The David A Korn collection comprises a rich array of memoranda, notebooks, correspondence, interviews, published and unpublished writings, reports, and photographs. From handwritten notes on the Israel-Egypt peace process to materials concerning terrorism and diplomacy, the collection offers critical insights into United States policy on hostages, violations against the Kurds, and other geopolitical concerns.
David A. Korn (1930-2022) was a Foreign Service Officer, diplomat, and author whose career witnessed some of the most pivotal moments in Middle Eastern history. His roles included State Department Director for Israel and Arab-Israeli Affairs, Chief of the political section at the U.S. embassy in Israel, U.S. Charge d’Affaires in Ethiopia, and U.S. Ambassador to Togo. He played an active role in the Arab-Israeli conflict and subsequent peace process (1978-1980) during the Carter administration. Korn's sharp understanding of the region extended well beyond, encompassing U.S. policy on Iraq and the Ethiopian famine and civil war during the 1980s, among other areas.
A scholar and diplomat, Korn contributed significantly to the study of international relations and Middle Eastern affairs. His insightful publications reflect analytical rigor and personal experience. In his 1986 article, Syria and Lebanon: A Fateful Entanglement, published in The World Today, explored the historical and political interdependencies between the two nations. That same year, he examined Cold War dynamics in Ethiopia, the United States, and the Soviet Union, shedding light on superpower involvement in the Horn of Africa.
In “The Last Years of Mustafa Barzani” (1994, Middle East Quarterly) Korn offered an analysis of governance in Kurdistan. His 1990 book Human Rights in Iraq critiqued U.S. policy toward Iraq’s human rights violations, particularly its treatment of Kurds.
His knowledge of diplomatic history was demonstrated in The Making of United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 (1992), a dissection of one of the most pivotal resolutions in Arab-Israeli relations. That same year, he authored Stalemate: The War of Attrition and Great Power Diplomacy in the Middle East, 1967–1970, chronicling the hostilities and negotiations following the Six-Day War and leading up to the 1973 war.
His 1993 book Assassination in Khartoum investigates the 1973 killing of U.S. and Belgian diplomats in Sudan by Black September and analyzes U.S. policy on hostages. Shifting focus to humanitarian crises, Korn published Exodus Within Borders: An Introduction to the Crisis of Internal Displacement (1999) at the request of the UN Secretary-General, a study of forced migration. In 2006, alongside Thomas G. Weiss, he co-authored Internal Displacement: Conceptualization and Its Consequences, offering a theoretical framework for understanding displacement.
Through these works, Korn offers a nuanced and thoroughly researched perspective on geopolitical conflict, humanitarian issues, and diplomatic history.
His handwritten notebooks, particularly those documenting the Israel-Egypt peace process, offer rare and candid observations. For example:
- “January 10, 1979. [Amb. Sam] Lewis saw Begin today about the negotiations. Begin was not in the least interested in our proposal that the next round of talks be here in Washington. Sam explained that Secretary couldn’t come to the area in January (Chinese VPremier visit, Iran, etc). Fine, Begin said, have him come in February…Sam doesn’t know why but guesses that Begin may want to conclude the negotiations and thus wants to have them near at hand….Begin asked for a copy of the Khalil letter. Sam told a diplomatic lie and said Khalil had meant it as a letter from Vance and didn’t want it given to Israel. The Israelis are becoming more and more concerned about the $3 billion request
- January 11. ….Getting oil for Israel is going to be one our big problems in the months ahead. Supply from Iran has stopped and there is no prospect of resumption for some time. We have done a lot of work to prepare for Israel’s invoking our Sinai II commitment on emergency supply…
- January 12. Roy [Atherton] called me to his office this morning and I knew he was going to ask me to go with him and Herb [Hansell] which he did. The focus will be Art. IV and VI. …We’ll also talk about oil.”
- January 17 – Secretary meetings with Kamel at 9:30. 11:00 am Formal opening of Jerusalem political committee. Dayan makes a good speech, expressing Israel’s desire for peace, but calling for compromises on both sides (Arabs criticize this.)”
Korn’s perspective on U.S. foreign policy was evident through his commentary, such as that in a 1975 New York Times story “Arabists of U.S. Deny an Anti-Israeli Bias,” by David Binder:
“…David A. Korn, who learned Arabic in Tangiers and Hebrew in Tel Aviv, signed up for the Hebrew language training ‘because the department had become subject to criticism that it had a lot of arabists but not many hebrewists.’ … ‘When I was in Lebanon from ’61 to ’63 if you served in Israel you were wiped out for service in Near Eastern affairs – that is, in Arab posts.’ Now the director of the Bureau for Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Iraq [1972-1975], Mr. Korn noted that the department had increasing number of officers who, like him, have served in both Israel and Arab countries.”
The collection sheds light on Korn's diplomatic career and areas of expertise, especially while serving in Ethiopia. His deep understanding of Ethiopia's complex political landscape during the 1980s is evident in his analysis of US-Ethiopian relations during a period of significant geopolitical tension, including addressing the famine, gaining the release of a detained American intelligence officer, assisting an Ethiopian government official in gaining political asylum, and the reopening of the US public affairs program.
Photographs, news clippings, and documents detail his development aid and human rights initiatives during his ambassadorship in Togo. Among the more unexpected items in the collection is Korn’s discovery in Spain of an account written by a British doctor sent to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp after the Holocaust - something that later inspired his commentary on postwar political developments in Spain.
The David A. Korn collection is a vital resource for those studying U.S. foreign policy, Middle Eastern diplomacy, Cold War politics, conflict resolution, and humanitarian issues from the late 20th century.
