by Glen Johnson
Oorah, also, to Marine Captain John Pratson for inviting me to address TBS Bravo Company 2-17 in April 2017.
I also want to pay tribute to Navy Captain Spencer Abbot, an aide to Admiral Pandolfe, who provided advice as Kelley made his application to the Corps. Spencer committed suicide in November 2017, a shock to all who knew and loved him, and part of an epidemic within the military and among veterans. It was a stark reminder to not only care for those who appear low but also people who seem to be soaring high.
The same sentiment applies to Jack Manahan, an Army veteran and one of our early DS agents. His business card was tacked to the bulletin board behind me as I wrote this book.
The Protocol team got their own chapter, but individual thanks to Natalie Jones, Mark Walsh, Jeannie Rangel, Lauren Bernstein, Jessica Zielke, Sheila Dyson, Sam Tubman, David Solomon, Shawn Lanchantin, Jennifer Wham, Jen Nicholson, Nick Schmit, Asel Roberts, Araz Pourmorad, and Izumi Cintron.
And everyone knows the Diplomatic Reception Rooms don’t run without Essandra Collins and Sixto “Manny” Mercado, and no secretary eats without chefs Chris James and Jason Larkin.
Randy Bumgardner also was a great host and tour guide at Blair House, as were Declan Cregan and Angela McAteer no matter the time—day or night—we passed through Shannon Airport.
Thanks, as well, to my friends in DC. First among them were Franco Nuschese and Manuela Cavalieri at Cafe Milano, who embraced me like family for meals and events, including once in Abu Dhabi. Franco is an internationalist beyond being a world-class restaurateur and host, and Manuela embraces the social consciousness of an icon, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They provided Secretary Kerry with a quiet venue for numerous official meetings over an array of fresh pastas. Grazie a tutti e due.
Among my many other supporters in Washington were my neighbor Larry La at Meiwah, another person deeply interested in foreign affairs, and my former Lowell Sun colleague Mary Boyle. She pushed me to write this book, was always willing to grab a last-minute drink, and gave this text a final line edit. Any remaining typos are her fault.
Bastien LeClerc was a great host to me and Cathy at Bar Romain in Paris, as was Lorenzo Lisi, who serves wonderful seafood at Pierluigi in Rome. And no hotel general manager made us feel more at home than Alvaro Rey at the InterContinental Park Lane in London.
My time at the State Department and in Geneva in particular gave me an unexpected chance to reconnect with my expat college roommate, John Stanton, as well as his wife, Monique Deul, and their three boys, Oliver, Noah, and Sebastian. They all were interested in my work for the government, and they provided me and members of the traveling team with a home away from home during our many visits to Switzerland.
Thanks, too, to the small group of friends who followed me on Facebook while I worked at State. I didn’t want to share what I was doing too widely, because my former journalism colleagues would be compelled to report on any real insights I shared.
But the people I befriended expressed enthusiasm for my reports and photos from the road, and their questions helped me flesh out this book.
There also was a collection of supporters who kept my wife sane and occupied while I was away for the better part of four years. Chief among them is our yellow Lab, Willow, who filled the void with her constant companionship and by claiming my spot in bed for herself.
I also appreciate the physical and mental support of the staff and members at the Institute of Performance and Fitness in North Reading, Massachusetts. It’s one of the best gyms in the United States, and Walter Norton Jr., Jamie Damon, Liz Keady, and their colleagues kept Cathy in shape and with a 5 a.m. family. The same is true for her closest workout partners, Carol Martini, Pam Roche, Diane Barrett, Allie Navarro, and Laurie Fraser.
Mrs. Fraser, an IPF Hall of Famer, claimed the first signed copy of this book.
Our “Hometown Diplomacy” series also got a boost from some hometown supporters, including Roger Berkowitz and Shion Hara at Legal Sea Foods; three of my North Andover homies, Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray and Merrimack Strider icons Tom and Lyn Licciardello; and four-time race winner “Boston” Bill Rodgers.
Dick Friedman also hosted a night to remember in Paris.
I especially appreciate the three people I asked to review my manuscript: Jon Finer, Jim Loftus, and my former Boston Globe colleague Scott Helman.
