The Dissent Papers

Beginning with the Cold War and concluding with the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Hannah Gurman explores the overlooked opposition of U.S. diplomats to American foreign policy in the latter half of the twentieth century. During America's reign as a dominant world power, U.S. presidents and senior foreign policy officials largely ignored or rejected the reports, memos, and telegrams of their diplomats, especially when they challenged key policies regarding the Cold War, China, and wars in Vietnam and Iraq. The Dissent Papers recovers the invaluable perspective of these individuals and their commitment to the transformative power of diplomatic writing.

Gurman showcases the work of diplomats who enjoyed some success with their opposition. George Kennan, John Stewart Service, John Paton Davies, George Ball, and John Brady Kiesling all caught the attention of sitting presidents and policymakers, achieving temporary triumphs yet ultimately failing to change the status quo. Gurman follows the circulation of documents within the State Department, the National Security Council, the C.I.A., and the military and details the rationale behind "The Dissent Channel," instituted by the State Department in the 1970s to both allow and contain dissent. She connects the erosion of the diplomatic establishment and the weakening of the diplomatic writing tradition to larger political and ideological trends and advances an alternative narrative of modern U.S. history while, at the same time, foreshadowing the resurgent importance of diplomatic writing in the age of Wikileaks.

Hannah Gurman is a clinical assistant professor at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where she teaches history, literature, and culture of the United States in the world. Her writing has appeared in Salon and Foreign Policy in Focus, as well as The Journal of Contemporary History, Diplomatic History, and Small Wars Journal.