Innovation

Showing 11–20 of 31 results

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    Kellogg-Briand Pact Signing Pen

    This gold fountain pen was used by Secretary Kellogg and his 14 foreign counterparts to sign the Kellog-Briand Pact in France in August 1928, after having been gifted to U.S. Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg by the Mayor of Le Havre, France. The ornate design includes an inscription in Latin: “Si…

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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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    Kathleen Stafford's Disguise Eyeglasses

    These eyeglasses were worn by U.S. Embassy Tehran employee Kathleen Stafford as part of her disguise during a covert CIA operation to exfiltrate her and five other U.S. Embassy employees from Iran on January 28, 1980. Known as the “Canadian Six,” they were sheltered in homes of Canadian Embassy officials in Tehran…

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    Patti Morton's Clutch Purse

    For nearly fifty years, Diplomatic Security Service Special Agents were men. That changed in 1972 when Patricia “Patti” Morton became the first woman to serve as a Diplomatic Security Service Special Agent. This clutch purse is a testament to the many challenges that Special Agent Morton faced as a trailblazer. At the…

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    USSR Exhibition in New York Booklet

    In the late 1950s, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to host national exhibitions as a means of cultural exchange to increase mutual understanding. The Soviet exhibition came first, held in New York City in June 1959. As seen on this booklet’s cover, the focus of their exhibition was the…

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    Ping-Pong Paddle

    In April 1971, nine players from the U.S. Table Tennis team took a historic trip to China. Their trip was the start of what became known as “ping-pong diplomacy” and helped lay the groundwork for establishing official diplomatic relations between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. Connie Sweeris was…

  • Story of Diplomacy

    Kelly Landry: Waving the Magic Wand

    “So I went and got a U.S. flag lapel pin, and instead of going back to my desk, I went out into the lobby, knelt down and put the little flag pin on the little boy’s shirt and said, “Sweetheart, we’re not going to give you a visa; we’re going to give…

  • Story of Diplomacy

    Clearing the Air: Erica Keen Thomas

    When ESTH Counselor Erica Keen Thomas took over the Embassy Beijing air monitoring project in 2010, she quickly recognized its potential for expanded reach, greater global impact, and increased public awareness. For her efforts to collect and publicly share data revealing dangerous air pollution levels in Chinese cities, increasing public awareness of…