Emperor Dead and Other Historic American Diplomatic Dispatches

"Emperor Dead" and Other Historic American Diplomatic Dispatches is a collection of more than 250 U.S. dispatches, many previously unpublished. These documents, set in context through the narrative of Peter D. Eicher, were selected for their historical value and offer a unique perspective on U.S. foreign relations and world history.
From the Republic's first "despatches" in 1776 to recently declassified Vietnam-era cables, the book features broad historical and geographic coverage by such notable U.S. envoys as Thomas Jefferson on the storming of the Bastille, Frederick Douglass on conditions in Haiti, Joseph P. Kennedy on Britain "on the verge of defeat," and W. Averell Harriman on Vietnam, and such literary envoys as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Washington Irving. Topics include wars, revolutions, historic discoveries, technical achievements, social issues, and natural disasters.

Peter D. Eicher currently serves as director of the Office of Bilateral Affairs in the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.