2001 Year in Review

 Highlights:

• I transferred from FSI to OIG for a two year tour as a Management Inspector..  The assignment gave me an opportunity to travel throughout the world conducting inspections of our embassy bilateral relations, with a team of Foreign Service and Civil Service experts in Consular Affairs, Political/Economic, Information Technology, Management and Security operations headed up by an  Ambassador.    

• We had a lot of work to do before going out on an inspection in the "survey phase" besides interviewing staff of the regional and functional bureaus.  We had to review all Personal Questionnaires (PQs) and Administrative Support Services Questionnaires (ASSQs) from American and local staff and make notes on any negative comments or any issues with management controls and on waste, fraud or mismanagement.  

• Winter (January 25 - March 30) OIG Inspections in Lima, Peru; Asuncion, Paraguay; Montevideo, Uruguay.  We had a ritual upon arrival at the embassy to begin each inspection.  We would first meet and get a briefing from the Ambassador.  We would have a walk-through of embassy facilities; have a security briefing; and, then introduce ourselves in separate Town Halls to the American and Locally Employed (LE) Staff to brief them on the purpose of the inspection and ask for questions.

• During each inspection we had to document all our conversations with American and LE Staff in Memcons.  For any findings that required recommendations we had to document the condition, cause, criteria and effect in a worksheet to support our findings. After our return to OIG one team member was designated as the "Archivist" to check and ensure that all supporting documentation (Memcons and Reference materials) were referenced in the worksheet to support the recommendation.     

• I remember following our return and drafting our final report when we had a "hot wash" with the IG and the AIG for Inspections, Bob Peterson to comment/clear on the report.  (See separate blog for each site)

• Spring (May 14 - June 29) OIG Inspections in Kingston, Barbados and Nassau  (See separate blog for each site)

• I distinctly remember being at Main State on the morning of 9/11 when I saw on TV the plane hit the World Trade Center. I rushed back to my office on the 9th floor om Rosslyn and saw the plane hit the Pentagon from my window.  We immediately left the office and I drove home stopping to drop off my colleague Robert Wood in Arlington.

•  Following the tragic 9/11 bombings of the World Trade Center in New York, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon I travelled to Minsk, Belarus; Vilnius, Lithuania; Riga, Latvia and Tallinn, Estonia for Fall (September 25 - November 15 inspections. (See separate blog for each site)

 Favorite Memories:

• Before flying off to the embassies being inspected I travelled to FSC Charleston to meet with Accounting, Disbursing and Payroll staff supporting the embassies we were inspecting.  I also stopped in Ft. Lauderdale for consultations with the Florida Regional Center Regional FMOs.    

• Stopping in Buenos Aires overnight in route to Asuncion.  Going out with Ambassador to Tango club and getting ripped off by taxi driver.

• Stopping in Miami on flight from Kingston to Barbados to fly an American carrier.

• Annual leave July13-22.  Can't remember but probably went out to California to visit family.

• Visit of the Inspector General, Clark Irvin, in Riga.

• Bird watching with our team leader, Fred Rondon, in Tallinn.

• Travelling by boat on the North Sea to freezing cold Helsinki after finishing in Tallinn. I couldn't get over how much beer passengers had shipped by boat into Helsinki.   I did not find the Fins friendly at all.    

    U.S. News:

·        Bush signs new tax-cut law, the largest in 20 years (June 7). Background: Economic Downturn and a Tax Cut.

·        Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh executed (June 11).

·        In final days of presidency, Bill Clinton issues controversial pardons, including one for Marc Rich, billionaire fugitive financier (Jan. 20).

·         George W. Bush is sworn in as 43rd president (Jan. 20).

·         U.S. submarine Greeneville sinks Japanese fishing boat, killing 9 (Feb. 9).

·         FBI agent Robert Hanssen is charged with spying for Russia for 15 years (Feb. 20).

·         Race riots in Cincinnati continue for several days following a shooting of an unarmed black   man  by a white police officer (April 7 et seq.).

·         Four are declared guilty in 1998 terrorist bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania   (May 29). Background: U.S. Embassy Bombings.

