Qualities of a Great Secretary of State
Television news correspondent, presidential advisor and university professor Marvin Kalb talks about the qualities necessary for an American Secretary of State to be great. Chief among these attributes, according to Mr. Kalb, is having a broad conce...
Collapse of Peace, The: Revitalizing Japan
Secretary of State Dean Atchison tells MacArthur that it is time to reverse existing policies and allow Japan to strengthen and centralize its economy. MacArthur resists strategy, bit within three years of the war's end the United States is rehabili...
Setting Priorities
Former Secretary of State James A. Baker notes that the Secretary of the Treasury has more latitude in determining what to concentrate on than does the Secretary of State. "You're a little bit more hostage to what happens in the world as Secretary o...
Henry Kissinger as Secretary of State
Television news correspondent, presidential advisor and university professor Marvin Kalb talks about Henry Kissinger's tenure as Secretary of State. "Henry Kissinger was a fascinating Secretary of State...there is no question about that," Mr. Kalb r...
Role of the Secretary of State, The
Former White House press secretary Mike McCurry talks about the evolution of the role of the Secretary of State, a position he says has declined somewhat since the end of the Cold War. At the same time, Mr. McCurry adds, other Cabinet posts which ar...
Presidency and the State Department, The
Former Secretary of State James A. Baker recalls how he made a conscious decision during his tenure as Secretary of State to be the President's man at the State Department, rather than the State Department's man at the White House.
Politics and Negotiation
Former Secretary of State James A. Baker explains that being Secretary of State is a political job. "It's international politics," Secretary Baker states. "A lot of (the) job is understanding what the fellow across the table can and can't do...what ...
Politics of Diplomacy, The
Former Secretary of State James A. Baker recounts his experience joining with the Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union to condemn the Iraq invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
Negotiating With Congress
Former Secretary of State James A. Baker explains that his first major negotiation as Secretary of State was not with a foreign power but with the Congress of the United States. Secretary Baker recounts the process of convincing ultra liberal and ul...
Cabinets and Presidents
Former Secretary of State James A. Baker talks about the role of cabinet officers and White House staffers in presidential administrations. Secretary Baker explains that cabinet meetings are often more for show than anything else, adding that presid...