The Foreign Service

In this article, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger describes the principal characteristics of the members of the United States foreign service. According to the author, they are a group of men and women with exceptional ability and dedication who have naturally developed an elitist conviction. This is because, in order to belong to the foreign service, they have to pass difficult examinations and tests; to this is added the fact that, traditionally, representatives abroad came from the upper classes. The author also explains the 1954 reforms to the United States foreign service known as the Wriston Reforms. Before they were instituted, there were two types of officers in the State Department: those who stayed in Washington, and those who were always abroad. The reforms created a unified foreign service in which one can get experience both inside the country and abroad, so that those who remain understand the problems involved in working abroad, and those who work outside do not lose contact with the reality of their country. Kissinger maintains that the State Department requires strong, consistent leadership, sustained by an appropriate philosophy of the world and a clear sense of direction, so that American diplomats will be prepared to act in keeping with the challenges involved in the fact that their country has, since 1945, become the main protector of world equilibrium.