The Foreign Service Journal, November 2004

two U.S. vessels off the coast of Portugal. The incident was not finally resolved until 1796, and ultimately led to the creation of the U.S. Navy and America’s pres- ence in the Mediterranean. The author relied on dis- patches, personal papers and official communications, including unpublished British, French, Italian and Tunisian documents to provide the intriguing details of the international diplomacy mobilized to address the crisis. The book offers serious lessons about the limi- tations of force not backed by diplomacy. And, as retired FSO Charles Dunbar put it in his review for the FSJ (July-August 2004), “Beyond the lessons it imparts, Uncle Sam in Barbary is a really good read.” Retired FSO Richard B. Parker received the 2004 AFSA Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy. Fluent in Arabic and the ambassador to Algeria, Lebanon and Morocco in the Ford and Carter administrations, Parker has taught at several universi- ties, edited the Middle East Journal , and published six other books. This book is part of the ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy series, and has been nomi- nated for the American Academy of Diplomacy’s 2004 Book Award. In His Own Words: The Writings, Speeches and Letters of George Henry White Compiled and edited by Benjamin R. Justesen, iUniverse, Inc., 2004, $22.95, paperback, 340 pages. The first African-American to serve in the U.S. Congress in the 20th century, George Henry White (1852-1918) was also a renowned American orator and public servant for nearly four decades. The letters, speeches and other documents in this collection highlight White’s thoughts on key issues of the day, such as: the epidemic of lynching, Southern dis- franchisement of African-American voters, dismissal of African-American soldiers, and an effective political phi- F O C U S N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 29