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ur readers will note, we hope, that in this ‘issue’ of American Diplomacy all three of our featured, more lengthy articles — those by Dick Kohn, Frank Crigler, and Curt Jones — take the form of essays rather than scholarly research inquiries. Clearly I mean this remark not as an invidious comparison one way or another with the first-rate research work, complete with end note references, previously presented on this web site over the bylines of such academicians as professors Ole Holsti, Matt Oyos, and Robin Dorff (see Archives). Their studies have outstanding interest and relevance. The preponderance of essays herein this time around, without what some would call scholarly impedimenta, derives simply from the quality of submissions received from contributors over the past few weeks and months — the contributor’s submissions, that is, that we believed of most timely interest for this ‘issue.’ Both types of presentation have a place in this journal of inquiry into the theory and practice of American diplomacy, and both will continue to be made available on our regular ‘publication’ schedule.
Which brings me to my point:
From the outset last year, we established as a prime purpose of American Diplomacy the provision in this journal of an alternative publication outlet to students of American diplomacy. We view our potential contributors above all as:
- Researchers in academia with relatively brief article-length scholarly studies that in some instances, for one reason or another, do not meet the near-term needs of standard print journals in the field;
- active and retired foreign affairs professionals with comments on the issues expressed more or less in ‘op-ed’ form, or with reminiscences of life as practitioners in diplomacy; and
- members of the concerned public with views on the foreign policy that they would present — again, fairly briefly — as essays of the sort that journalists publish in their weekly columns.
American Diplomacy looks for and welcomes the submission of such articles or commentary by scholars, professionals, and virtually all others seriously interested in questions of American diplomacy. If this call for papers strikes home with you, inquire further by e-mail (click here), send a FAX message to me, 
Henry Mattox, Editor, American Diplomacy at (919) 515-3886, or contact me at the History Department, Box 8108, N. C. State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8108.
Submissions proposed for use by the journal will receive thorough and expeditious scrutiny by members of the Editorial Review Board. If we find the work suitable and thought provoking, the author can expect remarkably soon, given the nature of electronic journals such as ours, to see his or her study, commentary, or essay up on the web for all the vast internet world to see. ~ Ed.