Finer is a Rhodes scholar and former journalist, and he had the perspective not only as a State Department chief of staff but also as director of its Policy Planning operation. Any policy errors remaining in the text are his.
Loftus, meanwhile, is a former campaign press wrangler and event organizer who came to State to help with those tasks. He read the manuscript with his perspective as a former screenwriter and staffer at the US embassy in Tel Aviv.
As for Helman, I wanted the insight of an outsider who would also understand my perspective as a former journalist as well as John Kerry’s stature in Massachusetts. Scott came through with a detailed letter of suggestions for improving this book that provided a road map to its completion.
I also benefited from the solitude of several special writing places. I built an office for myself at home in my former master bedroom and then proceeded to disregard the advice of novelist Stephen King and his book, On Writing, by putting a big table in the middle from which to work. I read his recommendation to put a small desk in the corner only after I plunked down my credit card at Walker Creek furniture in Essex, Massachusetts. Nonetheless, my setup worked for me because I could organize my accumulated papers in subject-matter piles and then proceed from one to the next as I worked from chapter to chapter.
I wrote as well in the Boston Public Library’s magnificent Bates Hall reading room; the Soho dining room of John Stanton’s business partner Jim Carney; Kramerbooks in Washington; the Market Cafe at the Market Basket in Salem, New Hampshire (during a November 2017 power outage); the Westin Hotel in Princeville, Hawaii; P. J. Carney’s pub in New York City, and aboard several Greyhound buses and American Airlines jets.
Thanks, too, to Kris Pauls and Disruption Books for helping me publish this work. Kris is an amazingly thoughtful and responsive executive, and she patiently guided me through each step of the publishing process. Disruption itself has a thoughtful business model giving a lot of freedom to authors, especially first-timers. I especially appreciate Kim Lance for her cover design, and Mary Hardegree for her painstakingly thorough copy edit.
I also want to thank Don Naylor of 16thirty in Boston for patiently designing a cover when I considered self-publishing this book, my former AP colleague Lisa Pane of L. M. Pane Photography in Boise, Idaho, for the book jacket photo, and Shawn Gross of shawngross.com for helping me design and launch my personal website to help market this. Thanks, also, to attorney Christine Bernardini of North Andover for her excellent handling of my Author’s Contract.
Danny Marte and Warren Osterman at the FedEx Office Print & Ship Center in Salem, N.H., also were invaluable when I needed proof copies for reviewers and others.
I waited until I felt worthy to write my first book, and it felt amazing to finally hold it in my hand. I must give part of the credit to the many editors, colleagues, and bosses who developed me as a journalist. They helped me realize the story unfolding before my eyes, and gave me the skills to capture it in words and photos and then tell it to a broader audience.
I also want to thank my college professor and mentor Minoo Adenwalla. I went out to Lawrence University site unseen, and among the many friends I made in Appleton, Wisconsin, was a government professor who had studied journalism. He taught me about critical thinking, proper writing, and the Constitution. He also was good company over pints in London and single malts at his home on North Union Street.
Praise, too, to Lin-Manuel Miranda, not only for writing Hamilton, but his daily Twitter Gmorning and Gnight messages encouraging everyone to forge ahead with their dreams and ideas. They propelled me from being a consumer to part of the group o
f people who are creators.
I especially appreciate the patience of my mother, Joan, who constantly wondered what was up with this mythical book and when I was going to get another job after leaving State—but said so out loud only a handful of times. She’s immersed herself in books her entire life and gave my manuscript the most thorough proofreading it received. She also provided immeasurable support to Cathy while I was away. Not bad for eighty-five.
Special tribute, too, goes to my older brother, Gary, who has gutted it through two rounds of leukemia treatment, including one after a relapse I learned about when I was on the other side of the world in Tokyo.
My younger brother, Steve, also supported this work, as did my aunt, Marilyn Johnson, who once took me and my cousin Linda Goetz out for a great family dinner while our plane made a refueling stop in San Francisco. My college classmate Margie LaVelle Gater bought me a drink there, too. Cousin Doug and his wife, the “other” Linda Goetz, met me during another stop in Los Angeles, as did my childhood friend Mark Easton. My cousin Mary Goetz and her husband, Dave Shockley, prolifically “Liked” my photo-essays and steered me to On Writing.
