Latest Programs

The United States Diplomacy Center is honored to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Diplomatic Courier Service with a new exhibit, “100 Years of Diplomatic Couriers—None Swifter than These,” on display from Oct 31, 2018 through February 3, 2019. In 1918, General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing authorized U.S. Army Major Amos J. Peaslee to…

On July 31, 2018, the United States Diplomacy Center made its second visit to the National Museum of American History’s Spark!Lab to test content for its future exhibits. Museum visitors viewed four historical and current stories of American diplomacy and were invited to participate in a word association exercise. Over 500 visitors walked through exhibit…

From July 23rd through August 31st, the United States Diplomacy Center hosted a preview of the exhibit Faces of Diplomacy in the Pavilion at the 21st Street entrance of HST. Faces of Diplomacy features portraits and videos of diplomatic professionals working abroad and in Washington D.C. From Public Affairs Officers to Information Management Specialists, to…

In May, over one hundred students competed in the student-led hackathon, MakeSPP, in Jersey City, New Jersey. Samay Shamdasani, along with his co-organizers, Shashwat Punjani, Nathan Blumenfeld, Jonas Eaton, Thomas Narramore, Dan Ambrosio, Owen Kealey, and Tyler Greene organized the hackathon. Hackathons are collaborative, competitive events where computer programmers are provided raw data or project prompts from a…

The United States Diplomacy Center is pleased to host an exhibit featuring the finalists of the 2017-2018 Citizen Diplomacy Challenge Photo Contest run by the Office of Alumni Affairs in the Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.  Twenty top photos, submitted by Americans who took part in international exchange programs sponsored by the Department, will be…

Speed Mentoring In honor of International Women’s History Month, the Diplomacy Center organized a speed mentorship event for State Department interns, offering them a unique opportunity to network with Foreign Service and Civil Service female leaders at the State Department representing diverse ranks, cones, and backgrounds. The event was organized in cooperation with the Office…

On April 3, in cooperation with the George C. Marshall Foundation, the United States Diplomacy Center held an event recognizing the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the European Recovery Program, more commonly known as the Marshall Plan.  125 guests attended, including Marshall Foundation and Diplomacy Center Foundation Board members, academics, and Department of State…

To commemorate the recent 50th anniversary of the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, the United States Diplomacy Center hosted a panel of eye witnesses — including retired diplomats and a former journalist — as well as a military historian to take us back to the night of the attack. Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs…

In commemoration of African American History Month, the Center hosted a program highlighting the little known diplomatic careers of Ebenezer Bassett and Frederick Douglass.  The program was held on February 14th in honor of the bicentennial of Douglass’s birth.  Both of these men served as U.S. Ministers — an early title equivalent to Ambassador —…

The United States Diplomacy Center was pleased to host an event featuring up-close and personal stories of diplomacy on October 18: A Window into American Soft Power in Rural Vietnam, 1962-1964. We were joined by retired Foreign Service Officer Robert Warne, his spouse Susanna (Suzy), and retired United States Government official, Rufus Phillips. Phillips is…

The United States Diplomacy Center was pleased to host a panel discussion that explored how U.S. Government has approached HIV/AIDS as both a humanitarian and a national security issue for more than 30 years. From the emergence of HIV/AIDS during the Reagan Administration to today, the three panelists surveyed the U.S. diplomatic response to the…

The United States Diplomacy Center is excited to feature the photography exhibit “Jam Session: America’s Jazz Ambassadors Embrace the World” in the upper level of the Pavilion from February 14th to May 31th, 2018. This guest exhibit chronicles the international tours of legendary jazz musicians who were selected by the Department of State to serve as roving…

C-SPAN may be best known for covering Capitol Hill, but it also covers American history.  In January, it is highlighting U.S. diplomatic history in a two-part program focused on the collection of the United States Diplomacy Center. While many Americans may know the publicized outcomes of diplomatic negotiations – treaties to end wars or international…