Many former colleagues also answered research inquiries as they arose. To Bill Burns, Nick Burns, Victor Cha, Eliot Cohen, Bob Conquest, Alexander Downer, Brian Gunderson, Carlos Gutierrez, Albert Hawkins, Michael Hayden, Chris Hill, Reuben Jeffrey, Anne Krueger, Jay Lefkowitz, Greg Manuel, Cindy Marble, Sean McCormack, Frank Miller, Kori Shake, Tom Shannon, James Sheehan, Shirin Tahir-Kheli, Fran Townsend, Matt Waxman, and Phil Zelikow, thank you for your kind and generous help.
During my research, the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia invited me to participate in their Presidential Oral History Program. Russell Riley, the program chair, and Katrina Kuhn, the program administrator, conducted useful group interviews with my former State and White House team. I am grateful to them for this terrific forum.
The professionals at the National Archives and Records Administration at the George W. Bush Presidential Library were relentless in their search for records and documents. Shannon Jarrett, the supervisory archivist, and archivists Peter Haligas and David Sabo guided me through the archives, and Jodie Steck willingly tracked down photos from my days at the White House.
I also appreciate the people in Washington who helped me access key records and documents. Those who facilitated the declassification review process deserve my particular thanks for their patience and efficiency. It was a pleasure working with Peggy Grafeld, Mark Ramee, and Clarence Finney at the State Department, and Bill Leary at the NSC.
Finally, I wish to thank Harry Rhoads and Liz Morrison at Washington Speakers Bureau as well as Suzanne Gluck, Wayne Kabak, Teri Tobias, and Steve Neal for their continuing support and advice.
The exploratory committee in March 1999 dedicated to electing Texas Governor George W. Bush President of the United States. AP Photo/Donna McWilliam
Governor Bush and my dad at a campaign stop in Palo Alto, July 1999. John Wesley Rice Jr. was a lifelong Republican. Palo Alto Daily News
Paul Wolfowitz and I cochaired a group of foreign policy specialists (nicknamed the Vulcans after my home city of Birmingham, Alabama) to advise the governor during the campaign. AFP/Getty Images/Paul Buck
One of the most distinguished men in Washington, General Colin Powell was a natural choice as the President’s secretary of state. He remains a close friend. George W. Bush Presidential Library/Tina Hager
Speaking in the Oval Office with Steve Hadley, my closest confidante and associate in government. He would later become the national security advisor. George W. Bush Presidential Library/Eric Draper
Conferring with Vice President Cheney in the White House bunker on September 11, 2001. Presidential Materials Staff, National Archives
Outside the Pentagon on September 12. When I returned to the White House, my clothes were covered in soot. Courtesy of Donald Rumsfeld
At Camp David, CIA Director George Tenet briefing the President, White House Chief of Staff Andy Card, and me on CIA operations in Afghanistan. George W. Bush Presidential Library/Eric Draper
Greeting one of my personal heroes, Nelson Mandela, in the Oval Office. The South African ambassador to the U.S., Sheila Sisulu, looks on. George W. Bush Presidential Library/Eric Draper
I had the great honor of playing Brahms with Yo-Yo Ma in April 2002. George W. Bush Presidential Library/Paul Morse
In the White House Situation Room, Don Rumsfeld and I discuss plans for military operations in Iraq. Seated at the table are senior military commanders, Generals Richard Myers and Tommy Franks. George W. Bush Presidential Library/Eric Draper
Taking the oath before the 9/11 Commission hearings, April 2004. From left, NSC spokesman Sean McCormack, my assistant Jen Easterly, communications director Jim Wilkinson, and NSC legal advisor John Bellinger. AP Photo/Charles Dharapak
Prime Minister Tony Blair sent me a much-appreciated, handwritten note before my testimony. Personal Collection
Sharing a light moment with Laura Bush at the ranch in Crawford, Texas. George W. Bush Presidential Library
My family and closest friends gathered for my surprise fiftieth birthday party at the British Embassy. MAI/Greg Mathieson Sr .
Dancing that night with my mentor and friend former Secretary of State George P. Shultz. MAI/Greg Mathieson Sr .
