The Foreign Service Journal, December 2013

22 DECEMBER 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL James B. Angell, a diplomatic courier officer, is the director of the Bangkok Regional Diplomatic Courier Division (where he has served twice previously). Since joining the Foreign Service in 1993, he has served twice in Frankfurt, and once each in Seoul and Washington, D.C. The views expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. government. A classic diplomatic courier mission across the Pacific recalls the history of World War II. BY JAMES B . ANGE L L FEATURE THE ISLAND HOPPER O ne of the classic diplomatic courier missions is the Bangkok Regional Diplomatic Courier Division’s “Island Hopper,” a 10,000-mile round trip that stretches across the planet from Bangkok to Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands on the International Date Line, and back. It is also a mission that encompasses much of the Pacific theater of World War II. Setting up the logistics for such a trip takes days of work weeks ahead of time, with a detailed cable sent to multiple personnel, at both State and Defense and at six U.S. missions Jeff Lau Pohnpei Island’s Nan Madol archaeological site, shown here, was home to the Saudeleur Dynasty from 1100 to 1600. During World War II, Japanese defenses on the island were so strong that the U.S. chose to drop 118 tons of bombs on it rather than invade. en.wikigogo.org