The Foreign Service Journal, June 2014

10 JUNE 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL ing the impact of department outreach is as important to the powers that be as the volume of such outreach, the ques- tions Mr. Silverman asks will continue to be relevant. William J. Millman FSO, retired Kyiv, Ukraine An Unvarnished Look It was great to see that The Foreign Service Journal will remain in good hands after the transition to a new edi- tor. The Journal is one of the few maga- zines that I read almost cover-to-cover, because I welcome its unvarnished look at developments and its willingness to examine received wisdom. For example, I appreciated Robert Silverman’s Presi- dent’s Views column on social media in the March issue. Robert E. Patterson Ambassador Embassy Ashgabat Telling Our Stories Congratulations to the new Journal editor, Shawn Dorman, for the fascinat- ing March issue, and to Managing Editor Susan Maitra for her masterful editing of the oral histories selected to represent six decades ( “Telling Our Stories” ). I was particularly gratified to see the excerpt from Constance Harvey, repre- senting the 1940s. Selections from her oral history also appear in my book, Her Excellency, An Oral History of Women Ambassadors (Twayne, 1994). Although Ms. Harvey was not an ambassador, she did achieve the rank of consul general. She and Frances Willis were the only two female FSOs through- out most of the 1930s, and Harvey pro- vides a unique perspective on what the old Foreign Service was like. With about 800 officers, it was a small enough fra- ternity that everybody knew everybody, and officers in Europe would telephone each other to offer birthday greetings. Ms. Harvey’s entire oral history merits reading because, in addition to her “nefarious life,” she recounts being interned at Vichy after the Nazis took over the unoccupied region of south- ern France. The remarkable ways the diplomats devised to occupy their time during the endless days of detention speak volumes to the mettle of these brave individuals. Equally interesting were the many obstacles she encountered as a woman attempting to carve out a career in a man’s world. She would be astounded, but I think gratified, that of the six oral history excerpts you selected, three are by women. Years ago she generously set aside an entire weekend for me to record her memories and was enthusiastic, wry and witty, not afraid to tell it like it was. She even gave me a photograph of herself receiving the Medal of Freedom, now in my archive at the Sophia Smith Collec- tion at Smith College, Northampton, Mass. The archive includes taped oral histo- ries of female ambassadors, their family members and friends, as well as reflec- tions by those who either served with them or were their superiors. You can find them at www.smith.edu/libraries/ ssc (the Ann Miller Morin Collection). The director is Sherrill Redmon. Ann Miller Morin ADST Fellow (ret.) Women Ambassadors Project Charlotte, N.C. Inspired to Publish I always love the Journal’s annual edi- tion that highlights and promotes books Take AFSA With You! Change your address online, visit us at www.afsa.org/address Or Send changes to: AFSAMembership Department 2101 E Street NW Washington, DC 20037 Moving?