·         Balance of the Senate shifts after Jim Jeffords of Vermont changes his party affiliation from   Republican to Independent. The move strips Republicans of control of the Senate and gives   Democrats the narrowest of majorities (50-49-1) (June 5).

·         Budget surplus dwindles. The Congressional Budget Office attributes this rapid change in the   nation's fortunes to the slowing economy and the Bush tax cut (Aug. 22). Background:   Economic Downturn and a Tax Cut.

·         Terrorists attack United States. Hijackers ram jetliners into twin towers of New York City's   World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A fourth hijacked plane crashes 80 mi outside of   Pittsburgh (Sept. 11). Toll of dead and injured in thousands. Within days, Islamic militant   Osama  bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terrorist network are identified as the parties behind the   attacks.

·         Anthrax scare rivets nation, as anthrax-laced letters are sent to various media and government   officials. Several postal workers die after handling the letters (throughout October).

World Event Events:

·         Congo president Laurent Kabila assassinated by bodyguard (Jan. 16). Son Joseph Kabila takes over amid continuing civil war.

·         Ariel Sharon wins election in Israel (Feb. 6). Right-wing leader chosen overwhelmingly as nation's fifth prime minister in just over five years during worst Israeli-Palestinian violence in years. Background: Middle East.

·       The long-simmering resentment of Macedonia's ethnic Albanians erupts into violence in March. The rebels seek greater autonomy within Macedonia. After six months of fighting, a peace agreement is signed (Aug. 13). British-led NATO forces enter the country and disarm the guerrillas. Background: Macedonia and the Balkans.

·       U.S. spy plane and Chinese jet collide (April 2); Sino-American relations deteriorate during a standoff. The 24 crew members of the U.S. plane were detained for 11 days and released after the U.S. issued a formal statement of regret.

·        Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic is delivered to UN tribunal in The Hague to await war-crime trial (June 29).

·       Without U.S., 178 nations reach agreement on climate accord, which rescues, though dilutes, 1997 Kyoto Protocol (July 23).

·       In response to Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, U.S. and British forces launch bombing campaign on Taliban government and al-Qaeda terrorist camps in Afghanistan (Oct. 7). Bombings continue on a daily basis. Background: Afghanistan.

·        Irish Republican Army announces that it has begun to dismantle its weapons arsenal, marking a   dramatic leap forward in Northern Ireland peace process (Oct. 23). Background: Northern   Ireland Primer.

·       At a UN-sponsored summit in Bonn, Germany, Afghani factions meet to create a post-Taliban government (Nov. 27). Hamid Karzai is selected as head of the transitional government (Dec. 5). Background: Who's Who in Afghanistan.

·       Taliban regime in Afghanistan collapses after two months of bombing by American warplanes and fighting by Northern Alliance ground troops (Dec. 9).

·       Israel condemns the Palestinian Authority as a "terror-supporting entity" and severs ties with leader Yasir Arafat following mounting violence against Israelis (Dec. 3). The Israeli Army begins bombing Palestinian areas. Background: Middle East.

Movies:

The 73rd Academy Awards featured best actor Russell Crowe for "Gladiator".  Best Actress was Julia Roberts in "Erin Brockovich".  Marcia Gay Harden "Pollack" and Benicio Del Toro "Traffic" won Best Supporting Actors respectively.  Steven Soderbergh won Best Director for "Gladiator".   

Super Bowl: 

 Super Bowl 35 featured the Baltimore Ravens against   the New York Giants.  The Ravens defeated the Giants   by a score of 34–7, tied for the seventh largest Super   Bowl margin of victory.  The Ravens, who posted

  a 12–  4 regular season record, became the third wild   card team to win the Super Bowl and the second in     four years. Also, the city of Baltimore had its first   Super Bowl title since the Baltimore Colts' triumph   thirty years prior and became the first city to win major 

 professional football championships with four franchises, the others being the Colts (before their move to Indianapolis in 1984), the 1985 Baltimore Stars of the United States Football League and the 1995 Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League. The Giants entered the game seeking to go 3–0 in Super Bowls after also finishing the regular season with a 12–4 record.  Baltimore allowed only 152 yards of offense by New York (the third-lowest total ever in a Super Bowl), recorded 4 sacks, and forced 5 turnovers.  Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis, who made 3 solo tackles, 2 assists, and blocked 4 passes, was named Super Bowl MVP.

