Representing America: Firsthand Accounts from a Century of U.S. Diplomacy (1924–2024) by Association for Diplomatic Studies & Training

The stories you won’t find in history books. History comes alive when told through firsthand accounts—and American diplomats tell a host of riveting, unforgettable stories, from the amusing to the tragic to the headline-making. For decades, the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training’s Foreign Affairs Oral History collection has provided a treasure trove of great moments in history for historians, authors, journalists, researchers, genealogists, biographers, foreign policy specialists, and students. Representing America, an anthology of more than 300 stories from the collection, opens a window into a century of U.S. diplomacy. These stories recount how U.S. diplomats have shaped historic events, served the American people, and faced both sacrifice and danger in the line of duty: Witness the devastating 1923 earthquake in Japan, the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Follow Kissinger’s secret trip to China and Charlie Wilson’s war in Afghanistan. Read more