After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, the U.S. Information Agency – at that time the arm of U.S. Public Diplomacy — helped extend and solidify the late President’s legacy by producing a famous film — John F. Kennedy: Years of Lightning, Day of Drums. The 86-minute memorial documentary recalled the achievements…
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Imagine a packed monsoon-drenched refugee tent camp in eastern Bangladesh, where more than 700,000 souls were forced to flee a year and a half ago from military oppression in their impoverished villages in neighboring Burma. Focusing a spotlight on their plight is a key challenge for public diplomacy in 2019. Aerial views of the…
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During the Vietnam War, Barry Zorthian (1920-2010) was the Director of the U.S. Information Service in Saigon, and he was the prime mover in establishing the Joint United States Public Affairs Office (JUSPAO). JUSPAO brought together the media operations of the State Department, the U.S. Information Service, USAID, the CIA, and the Military Assistance Command,…
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Peace Corps Director Dr. Josephine (Jody) Olsen highlighted the Peace Corps’ contribution to the U.S. image and mutual understanding at the First Monday Forum on December 3. The talk reminded me that around the clock, two U.S. agencies join hands to help countless souls in other countries improve their lives in the finest tradition of…
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There is a bill pending in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that would change the governance structure of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. While the bill is not perfect, it provides a necessary level of accountability and oversight that has been missing for the past two years. The bill, S.3654, would vest authorities into…
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A Hemisphere of Freedom As a principal author of the Declaration of Independence wrote to a friend nearly a century and a half ago: “America, north and south, has a set of interests distinct from those of Europe. Our end goal must surely be to make our hemisphere a hemisphere of freedom.” The administrator of…
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When American novelist James A. Michener received the Medal of Freedom in 1977, it was for his career in American letters. His many best-sellers included Tales of the South Pacific, Sayonara, The Bridges at Toko-ri, The Bridge at Andau, Hawaii, Caravans, Centennial, The Source, and many other fiction and non-fiction works. His debut novel became…
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Later this month, Foreign Service families will celebrate Thanksgiving at their homes in foreign countries. Even though it can be quite costly to ship or buy a turkey overseas, there will be one at the center of the table, surrounded by each family’s favorite dishes – some American, some local. If the children are in…
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The Yemen civil conflict, according to the United Nations, is now the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. There are signs the international community is awakening to the necessity of dealing seriously with this vastly underreported tragedy. Sadly, many other countries have fueled that civil war, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and United States on one…
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Remarks of Donald M. Bishop Public Diplomacy Council First Monday Forum “The History and Future of Public Diplomacy” November 6, 2018 My colleagues on the panel will, I am confident, touch on the large issues that engage Public Diplomacy in the Foreign Service, serving America’s goals in the world – issues like democracy, exchanges, culture…
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