The Foreign Service Journal, April 2011

T his is the first installment of what will be a monthly column on U.S. diplomatic history. Authors are members of the Friends of the USDC, a support group for the U.S. Diplomacy Center. While April has become known at State as the month to write prank cables, it also marks the birth month of the seventh Secretary of State and fifth U.S. president, James Monroe (April 28, 1758). Monroe’s big contribution to U.S. foreign policy was, of course, his famous Doctrine, which ensured that FSOs could choose from a fantastic array of posts throughout the Americas for gen- erations to come. Monroe racked up enormous debts during his tenure asmin- ister to France and Secretary of State. Despite not having an American Citizen Services chief in Paris, Monroe secured the release of many Americans from French prisons, including Thomas Paine. And while serving as James Madison’s Secretary of State, Monroe conducted reconnaissance on the British army and or- dered the removal of the department’s documents and library before the British burned Washington during the War of 1812. The library included the Declaration of Independence, GeorgeWashington’s papers and other notable RevolutionaryWar–era documents. Monroe also taught an important lesson: make sure you file vouchers in a timely manner. Deeply in debt after retiring from the presidency, he pub- licly lobbied Congress for reimbursement for ex- penses incurred during his several diplomatic missions overseas and as Secretary. Some consid- ered his lobbying beneath the dignity of a former president, but Congress ultimately granted him about $30,000. The grant enabled Monroe to pay off his re- maining debts, although only after he had already sold off most of his property. He died on July 4, 1831—exactly 55 years after the document he ordered saved from the burning of Washing- ton, D.C., was signed. Greg Naarden is an FSO who has served in Frankfurt, Dushanbe and Kabul. He is currently assigned to Washington, where he spends weekends watch- ing World War II shows on the History Channel. If you’re interested in joining Friends of the USDC, contact him at NaardenGL2@state.gov . Upcoming AFSA Book Notes Events The AFSA Book Notes program, which spotlights books featuring international and foreign policy–related topics, will be in full swing over the next few months: Author and historian Jane Loeffler will be at AFSA on April 14, at 11 a.m., to discuss her book The Architec- ture of Diplomacy: Building America’s Embassies. In the book, Loeffler examines the history of America’s embassy buildings, beginning in the 19th century. In addition to architectural and aesthetic issues, she takes a hard look at the effect that modern security and safety regulations have had on the look, feel and open- ness of America’s embassies. She focuses on the last half-century, during which American embassies morphed from inviting modernist symbols, celebrating democracy and transparency, into forbidding military fortresses, serving security and opacity. Retired Ambassador Edmund Hull is our May Book Notes author. He will be here on Mon., May 16, at 11 a.m., for a discussion of his brand-new book, High- Value Target: Countering al Qaeda in Yemen. The former U.S. ambassador to Sanaa, Hull speaks with great knowledge and from personal experience about this Middle East hot spot where terrorism seems to be on an alarming rise. Finally, noted author, academic and commentator Andrew J. Bacevich will discuss his book Washington Rules: America’s Path to Permanent War on Fri., June 24 (time TBD). In the book, Bacevich offers a critique of as- sumptions guiding American military policy. These cen- tral tenets have dominated national security policy since the start of the Cold War and have condemned the U.S. to “insolvency and perpetual war,” in Bacevich’s estima- tion (see review in the March FSJ ). All of these events will take place at AFSA headquarters at 2101 E Street NW. The book under discussion will be available for purchase at each event. Please RSVP to events@afsa.org if you would like to attend. A P R I L 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 55 A F S A N E W S James Monroe, who served as the seventh Secretary of State and fifth U.S. president, was born this month on April 28, 1758. This Month in Diplomatic History: Celebrating the Birth of James Monroe BY GREG NAARDEN