Senator Dianne Feinstein of California introduced me to the Senate for my confirmation as secretary of state. Jay Clendenin/LA Times
I signed the oath of office with my closest family members looking on. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg swore me in. State Department Photo
During a 2005 visit to a German military base in Wiesbaden, a photograph of me in a stylish long coat and knee-high boots caused quite a stir when it appeared on the Washington Post ’s front page. I just wore them because it was snowing. Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
In 2005 I welcomed the election of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who embodied Germany’s transformation as a former East German politician elected to the country’s highest office. Getty Images/Sean Gallup
Greeting Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom before performing a piano recital at Buckingham Palace. State Department Photo
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and I attended a ceremony in my native Birmingham to honor the young victims of the 1963 Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing. AP Photo/The Birmingham News/Bernard Troncale
Sitting across the table from Russian President Vladimir Putin. AFP/Getty Images/Alexander Zemlianichenko
Greeting children at the Abu Shouk refugee camp in Darfur, where I also met with women who had been victims of rape. Never had I felt raw emotion and pain like that. AFP/Getty Images
At the American University in Cairo, I said that for sixty years my country had pursued stability in the Middle East at the expense of democracy. Now we were taking a different course. Getty Images/Cris Bouroncle
During my meetings with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, I told the aging leader that he needed to provide his people with a voice in their democracy. He refused. AP Photo
Observing sheep with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at his farm in southern Israel. The strong Israeli leader would eventually demonstrate his commitment to pursuing the establishment of a Palestinian state. U.S. Embassy Photo Tel Aviv/Matty Stern
Walking with Afghan President Hamid Karzai along the West Wing colonnade at the White House. Presidential Materials Staff, National Archives
Karzai and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf traded barbs as we sat with nervous smiles on our faces during a 2006 dinner in the White House family dining room. Getty Images/Eric Draper
Standing next to Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora at a press conference in Rome during the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon. WPN/Andreas Solaro
Although we disagreed on Iraq, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan became an important partner in the aftermath of the immediate invasion and in the Middle East more broadly. AP Photo/Plinio Lepri
At an August 2006 meeting of the United Nations Security Council, I cast the United States’ vote in favor of a resolution that would finally put an end to the month-long war in Lebanon. AP Photo/Frank Franklin
Meeting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. The Saudi king and many other Arab leaders privately expressed relief when we decided to double-down in Iraq amid the deteriorating security situation. AP Photo/Saudi Press Agency
An NSC meeting at Camp David in June 2006, five days after a U.S. air strike killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. Contact Press Images/Charles Ommanney
With Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to mark the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Canada had welcomed displaced passengers following a grounding order for all aircraft in U.S. airspace. CP Photo/Andrew Vaughn
With Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao during the President’s 2007 State of the Union address at the Capitol. AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson
Meeting with our top military and civilian officials in Iraq, General David Petraeus and Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, at the beginning of the surge in February 2007. Agentur FOCUS/Tina Hager
With General Ray Odierno, who had been my Pentagon liaison, and Marty Kraus, the head of my security detail, after arriving at the Baghdad airport in late 2007. State Department Photo
Greeting Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd who would emerge as a unifying leader in the free Iraq. State Department Photo
Addressing the press at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad during a visit to Iraq with Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld, Army General George Casey, and Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. AP Photo/Jim Watson/Pool
Meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in 2007. Maliki, whom I came to like and respect, was the first democratically elected prime minister under Iraq’s new constitution. AP Photo/Wathiq Khuzaei/Pool
Conferring with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal at a joint press conference in Jeddah. AFP/Getty Images/Hassan Ammar
Meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, one of America’s best allies in the Middle East. AP Photo/Nader Daoud/Pool
Being served a strawberry drink in Dubai during a visit with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates and a member of the ruling family. AFP/Getty Images/Mandel Ngan
In 2007 Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer traveled with me to California, where we met with former First Lady Nancy Reagan in her private office at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library. Cliff David/Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation
Convening a trilateral summit in February 2007 with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem. U.S. Embassy Photo Tel Aviv/Matty Stern
Greeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in July 2007 at the Bush family home in Kennebunkport, Maine. AFP/Getty Images
In November 2007, after months of preparation, we held the Annapolis Conference on Middle East peace, where the Israelis and Palestinians agreed to launch formal bilateral negotiations. Colby Cooper
Meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who became the official representative of the Middle East Quartet. Getty Images/Rick Gershon
With Salam Fayyad and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak in March 2008 at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. Fayyad would prove to be a welcome partner in building reliable governing institutions in the development of the Palestinian state. U.S. Embassy Photo Tel Aviv/Matty Stern
President Bush and I during a break at an April 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania. George W. Bush Presidential Library/Eric Draper
Meeting with President Hu Jintao at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing after speaking with victims of the May 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province. AP Photo/Oded Balilty
With my counterparts from the P5+1 countries (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany): Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs He Yafei, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana in May 2008. The P5+1 would become the principal international body dealing with the Iranian nuclear problem. AP Photo/Sang Tan/WPA Pool
I frequently sought the wise counsel of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to get his perspective on key issues in foreign affairs. AP Photo/Keystone/Laurent Gillieron
I visited the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, D.C., to sign a condolence book following the death of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Getty Images/Brendan Smialowski
Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi struck me as unstable during my September 2008 meeting in Tripoli, the first such visit by a U.S. secretary of state since 1953. AP Photo/Nasser Nasser
With Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee on October 10, 2008, signing the historic U.S.-India civil nuclear agreement. State Department Photo
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and I discuss the ceasefire he negotiated to end the 2008 Russia-Georgia conflict at his estate in the south of France. AFP/Getty Images
The best personnel decision that I made when I became secretary of state was to bring with me my executive assistant, the incomparable Liz Lineberry. Agentur FOCUS/Contact Press Images/Tina Hager
Reviewing a document with my chief of staff Brian Gunderson in my inner office on the seventh floor of the State Department. Agentur FOCUS/Contact Press Images/Tina Hager
One hour before I left the State Department on my last day as secretary, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and I signed a memorandum of understanding on terms for an end to the latest conflict in Gaza. Tzipi is a strong leader and a good friend. AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez
Bidding farewell to the State Department staff on my last scheduled workday as secretary of state. Lining the stairway is some of my senior staff, including (from left to right) Assistant Secretaries Dan Fried and Jendayi Frazer and the Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, one of our nation’s most distinguished diplomats. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
Читать дальше
