Lawrence S. Eagleburger was a career Foreign Service Officer who rose in the ranks to become Secretary of State, albeit for only a couple of months. In his career, he held the following senior positions in the Department of State: Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management (1975–1977)Ambassador to Yugoslavia (1977–1981)Assistant Secretary of State for … Continue reading Lawrence S. Eagleburger, Comedian
New York City has seen many ticker-tape parades. Presidents. Prime Ministers. Kings. Queens. Astronauts. Sports figures and teams. Politicians. Even one musician. All have ridden through the high rise canyon of the Big Apple as the ticker-tape and shredded paper floated down and people cheered. U.S. Army Private First Class White waves an American flag … Continue reading Don’t Rain on My Parade
In April 1950, the United States and Ireland elevated the diplomatic presence in their respective national capitals from a legation (headed by an Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary) to an embassy (headed by an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary). The last American minister and first American ambassador to Ireland was George A. Garrett, whose tenure covered … Continue reading “An Act of Displeasure:” Reaction to the Possibility of a Woman Ambassador, 1951
This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the motion picture The Godfather. Even before that movie saw its release, the studio began work on the sequel – The Godfather Part II. Photography began in October 1973, and the picture came out in December 1974. Some of the action in Part II takes place in … Continue reading The Godfather Shoots Abroad
[NOTE: This post was drafted before the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine.] Chernobyl. Today, the name of the city in present-day war-torn Ukraine conjures visions of a nuclear disaster of previously-unseen proportions. On April 26, 1986, technicians at the nuclear power plant near Chernobyl lost control of one of the four reactors on the site … Continue reading Chernobyl Before It Was CHERNOBYL!
On June 4, 1914, U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain Walter Hines Page presented the following individuals to King George V: Mr. Ralph Page (the ambassador’s son)Mrs. Ralph PageMrs. Edward Bell (wife of the Second Secretary of the embassy)Miss Esther ClevelandMrs. Randolph MordecaiMiss Margarita PenningtonMiss Dorothy DoubledayMiss Mary Sanger Presentations at Court, June 4, 1914 (NAID … Continue reading The Perils of Royal Protocol, 1914
The 1956 motion picture Giant was exactly that. Three hours and 17 minutes long. Directed by George Stevens. Filled with stars: Elizabeth Taylor. Rock Hudson. James Dean (in his last film). Sal Mineo. Dennis Hopper. Carroll Baker. Jane Withers. Chill Wills. Mercedes McCambridge. Rod Taylor. Music by Dimitri Tiomkin. “Giant” received 10 Academy Award nominations, … Continue reading Cutting “Giant” Down to Size
One of the original functions of the Department of State was oversight of the territories. In 1873, an act of Congress (17 Stat. 484) transferred that function to the Secretary of the Interior. In 1900, however, territorial responsibility was once again thrust on the Department of State after the United States conquered and seized Puerto … Continue reading The Department of State and Oversight of Puerto Rico, 1900-1909
King George VI King George VI of Great Britain died on February 6, 1952, at Sandringham House. He had come to the throne in December 1936 upon the abdication of his brother Edward VII. Edward gave up the throne in order to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson. George, as the second son, had not … Continue reading Responding to the Death of King George VI
In July 1943, World War II raged around the world. In Europe, the combined U.S./British bombing campaign against Germany proceeded. In Nazi-occupied areas, mass murder continued. On July 5, on the Eastern Front, the huge and pivotal battle of Kursk began. In the Mediterranean, U.S. and British forces were about to invade Sicily on July … Continue reading Love Among the Ruins (Apologies to Robert Browning et. al.)
