American Statecraft: The Story of the U.S. Foreign Service

Some 15 years in the making, this impressive and massive tome sets out to tell the story of the U. S. Foreign Service, from its beginnings during the American Revolution into the 21st century. Former journalist Moskin (The U.S. Marine Corps Story) begins in the spring of 1776 when the Continental Congress sent Connecticut merchant Silas Deane on a secret mission to the court of French King Louis XVI to secure France’s support for the fight against the British. Working chronologically and writing journalistically, Moskin concentrates mainly on secretaries of state and ambassadors, including well-known figures such as Benjamin Franklin, regarded as the father of the U.S. Foreign Service, and Thomas Jefferson, the first American secretary of state. He also highlights lesser-known figures such as 20th-century Middle East specialist Alfred “Roy” Atherton, who began his three-decade career as a vice consul in Germany and went on to become ambassador to Egypt and then director general of the Foreign Service. Moskin clearly is a Foreign Service partisan—his book details the work of many “dedicated and courageous public servants,” as well as “some political spoilsmen and rogues,” concentrating on the former to provide a unique look at this oft-neglected field. (Nov.)