World Series:

The 2001 World Series was between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the three-time defending World Series champions New York Yankees. The Diamondbacks defeated the Yankees, four games to three to win the series. Considered one of the greatest World Series of all time its memorable aspects included two extra-inning games and three late-inning comebacks. Diamondbacks pitchers Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling were both named World Series Most Valuable Players.  

Tallinn, Estonia

Overview:

Estonia suffered the fate of other Baltic countries, occupied for hundreds of years by stronger neighbors, with Swedes, Russians, and Poles fighting over the region. Russia finally took over from the Swedes in the 18th century. Estonia enjoyed a brief period of independence from 1919-40, then came under Soviet domination as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. Only lightly damaged in World War II, Tallinn expanded quickly after the war as Russian industrialization drew ethnic Russian immigrants from other republics. Estonia regained independence with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Politically, Estonia has gone far in building democratic institutions. But some problems remain, particularly with respect to the Russian-speaking minority, which constitutes about a third of the population, and to government efforts to integrate these minorities into Estonian society. Internationally, Estonia is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Given its strong desire to become part of western security structures, Estonia has a goal of NATO accession in 2002. Estonia is one of the most market-oriented, open economies in the former Soviet Union, and maintains a moderate, sustainable economic growth. By itself a small market, Estonia occupies a strategic geo-economic position between the EU and Russia and encourages investment from firms that plan to expand their operations in the region. Bilaterally, the embassy operates in a friendly environment and is well positioned to support Estonia's desire to integrate into western institutions.

American Embassy Tallinn:

The inspection took place from November 1-15 another ten workdays and two welcome weekends.    The Ambassador had left the country before the inspection and the embassy was in the capable hands of the charge d'affaires, Dolores Brown, who went on to be the Management Counselor in Cairo when I was there TDY in the summer of 2009.    The Management Officer, Mike Tulley, became the Director of HR/OE and I had numerous contacts with during the survey phase of future inspections.  Mike was an avid supporter of Manchester United of the English Premier League whereas I was a fan of Arsenal, which he didn't appreciate.    

Findings:

Some of the formal recommendations involved: 

• An issue regarding the disposition of value added taxes that did not comply with Department of State instructions for handling and reporting receipts.

• It was surprising that Tulley was not consistently performing the monthly unannounced verification of the principal cashier's accountability as required.

• Supervisors of sub cashiers did not perform unannounced cashier verifications as required. 

• For management to verify the monthly consular receipts with official collections, and the accountable consular officer monthly summary of the daily accounting of consular fee receipts.

• The need to establish an accounts receivable ledger to track collections for long-distance personal telephone calls, mileage for authorized use of vehicles, outstanding travel advances, and other official bills for collection. 

Highlights:



Besides visiting Toompea Castle, the Old Town main square, St. Catherine' s Passage and St. Olaf's Church I enjoyed shopping for local crafts in medieval-style workshops for sweaters, quilts, linens and leather goods. 

We stayed at the Raddison hotel which was a short walk to the embassy.  In terms of food the first course in traditional Estonian cuisine is based on cold dishes—a selection of pickles, meats and sausages served with potato salad.  Estonian signature dish similar to a Swedish dish includes beetroot, potatoes and herring. Small pastries, like the Polish pirozhki, are filled with meat, cabbage, carrots, rice and other fillings often served with bouillon. Herring is common among other fish as a part of the Estonian cold table. Smoked or marinated eel and crayfish dishes are considered delicacies. One of Estonia's national dishes is the Baltic dwarf herring, along with flounder, perch and pike are also popular.                                                 

   

                                                  

                     In Town                                                                 Bob, Joanne, Joe and I having drinks
 

Liquors included Vana Tallinn a rum-based liqueur and different berries like Cloudberry from Lapland that Carl Troy and imbibed on several occasions.    

