The Foreign Service Journal, October 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2015 57 AFSA NEWS Documenting Consular History On Aug. 19, the American Foreign Service Association hosted a Book Notes event at its headquarters featuring retired Foreign Service officer and author Charles Stuart “Stu” Kennedy. Speaking to a packed house, Kennedy discussed the latest edition of his book The American Consul: A History of the United States Consular Service , 1776-1924 , which was first published in 1990. AFSA President Ambas- sador Barbara Stephenson welcomed the audience and introduced Kennedy, whose 30-year career took him to Frankfurt, Naples, Seoul, Ath- ens and Saigon. After retiring in 1985, he became the oral history director at the Asso- ciation for Diplomatic Studies and Training. Kennedy received the 2014 AFSA Lifetime Contribu- tions to American Diplomacy Award for his pioneering work in creating and guiding the Foreign Affairs Oral History collection, now known as the ADST Oral History Program. He has personally inter- viewed more than 1,000 of the several thousand Ameri- can diplomats whose stories are now available online through ADST and the Library of Congress. Taking the stage, Ken- nedy—a former consular officer—began by explaining his motivations for writing the book: to record the frequently overlooked narrative of the Consular Service. By doing so, he sought to provide a consequential prologue to traditional accounts of For- eign Service history. According to Kennedy, U.S. embassies are relative newcomers to the diplo- matic scene. Until the 1930s, embassies were less con- nected and influential than consular establishments, the origins of which date back to at least the 6th century B.C. The Consular Service’s role was to represent a nation’s trade interests. For American consuls, this entailed taking care of sea- men and shipping—at that time the primary vehicle for U.S. engagement with the rest of the world. Drawing primarily from the archives of the State Depart- ment’s Ralph J. Bunche Library, Kennedy’s historical tome covers the period from 1776 to 1924, the year when the Consular and Diplomatic Services were merged to form today’s U.S. Foreign Service. Highlighting the impor- tance of the Consular Service, Kennedy gave the audience a rundown of seminal events in consular history, demonstrat- ing that these are often syn- onymous with major events in world history. For instance, he dubbed the War of 1812 a “consular war” because of the significant roles that American con- suls played. Kennedy kept the audi- ence laughing with humorous anecdotes and pointed to a decided lack of professionalism on the part of some early American con- suls. He described incidents involving heated duels and outright fraud and suggested that consular missteps in Havana hastened the onset of the Spanish-American War. And while many consuls were brilliant, dedicated employees, the Consular Service also allowed some bad apples to taint its ranks in its early days. Kennedy explained how wealthy fami- lies often directed indolent sons to the Service in hope that they would gain life experience. It was “this sort of dandy” that often featured as the stock character “remittance man” in the stories of late 19th century author O. Henry. Kennedy wrapped up by explaining how the passage of the Rog- ers Act of 1924 changed the Consular Service, bringing it in line with the broader shift away from the political spoils system toward a professional Foreign Service. A lively Q&A followed, with audience questions on topics ranging from the role of lega- tions and consular involve- ment in the Barbary War to specific cases of consular fraud and misbehavior. n —Shannon Mizzi, Editorial Intern Stu Kennedy signs copies of his book The American Consul for attendees at the Aug. 19 Book Notes event. AFSA/SHANNONMIZZI AFSA BOOK NOTES