THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2024 9 LETTERS Lost the Proofs? It was with great incredulity that I failed to find any “Letters to the Editor” in the July-August 2024 Journal. It seems most unlikely to me that you received no letters from your readers, active and retired, in the past month or so. What’s the explanation? Ran out of space? Lost the galley proofs? A decision to eliminate this time-tested feature? I cannot speak for others, but as a retiree, I find Letters consistently among the most stimulating parts of the magazine, providing readers with interesting and provocative observations, current and historical, from our fellow members. Please do not let it die. Jack R. Binns Ambassador, retired Tucson, Arizona Editor’s Note: We did not, in fact, have any new letters in time for the July-August edition. Happily, after a brief lull, we are now back to an overflowing inbox. Resigning in Protest As a retired Senior FSO, I wanted to comment briefly on the remarkable contribution that Stacy Gilbert has rendered to the Foreign Service (see “Gaza Update” in Talking Points, July-August 2024 FSJ). Gilbert recently resigned from the State Department in protest over the failure of the department and the U.S. government to report accurately and honestly to the U.S. Congress on the failure of the government of Israel to meet its basic humanitarian responsibilities to the people of Gaza, in the context of Israel’s military operations there. She acted in the finest traditions of the Foreign Service in protesting errant U.S. policy, where concerns over human rights and humanitarian needs are subordinated to so-called national security priorities. Such errant policy was also evident—and protested—during the Vietnam War and subsequent U.S. policy in Afghanistan. Edmund McWilliams FSO, retired White Oaks, New Mexico “Henry of the Tower” and the Slave Trade I recently read Ambassa- dor Thomas Hull’s article, “Henry of the Tower Revisited” (June 2024 FSJ). I found the article quite helpful for my research: a biography of Henry Laurens. Amb. Hull’s article highlighted a component I had not yet considered—the pervasive nature of slavery in Laurens’ life. “Henry of the Tower” was one of the wealthiest American colonists of the 18th century. Much of that wealth was derived from his slaving enterprise and numerous Lowcountry plantations. These unsavory aspects of Laurens’ life will certainly feature in my work. Hull emphasized the connection between these facets of Laurens’ life and his experience in the Tower. Laurens’ longtime friend and business partner in the enslaving business negotiated his release, thus tightly connecting one of the United States’ first ambassador’s freedom to his revolting participation in the commodification of human beings. Of course, Hull’s point was to counter a 1969 article by Ralph Hilton, written in this journal. Hilton article praised Laurens’ character and ambassadorial role, declaring his values to be the “cornerstone” of the Foreign Service. Hull not only effectively debunked Hilton but also provided this historian with an important reminder. Greg Brooking, PhD Atlanta, Georgia Revisiting Henry of the Tower Regarding Tom Hull’s article on Henry Laurens, thanks for this correction to the historical record. Strange, how blind we have been until recently to the slave owners in our history and the effect of their greed and inhumanity on the rest of us, whether Black or other. Between outright ownership and the shipping trade, anyone of great wealth in the U.S. prior to the early 1800s was somehow benefiting off the slave trade and slave labor. How did we ignore that for so long? Thanks for writing this piece. Liz Barnett FSO, retired Boston, Massachusetts Why Project 2025 Matters One of the most prominent players in the game of Washington politics is the Heritage Foundation. It is currently engaged in Project 2025, which is designed to profoundly reshape the federal government if a conservative president takes office in January. Project 2025, which is supported by dozens of other conservative organizations, is Heritage’s game plan for a new Republican administration. In its 900 pages, the playbook for a conservative takeover of government and an agenda to be implemented in the first 180 days is laid out.
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