Tools and Training

These items in NMAD's collection are the tools and training materials diplomats have used throughout history.

Showing 1–10 of 27 results

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    Jane S. Dougherty’s Diplomatic ID

    Jane Simmons joined the State Department and served overseas in challenging locations. While in Warsaw she met William Dougherty, another embassy employee. The two fell in love and were married while serving at the embassy. After Warsaw, they were assigned to the Embassy in Moscow. This is the diplomatic identification card issued…

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    William Dougherty’s Diplomatic ID

    William Dougherty joined the State Department and served overseas in challenging locations. Dougherty was recruited in 1945 from the U.S. Army Signal Corps, where he worked as a cryptologist. While in Warsaw he met Jane Simmons, another embassy employee. The two fell in love and were married while serving at the embassy.…

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    Wolfgang Lehmann's Day Planner

    On April 30, 1975, the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese Army, effectively ending the Vietnam War. In the days before, U.S. forces evacuated thousands of Americans and South Vietnamese. American diplomats were on the frontlines, organizing what would be the most ambitious helicopter evacuation in history. This…

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    Diplomatic Courier Pouch

    Diplomatic Couriers safely and securely deliver classified messages and material to U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. This leather courier pouch from the early 20th century in the National Museum of American Diplomacy’s collection was used by diplomatic couriers to securely transport diplomatic materials. Retired couriers who were consulted when the…

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    Diplomatic Courier’s Overnight Bag

    U.S. Diplomatic Couriers are some of the most traveled people in the world. They’re responsible for ensuring that classified materials are safely and securely transported across international borders. Without their hard work, U.S. missions and consulates couldn’t function. Few objects in our collection illustrate the breadth and frequency of a diplomatic courier’s…

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    Tags from Secretary Christopher’s Travels

    As U.S. Secretary of State, Warren Chistopher (1993-1997) traveled extensively in order to advance foreign policy goals. All of those who have served as the Secretary in recent decades have done the same. These tags represent some of those trips. They include one (top, center) from his trip to Wright-Patterson Air Force…

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    Secretary Christopher’s Trip Binder

    In early August 1995, U.S Secretary of State Warren Christopher (1993-1997) traveled to Malaysia, Cambodia, and Vietnam. This binder contained information which helped Secretary Christopher prepare for events and meetings during the trip. In Malaysia, he discussed the effects of the Bosnian conflict on Muslims with the Prime Minister and signed commercial…

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    USAID Personal Hygiene Kit Items

    Items from personal hygiene kit, c. 2014. A “personal hygiene kit” is a box of basic hygiene supplies, utilized by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance to help prevent outbreaks of communicable illness in disaster areas across the globe.

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    Mechanical Sewing Machine

    In 2007, the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia distributed 1,200 sewing machines, like this one, to Muslim communities across the country. The sewing machines were part of the State Department’s “Shared Futures” initiative. They were used to establish micro-enterprise centers to help individuals and families become more financially self-sufficient.

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    Scholastic Children's Books

    Tragedy struck a diplomatic delegation and their military escorts on April 6, 2013, in southern Afghanistan. A young diplomat named Anne Smedinghoff, three U.S. soldiers, and an Afghani interpreter were killed in a car bomb blast that targeted their group as they were delivering books to a boys' school. Anne was a…