I also have special appreciation for John Diamond, a fellow New Englander and AP alum who has provided friendship and hospitality throughout my two stints living in Washington. John’s background as a journalist and author, as well as his book-filled townhouse, attest to his love for reading—and telling—a good story.
He gave me the cherished gift of a first edition of Dean Acheson’s seminal work about the State Department, Present at the Creation. When I needed an epigraph for my lesser attempt at recounting the work performed at Foggy Bottom, I reached onto my shelf, pulled down the book, and leafed through it until I found the perfect quote.
Last, I wanted to save my final thanks for my late father, Jack, and his wife, Louise.
Until I returned home in July 2016 to celebrate with Kelley after he had been accepted at OCS, virtually the only travel with Secretary Kerry I’d missed was because of my dad’s deteriorating health. He actively fought prostate cancer and then a pituitary issue before succumbing to cancerous brain lesions. My stepmother, Louise, remained his companion throughout it all.
The fact is, my dad was less than thrilled by me taking this job.
He was a Republican and cast not just his but my late grandfather’s vote in 2000 for George W. Bush. I’m sure he voted the same way when President Bush and John Kerry faced off in 2004. And I could tell he wasn’t elated when I wrote him an email in 2013 to explain I was leaving the only career he had known for me—journalism—to join the federal government, a Democratic administration, and the staff of someone who challenged a president he supported.
Strike one. Strike two. Strike three.
But father never stopped loving son, or asking about his work and travels. My dad also appreciated the secretary letting me bolt from London, Paris, and New York when I wanted to return to North Carolina for his medical treatments.
He eventually died on September 29, 2015, which, ironically, was my mom’s birthday. I felt fortunate to be there with him. We bid him farewell at a memorial service on October 3, 2015, and I immediately flew back to Washington so I could join Secretary Kerry the following morning for a trip to Chile.
When our last day in office came and I walked out of the State Department for the final time, I felt understandable relief but also some angst—and not just because of my concerns about national security.
The last business card I’d given my father, the last phone number he knew to call me at, the last email address he had for me—all were now obsolete.
I wouldn’t be able to tell him about the next chapters of my life—the ones in this book, or everything else to come personally and professionally.
I trust he knows, though, because he’s now looking down from his own window seat on the world.
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NOTES
1. Author’s notes, June 6, 2013.
2. John Kerry, Remarks, “Meeting with Consulate Ho Chi Minh Staff and Families,” Ho Chi Minh City, December 14, 2013, https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/12/218722.htm.
3. Ibid.
4. John Kerry, Remarks, “Remarks on Climate Change and the Environment,” Mekong Delta, December 15, 2013, https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/12/218726.htm.
5. John Kerry, Remarks, “Remarks on U.S.–Vietnam: Looking to the Future,” Hanoi, August 7, 2015, https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2015/08/245789.htm.
6. Ibid.
7. CBS News, interview with John Kerry, CBS Sunday Morning, May 23, 2016.
8. Katherine Seelye, “The 2004 Campaign: Military Service; Cheney’s Five Draft Deferments During the Vietnam Era Emerge as a Campaign Issue,” The New York Times, May 1, 2004, https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/01/us/2004-campaign-military-service-cheney-s-five-draft-deferments-during-vietnam-era.html.
9. CBS News, interview with John Kerry, May 23, 2016.
10. Noel Brinkerhoff, “Ambassador to Italy and San Marino: Who is David Thorne?” AllGov, December 28, 2009, http://www.allgov.com/news/appointments-and-resignations/ambassador-to-italy-and-san-marino-who-is-david-thorne?news=840094.
11. Author’s notes, May 24, 2016.
12. Office of the Press Secretary, “Press Briefing with Secretary Kerry, Deputy NSC Advisor Ben Rhodes, and Principal Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz,” Ho Chi Minh City, May 24, 2016, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/05/24/press-briefing-secretary-kerry-deputy-nsc-advisor-ben-rhodes-and.
