The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2009

agement of programs. While acknowl- edging that traditional diplomatic skills were still needed, he urged State to bring in a “continual flow of intellectual andmoral vitality” and broaden its skills base to adapt to new realities. Other- wise, “we shall not hesitate to go out- side the Service when it is clear that the best interests of the United States would be better served thereby.” Dungan’s luncheon address was published in the April 1963 FSJ , along with a rejoinder, “The Foreign Service as an Institution,” by Loy Henderson. (Henderson, Acheson’s old adversary from the struggle over State’s role in in- telligence, had retired as under secre- tary of State for administration at the end of the Eisenhower presidency.) Warning of the risks of the slogan, “the best man in or out of the Service,” Henderson insisted that the Foreign Service must be treated as an institu- tion and not merely as an “aggregation of individuals.” The New Frontier’s emphasis on youth clearly bothered him: “Filling the upper classes of the Service with comparatively young men … can be demoralizing to those below them who find their promotions blocked.” Henderson became even more polemical when he singled out for es- pecially sharp censure “a distinguished Secretary [of State] who found it easier to select persons outside the Service… who were recommended by friends … As a result, when he left office, the For- eign Service was in an almost bankrupt position.” Did Henderson intend this as an at- tack on Dean Acheson and his protégé, the current AFSA president? There is little question that Battle took it that way. In his valedictory address to the association in September 1963, he re- jectedHenderson’s insinuations and re- called the struggles of 1946 when, in his view, a “small elite corps” had failed to recognize the need for change. By “not training … not broadening … not bringing in economists … people who J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 0 9 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 45 A time of service…a time of need Help for Seniors May Be Just a Phone Call Away— Home Health Care Adult Day Care & Respite Care Prescription Drug Copayments Transportation to Medical Appointments Durable Medical Equipment For more information, please contact the SENIOR LIVING FOUNDATION OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE 1716 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20036-2902 Phone: (202) 887-8170 Fax: (202) 872-9320 E-Mail: info@SLFoundation.org Web Site: www.SLFoundation.org The Senior Living Foundation may be able to help you or someone you know. Some examples of assistance are: SPONSORED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION