by Edward Marks

by Ed Marks

by Brenda Brown Schoonover

by Domenick DiPasquale

by Yale Richmond

by J. Edgar Williams Another of those little known incidents of history that might have had a great impact on the world’s future is illuminated by this short story.–Ed. During my tour of duty at the Embassy in Madrid 1956-60, I heard many … Read more

by Yale Richmond The author tells the story of American “gastronomic diplomacy” in the USSR long before perestroika and the establishment of the first McDonalds in Moscow. –Ed. An assignment in Moscow provided opportunities to meet prominent and world-famous Soviet … Read more

by Ed Marks

Origins and Recollections II
by Walter Roberts

The Case of the US Cultural Center in Belgrade
by John H. Brown

by Yale Richmond The writer continues his occasional series of vignettes from a long career dealing with Russia and her neighbors. –Ed. Much has been made of Richard M. Nixon’s 1972 visit to China, a visit that ended 20 years … Read more

by Richard S. Dawson, Jr.

by Vladimir Kokorev This journal has published many Foreign Service Life contributions by American diplomats and we are pleased to be able to present the reminiscences of a Soviet diplomat who served his country for many years mainly in Africa. –Ed. … Read more

by Yale Richmond This short vignette is from the author’s recollections of a Moscow assignment in the late 1960s.  –Ed. During the Cold War, whenever there was some big event in U.S.-Soviet relations, the Voice of America (VOA) would send … Read more

by Bart Moon

by Henry Precht How much of this reminiscence is fact and how much is imagination is left to the reader, but the story gives us the flavor of an earlier, less complicated and more adventurous posting in romantic Italy.–Ed. Skinny … Read more

by Edward Marks

by Edward Marks

by Yale Richmond A retired public diplomacy professional describes a unique form of public-private collaboration in Eastern Europe during the Cold War.  –Ed. The visit of Warren H. Phillips, managing editor of The Wall Street Journal, to Poland, in 1960 … Read more

Sometimes Foreign Service Life begins even before an individual takes the oath and officially enters on duty. In this short vignette the author looks back on the period between passing the exams and his first assignment.  While he does not … Read more