FOREIGN INTRIGUE: The Making and Unmaking of a Foreign Service Officer

by Eric Kocher ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1990

The charming but slight autobiography of former diplomat Kocher (now Associate Dean/Columbia Univ. School of International Affairs). World War II and the Army interrupted Kocher's classes in playwriting at Yale--after a Princeton B.A., a Harvard M.B.A., and five years of civil service--but whetted his interest in foreign affairs. The Army sent him first to England, then France, where he was a liaison officer with French civil authorities. Immediately after the war he spent a year with UNRRA, administering D.P. camps; then he joined the Foreign Service, apparently finding his mÉtier at last. Kocher's first assignment was as Labor Officer in Brussels, which, because of his union contacts, made him knowledgeable about Luxembourg and consequently just the man to help Pearl Mesta, ""the hostest with the mostest,"" settle in as Minister. He next went as consul to Kuaia Lumpur, capital of British Malaya, where he witnessed British efforts at fighting guerrillas and fostering independence for a colony. He also played host to then-Vice-President Nixon, who was making an Asian tour. Two other foreign service tours followed: in Jordan, where he served as Deputy Chief of Mission, and in Belgrade, where he was chargÉ d'affaires for a time between ambassadors. An amusing book, full of witty anecdotes, but one that tells us much more about Kocher than about the presumably fascinating posts he held, places he visited, and people he knew.

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1990

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: New Horizon

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1990

Categories: NONFICTION