Cold War Diplomacy (1945-1991)

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    Iran Hostage Blindfold

    This piece of cloth was fashioned into a blindfold and used on U.S. diplomat Robert Blucker, who was serving at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 as an Economic Officer. Blucker was one of 52 who were ultimately held hostage for 444 days, in what became known as the Iran Hostage…

  • Public Program

    A Window into American Soft Power in Rural Vietnam

    October 18, 2017

    In Person

    The National Museum of American Diplomacy 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.

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    Bugged Brick from U.S. Embassy Moscow

    Throughout the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in espionage against one another in the hope of gathering information that could give them some sort of advantage in the relationship, or if a direct military confrontation ever occurred. Efforts to eavesdrop inside secure embassies, or on diplomatic personnel…

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    Ambassador Satch Record Album

    During the height of the Cold War, the State Department used music to bridge gaps and ease tensions. American Jazz Ambassadors, including Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, and Billie Holiday, traveled the world representing the United States. Voice of America radio also brought their music to millions…

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    Ambassador Dubs' Letter to his Daughter

    Adolph “Spike” Dubs was a career Foreign Service Officer. In 1973-74 he served as charge d’affaires at Embassy Moscow, and in 1978 he was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan. On February 14, 1979, Ambassador Dubs and his driver were abducted by armed militants posing as police. Afghan and accompanying Soviet officials hastily…

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    Edward Dudley's Diplomatic Passport

    In 1948, President Harry S. Truman sent Edward R. Dudley to Liberia as U.S. Envoy and Minister. Upon elevation of the Mission in Liberia to a full U.S. Embassy in 1949, Dudley was promoted to the rank of Ambassador. With that, Ambassador Dudley became the first black Ambassador in U.S. history. Issued…

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    Foreign Service Girl Book

    The 1959 book "Foreign Service Girl" by Robin McKown details the life of a young woman serving as a secretary abroad. At the end of the novel, she gives up her chance to become a Foreign Service Officer in order to marry instead. Although it is a work of fiction, the book…

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    U.S.-Russia Plutonium Agreement Plaque

    Though the Hanford, Washington nuclear reactor has been disabled since 1987, the site falls under the U.S.-Russian Plutonium Production Reactor Agreement (PPRA) of 1997. The Agreement requires that production of plutonium in both countries for use in nuclear weapons must completely cease, and also calls for reciprocal monitoring of U.S. and Russian…

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    SCUD Missile Nose Cone

    The Soviet Union deployed SCUD missiles and launchers to Soviet-bloc countries as part of the military build-up in Eastern Europe during the Cold War. The warheads were kept in the Soviet Union and could be paired quickly with the missiles and launchers in the event of conflict. This nose cone was mounted…

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    President Reagan Visit to Berlin Folio

    Folio used to hold a program for President Ronald Reagan’s June 1987 visit to Berlin, Germany. During this visit, President Reagan delivered one of his most memorable speeches, which included the famous line “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”