The Foreign Service Journal, October 2003

Lumpur in 1986, Walters paid an offi- cial visit to the post, and I was asked to accompany him on a Saturday to visit the old Malay entrepot of Malacca. When we returned to Kuala Lumpur that afternoon, I asked him if he minded our stopping to pick up that day’s International Herald Tribune (then jointly owned by the Washington Post and The New York Times ). Although the general was very conservative in his views, he assented to my request, adding that although it was a liberal paper, it was essential reading overseas. He then added that he considered the International Herald Tribune to be the illegitimate offspring of an inces- tuous marriage! William H. Barkell FSO, retired Arlington, Va. Thanks for the Memories The June 2003 Foreign Service Journal articles (about AFSA’s 30 years as a union) brought back warm and important memories of battles of long ago. They were not just welcome exercises in pleasant nostalgia for me, but are an important account of diffi- culties that were faced and surmount- ed long ago. I thought the articles caught the difficulty of the times. Thank you for bringing me once again into the tumult of that goodly company. William B. Macomber Ambassador, retired Nantucket, Mass. An Opposing View The June FSJ celebrated the mem- ories of a cabal that seized control of AFSA in 1968 and transformed a pres- tigious professional association headed by senior career diplomats into a com- pany union led by junior FSOs. In his account, Tom Boyatt, a disciple of the original “Young Turks,” alludes to “Rashomon,” the Japanese film classic that presents four distinctly different recollections of an event. However, the June issue reflected only one point of view. The following is another. The Young Turks and their succes- sors failed to grasp the administrative nightmare that the Foreign Service had become by the 1960s. The prob- lems began with the suspension of recruitment into the Foreign Service during World War II. As a conse- quence, Civil Service personnel increasingly filled positions held by FSOs before the war, until, by the mid-1950s, most Washington jobs pre- viously held by FSOs were staffed by O C T O B E R 2 0 0 3 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 9 L E T T E R S The Embassy Plan Overseas Insurance Personal Auto & Contents Coverage Experience that helps you avoid the pitfalls of a highly complex business. Repeat business that results from providing what’s best for the customer not the agent nor the insurance company. Since 1969, Harry M. Jannette International has provided dependable coverage with U.S. carriers with a financial rating of A+ or higher to thousands of Foreign Service Personnel worldwide. Thus you gain the broadest U.S. terms and conditions and flexible value limits often not available from other insurance carriers. MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: SEE OUR WEBSITE APPLICATIONS Harry M. Jannette International, L.L.C. 8111 LBJ Freeway, Suite 585 Dallas, Texas 75251-1334 Toll Free (800) 256-5141 (972) 783-4915 Fax (972) 783-0545 E-mail: hmjintl@jannetteintl.com www.jannetteintl.com • WORLDWIDE COVERAGE Fire, theft, comprehensive and collision protection are available at foreign posts. • U.S. AUTO LIABILITY Available for short term on home leave, change of assignment, and new auto purchase prior to foreign departure. This coverage must be issued in combination with an “Embassy Plan” policy. • FOREIGN LIABILITY Contact your post for compliance with local laws, Excess liability limits are available over local liability coverage. • PERSONAL COVERAGE Household goods and transit, valuable articles, personal liability, life insurance . • EMPLOYEE ASSOCIATION INSURANCE Employee association insurance Including directors and officers. Your Reliable Choice