65 years new: magazine celebrates Department life.
Last year, State Magazine celebrated its 65th Anniversary. From its beginning in 1947 as a humble newsletter on topics such as promotions and regulations, State Magazine has grown to celebrate life within the Department and provide information on a broad range of innovative programs in Washington and at posts worldwide, reaching an audience of more than 100,000 through print and digital publications. The following vignettes highlight some of the amazing historical moments, State Magazine has covered over the years.1947 A March article mentions three of the Department's giants: George Marshall (of Marshall Plan fame), then Secretary of State; Dean Acheson, future promulgator of much of the Truman Doctrine; and John Peurifoy, known for his role in Cold War policy toward Latin America.
1948 A March story advises, "No Fur Coats, Diamond Rings, Please." (The Department's Welfare Unit would no longer provide luxury items at cost, and FSOs were encouraged to "stock up on fur coats, fine china, jewelry and evening clothes before embarking for their posts.")
1961 A May overview of President John F. Kennedy's plan for the Peace Corps calls it "a revolution with a spiritual objective."
1962 A January article shows President Kennedy touring Latin America and a September story, "Policy for Victory," details U.S. Cold War policy. But the year's biggest story is November's Cuban Missile Crisis article, detailing the Department's role and how the crisis may affect U.S.-Soviet relations.
1963 The January and February issues have technology stories, the former on "Outerspace and the United Nations" and the latter headlined "Test Proves Computer Can Store, Retrieve Substantial Information," with images of the huge computer the Department began using that year. One 1963 story says "Girls Needed for Foreign Service," and another has the headline "Mrs. Butcher Comes to State: She Earned Law Degrees While Rearing Four Children." The December edition is dedicated to President Lyndon B. Johnson and his views on foreign affairs. (President Kennedy had been assassinated in November.)
1964 In the March issue, Secretary of State Dean Rusk speaks on the embargo of Cuba, saying, "If the communists, as a group, have as their aim the destruction of our way of life, how is it that we can treat one communist country differently from another?" The May issue reports the start of the GATT negotiations, which led to the World Trade Organization.
1975 The key February story is on the bomb that damaged about 20 offices at Main State in January. But the year's biggest story is from March--"Indochina Upheaval Forces Evacuation"--and reports on the Embassy Saigon evacuation. The combined August-September issue carries a story, "Employees Aid Indochina Locals," on aid given to local embassy employees before the evacuation.
1977 A March story tells of the first American Indian woman representing the U.S. in an international overseas conference. In an August-September story, a former U.S. Embassy in Havana staffer tells of returning to the building almost 17 years later and seeing that "the eagle from the [USS] Maine monument still spreads its wings and glares as fiercely as it ever did over the formal gardens."
1979 A March article reports the murder of Ambassador Adolph Dubs in Kabul after his being held hostage, with FSO James E. Taylor recalling Ambassador Dubs fondly. A December story tells of high U.S. officials praying for the release of the 62 American hostages in Tehran, at a Washington National Cathedral event. Other stories report attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Karachi and the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, where four people were killed.
1980 A January story reports the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Libya and a March article reports U.S. Ambassador Diego Asencio being held hostage in Bogota, Colombia. (He was freed after several months.) A May story tells of the resignation of Secretary of State Cyrus Vance over the failed rescue mission to free the Iran hostages.
1984 A January report tells of the terrorist truck bomb that killed three in Kuwait. A May article reports the killings of FSO Dennis Keogh and a U.S. Army colleague in Namibia, and attempted murder of Robert O. Homme in Strasbourg, France, where he was consul general. A November story recalls the September bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, in which 20 died. (A year earlier, 63 people were killed when a bomb exploded there.) On a lighter note, one March story has the headline "Penguins on Stilts Protest Antarctica Treaty in Foggy Bottom" and another article is on Department lookalikes, comparing photos of State employees side-by-side.
1985 A January story tells of terrorists killing two USAID workers after hijacking the Kuwaiti airliner they were aboard and diverting it to Tehran in December 1984.
1987 A July story reports the terrorist attack that killed three U.S. Embassy in Cairo employees.
1989 A January story headlined "State Yields to Computers" tells of the Department updating its computers across all agencies, focusing on personal computers. A February story tells of the three State employees killed in the 1988 terrorist bombing of a PanAm airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland.
A May story on a court ruling against the Department, for discrimination against women, will lead the Department to suspend the FSO entrance exam to eliminate bias. The cover story in the August-September issue, "Restorations at Foggy Bottom," shows the changes that give the building an appearance much like that of today.
1990 In a January story, an FSO on leave joins the throng tearing down the Berlin Wall and writes of the experience, saying "East Germans and West Germans reunited in a collage of 'combat boots ... and roses in their pockets'. Another article tells of the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador because of heavy fighting between government and guerrilla forces. The February issue carries a day-to-day account of the uprising in Bucharest, Romania, as seen by U.S. staff, telling of families leaving behind homes and coworkers.
1997 On February's cover: Madeleine Albright becomes 64th Secretary of State.
1998 The September issue covers the bombings of U.S. embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi.
1999 In a May feature, "The Foreign Service: Through Ambassador [Thomas] Pickering's Eyes," Pickering says he's gratified that the Foreign Service has moved beyond what he calls "the archaic practice" of evaluating wives on their husbands' efficiency reports and discusses the past and future of the service on its 75th anniversary.
2001 A February story tells of FSI launching its Leadership and Management School. An October story covers the 9/11 attacks, with Secretary of State Colin Powell saying, "We will not be deterred from our mission. America will stay engaged, move forward and prevail."
2005 On the February cover: Condoleezza Rice becomes 66th Secretary of State.
2009 On the February cover: Hillary Rodham Clinton becomes 67th Secretary of State.
2012 The March cover story explored the Department's multilateral approach to combatting piracy off the coast of Africa.
By Natalie LaBayen, former State Magazine intern
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| Author: | LaBayen, Natalie |
|---|---|
| Publication: | State Magazine |
| Geographic Code: | 0LATI |
| Date: | Feb 1, 2013 |
| Words: | 1169 |
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