and become a static and repressive bureaucracy that had failed to keep up with the times. Thankfully, that “old” Foreign Service was overturned in a truly revolutionary five-year period, beginning with the 1969 takeover of AFSA’s Governing Board by the “Young Turks,” followed by the focused activism of the Participation Slates, led by Bill Harrop and Tom Boyatt. Their advocacy of empowering Foreign Service members to reform the Service became a reality through the hard work of many men and women over the succeeding years. Hundreds participated in the Macomber Task Forces and in the AFSA Participation Committees around the world. People in posts around the world gladly gave their time and their effort to support the reform work under way. For example, SamHart, AFSA’s chapter head in Santiago, initi- ated an effort to negotiate a “fair duty” roster there — an unprecedented challenge to the status quo. Such activism in reforming Foreign Service practices was seen as the key to a stronger and fairer Service for all, and so it turned out to be. F O C U S 26 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 0 3 N O W A V A I L A B L E F R O M A F S A … The most informative book on the Foreign Service. Inside a U.S. Embassy: How the Foreign Service Works for America is a must-read for anyone who wants to know about the people who work in American embassies and consulates around the world. Share in the real-life experiences of the Foreign Service: the coups, the evacuations, the heroics, the hardships and the everyday challenges and rewards of representing America to the world. Order your copy today! Go to www.afsa.org/inside or call (847) 364-1222 to place an order by phone.