The Foreign Service Journal, September 2015

80 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS AFSA’s New Book Captures Foreign Service History The American Foreign Ser- vice Association held a book launch on July 13 for its latest publication, The Voice of the Foreign Service: A History of the American Foreign Service Association , written by author and former diplomat Harry W. Kopp. From the early history of diplomacy and the begin- nings of the professional Foreign Service and AFSA in 1924, the book takes readers from Benjamin Franklin to the Rogers Act of 1924, and the Foreign Service Acts of 1946 and 1980, and on into the 21st century. The author also traces AFSA’s transformation from a benevolent society to an independent professional organization and exclusive employee representative of all members of the U.S. Foreign Service. Outgoing AFSA President Robert J. Silverman and Ambassador (ret.) William C. Harrop, a major figure in AFSA’s history who helped get the project going, offered remarks to an audience of current and former diplo- mats, AFSA staff and Foreign Service associates. Kopp followed by explain- ing his motivation for writing the historical account: “I hope that this book will help AFSA and the Service understand the past. When you know how you got to where you are, you have a better chance of figur- ing out how to move on to where you want to be.” He also made a spe- cial plea to the new AFSA Governing Board to create a digitized collection of The Foreign Service Journal, one Author Harry Kopp addresses the gathering at the July 13 launch of The Voice of the Foreign Service. Attendees had a chance to purchase copies of the book during the reception. AFSA/MARIAC.LIVINGSTON AFSA/MARIAC.LIVINGSTON of the primary sources for the book. The Journal has produced news and commentary on diplomacy and foreign affairs by the country’s leading practitioners since 1924, but can be found in its entirety only in the Library of Con- gress, the department’s Ralph J. Bunche Library and AFSA headquarters. Kopp implored that it be preserved in digital format so that more historians could access its content worldwide. The former diplomat admitted his initial expecta- tion, that documenting the concurrent histories of AFSA and the Foreign Service would be simple, turned out to be a gross miscalculation. “The Foreign Service is small. But it is the most carefully examined, picked over, x-rayed and MRI’d institution in the government, maybe in the country.” Kopp is the author of two previous books, Career Diplomacy and Commercial Diplomacy and the National Interest . During his Foreign Service career he served as deputy assistant secretary of state for international trade policy in the Carter and Reagan administrations and as deputy chief of mission at Embassy Brasilia. AFSA thanks the Nelson B. Delavan Foundation for its financial support of the book project. Published by Foreign Service Books, AFSA’s book publishing division, The Voice of the Foreign Service is now available through AFSA and all major book retailers. For more information and to order, please go to AFSA’s website: www.afsa. org/voice. n —Amy Jones, Communications Intern