Stephen Dachi was born in Hungary in 1933.  Orphaned at just three years of age, he was sent toRomania to be raised by his grandparents, and remained there for the duration of World War II. 

This Podcast contains Stephen Dachi's account of his survival and struggles growing up in World War II Romania.
 
He was interviewed by Charles Stuart Kennedy on May 30th, 1997.

Stephen Dachi Interview

Public perception of gay rights, including the right to marry and serve in the military, has undergone a sea of change in the last few years, so much so that President Obama nominated five openly gay ambassadors and declared the month of June LGBT Pride Month. However, it was not that long ago when simply being gay meant automatic suspicion as a security risk, harassment, terminated employment, and often worse. 
In this podcast, Russell Sveda gives a riveting account of his persecution from the Diplomatic Security Bureau, the ensuing bureaucratic battles, and his subsequent 14-year grievance case, the longest in State Department history.
Sveda also provides a heart wrenching account of the fear that he and a handful of others faced when they started The Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies in 1992 as well as the support they received from other Foreign Service officers.

The Russell Sveda Interview

Julia Child, who would have celebrated her 100th birthday on August 15th, 2012, was a pioneer in bringing French cuisine to Americans at a time when most people were content with white bread and TV dinners.  But before she rose to prominence, she had served in the OSS during World War II and experienced the life of a Foreign Service spouse when she married Paul Child, who served in the U.S. Information Agency. 

This podcast contains excerpts from Julia Child's 1991 oral history

Julia Child ADST Oral History

Ambassador Prudence Bushnell recounts her experiences the dramatic day when Al Qaeda bombed the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya in April 1998.

ADST Prudence Bushnell Oral History

The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST) is an independent non-profit organization founded 1986.  Located at the US State Department's George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center in Arlington, Virginia, ADST advances understanding of American diplomacy and supports training of foreign affairs personnel though a variety of programs and activities.  Over the past 25 years, ADST has conducted more than 1,800 oral histories, which are also posted on the Library of Congress website, with more to come.

This podcast features excerpts from some of ADST's most fascinating oral histories.