13. Ibid.
14. John Kerry, Remarks, “Remarks at the Fulbright University Vietnam Establishment Ceremony,” Ho Chi Minh City, May 25, 2016, https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2016/05/257701.htm.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Carol Morello, “Back on the Mekong Delta, John Kerry meets a man who once tried to kill him and finds exoneration,” The Washington Post, January 14, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/back-on-the-mekong-delta-john-kerry-finds-a-man-who-once-tried-to-kill-him-and-exoneration/2017/01/14/89ae82a0-d9ce-11e6-a0e6-d502d6751bc8_story.html?utm_term=.e6c708b14573.
18. Ibid.
Chapter 1
19. Author’s recollection.
20. John Kerry, Remarks, “Meeting with Staff and Families of Consulate General Istanbul,” Istanbul, April 7, 2013, https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/04/207155.htm.
21. Author’s recollection.
22. John Kerry, Remarks, “Remarks with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu,” Istanbul, April 7, 2013, https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/04/207162.htm.
23. John Kerry, Remarks, “Welcome Remarks to Employees,” District of Columbia, February 4, 2013, https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/02/203717.htm.
24. Ibid.
25. Ibid.
26. John Kerry, Remarks, “Remarks with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu,” Istanbul, April 7, 2013, https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/04/207162.htm.
27. John Kerry, Remarks, “Memorial Ceremony in Honor of Embassy Guard Mustafa Akarsu,” Ankara, March 1, 2013, https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/03/205515.htm.
28. Ibid.
29. John Kerry, Remarks, “Meeting with Staff and Families of Embassy Moscow,” May 8, 2013, https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/05/209120.htm.
30. Andrea Strano, “Foreign Service Women Today: The Palmer Case and Beyond,” Foreign Service Journal, March 2016, http://www.afsa.org/foreign-service-women-today-palmer-case-and-beyond.
31. “Does the Department of State Reflect America’s Diversity?” Discover Diplomacy, https://diplomacy.state.gov/discoverdiplomacy/diplomacy101/people/207755.htm.
32. Ibid.
33. John Kerry, Remarks, “Welcome Remarks to Employees,” District of Columbia, February 4, 2013, https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/02/203717.htm.
34. Ibid.
35. “Agency for International Development (USAID),” U.S. Diplomacy, http://www.usdiplomacy.org/state/abroad/usaid.php.
36. Author’s journal, November 26, 2013.
37. Ibid.
38. Author’s notes, March 4, 2014.
39. Domani Spero, “Tillerson Delivers Performance Management Tip, and EER Drafters Everywhere Cheer,” DiploPundit, December 8, 2017, https://diplopundit.net/tag/employee-evaluation-reports/.
40. Paulo Acoba, “A Russian Military Helicopter Reportedly Buzzed An American Diplomatic Car in Alleged Election Payback,” Foxtrot Alpha, June 25, 2017, https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/a-russian-military-helicopter-reportedly-buzzed-an-amer-1796402488.
41. Reuters, “Inside the historic Havana mansion that will host America’s first family when Obama becomes the first US president to visit Cuba in 88 years,” DailyMail, March 19, 2016, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3499356/U-S-mansion-Obama-stay-Havana-built-impress.html.
42. “Edward R. Murrow,” Public Diplomacy Wikia,http://publicdiplomacy.wikia.com/wiki/Edward_R._Murrow.
43. Jennifer Delgado, “After death, young diplomat’s ‘go-to bag’ carries memories,” Chicago Tribune, May 27, 2013, https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/oak-park/ct-xpm-2013-05-27-ct-met-anne-smedinghoff-bookbag-20130527-story.html.
44. Stephenie Foster, email message to author, March 7, 2018.
45. John Kerry, Remarks, “Meeting with Staff and Families of Consulate General Istanbul,” Istanbul, April 7, 2013, https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/04/207155.htm.
46. Ibid.
47. Author’s journal, April 16, 2013.
Chapter 2
48. Foreign Service Institute, “Protocol for the Modern Diplomat,” July 2013, https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/176174.pdf.
49. “President’s Guest House (includes Lee House and Blair House), Washington, DC,” Overview, General Services Administration, https://www.gsa.gov/historic-buildings/presidents-guest-house-includes-lee-house-and-blair-house-washington-dc.