The Foreign Service Journal, September 2009

S E P T E M B E R 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 11 State Historian Replaced In early June, John Campbell, a for- mer ambassador to Nigeria, replaced Marc Susser as State Department His- torian (www.washingtonpost.com/ wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/07/ AR2009060702164.html ). The decision to reassign Susser re- sulted from the Office of the Inspector General’s May report on the Office of the Historian. As detailed in the Feb- ruary edition of Cybernotes, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had ordered a review panel to investigate claims of mismanagement made in December 2008. At that time, Professor William Roger Louis tendered his resignation as chairman of the Historical Advisory Committee to protest alleged misman- agement of the Foreign Relations of the United States series. Examples of mis- management Louis and other employ- ees cited include the forced retire- ment of series editor Dr. Edward Keefer, and Susser’s assumption of the editorial position with no attempts to hire a replacement. The OIG report acknowledges the claims of Susser, who notably accused the staff of being overly privileged ac- ademics with no regard for security or guidelines, but ultimately concludes that the hemorrhage of talent and widespread discontent with Susser warranted his speedy replacement. All told, according to the report, at least 21 historians, many senior em- ployees, have left the office since the issue of mismanagement arose. This figure accounts for 20 percent of the office’s staff. The report also recommends filling several vacant spots, including that of the editor, as well as strengthening the roles of the Historical Advisory Com- mittee and Bureau of Public Affairs in personnel and timeline issues and in- creasing communication between all parties. It also expresses concern at the loss of personnel due to management’s disregard for experience, recommend- ing more focus on employee retention, including a proposal to increase morale by relocating to a better office space. For now, though, the replacement of Susser will have to do. The OIG’s full report may be viewed at http://oig.state.gov/docu ments/organization/124568.pdf . Ambassadorial Equations A year ago, during the presidential election campaign, the American Academy of Diplomacy sent a letter to Senator Barack Obama, urging him to C YBERNOTES P roviding the personnel and financial resources to manage our diplomacy and development policies is an urgent matter of national security. … Some will say that we cannot afford to support the increase, and we recog- nize the economic crisis facing our country. But the reality is that we can- not afford to fail at this challenge. The costs, which the American Academy of Diplomacy/Stimson Center estimates at $3.5 billion by the end of a multi- year ramp-up, are less than half of 1 percent of what we spend on the de- fense budget portion of national security (excluding costs to actually fight two wars). We, former Secretaries of State of different administrations and different political parties, and with differing views on many other issues, are never- theless of one mind on this issue of critical importance to our country’s na- tional security. We call on Congress to act accordingly and fund this critical need. — Former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, James Baker, Lawrence Eagleburger, Warren Christopher, Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, www.politico.com , June 25.