Our team leader Fred Rondon was an avid bird watcher and would take every opportunity to go birdwatching on a weekend.  Estonia is one of the three top places to go birdwatching because of its location and migration of birds travelling between North America, Europe and Africa.  In fact there are a number of national parks along the western Estonian coast with its large bay to see migratory birds.  I went out with Fred once in while in Tallinn and froze my tail off but he did manage to see a couple of birds that he had never seen before. 

 In old Tallinn one sees medieval walls, buildings, spires, and narrow   cobblestone streets that give the city a distinctive atmosphere of the   14th and 15th centuries. The making of Tallinn goes back to the 13th   century when the Danes built a castle on Toompea hill overlooking   the Gulf of Finland. After the Danes sold northern Estonia to the   German knights, Tallinn became a major center for merchants.   Many of the characteristic German—style buildings were   constructed during this period. With nearly 2km of its original city wall   still standing, Tallinn boasts one of Europe’s best preserved Medieval   fortifications. In fact, a large part of what gives Old Town its fairytale   charm is the system of walls and and towers that surrounds it. Work on the   town's defenses first began in 1265, but the current outline of the wall   dates to the 14th century.







 

 Picturesque Town Hall Square has been the   undisputed hub of Old Town for the last eight   centuries. Surrounded by elaborate merchant   houses and, in summer, packed with café tables,   it's a natural magnet for tourists. Historically it   served as a market and meeting place,

 Perched on a limestone cliff and towering over the   rest of the city, Toompea Castle has always been   the seat of power in Estonia. Ever since the Danes   and the Knights of the Sword first built a stone   fortress here in 1227-29, every foreign empire that   ruled Estonia used the castle as its base. Today,   appropriately, it's home to Estonia's Parliament. The castle has been revamped countless times.




Street in old town




Riga, Latvia

Overview:

Situated in north-eastern Europe with a coastline along the Baltic Sea, Latvia has borders with Estonia, Russia, Belarus and Lithuania. It has linguistic links with Lithuania to the south, and historical and religious ties with Estonia to the north.  A Latvian republic emerged following World War I, but it was annexed by the USSR in 1940.  Latvia reestablished its independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, some 26% of the population remains Russian and propaganda efforts are a cause of concern for the Latvian authorities. Latvia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004; it joined the euro zone in 2014 and the OECD in 2016. A dual citizenship law was adopted in 2013, easing naturalization for non-citizen children.  Like its Baltic neighbors, Latvia has made a rapid transition to the free market since the early 1990s.  

American Embassy Riga:

The inspection took place between October 18-31 and we actually had two weekends in Riga.  The Ambassador, who left Latvia before the team arrived summarized our bilateral relations tied to the role the United States can play for the advancement of the Baltic States' security, their integration into European institutions, and cooperative relations with their neighbors, including Russia.  In the absence of the Ambassador, the Charge d’Affaires, was Tracey Jacobson, an impressive young woman, who went on to become the Ambassador to Tajikistan and Kosovo.  The Management Officer was John Lamson, very experienced.  The senior financial specialist, Edmund Glevicks, was very sharp.  He still works at the embassy and used to email me on occasion asking for advice.  During the inspection the newly designated Inspector General (IG), Clark Kent Ervin visited the team to get an overview of an overseas inspection.  Ervin was a Harvard educated lawyer and was the Assistant Secretary of State of Texas.  He lasted two years and was appointed the first IG for the Department of Homeland Security.    

Findings:

• The physical facilities of the embassy chancery and Ambassador’s residence were unsafe. The OIG raised these issues with the Department in our report citing the risks to the safety of embassy personnel.
• Lacking a dedicated American Human Resource Officer it was recommended that the Frankfurt Regional Support Center to establish a regular schedule of visits to provide human resources support.  At the time of the inspection, there were 34 past-due performance evaluations from supervisors.  
• The Department had implemented the automated Travel Manager software program, but the embassy was still doing manual calculation.
• In terms of funding obligations there needed to be more coordination in monitoring funds for grants between the PAO and financial management.
• There should also be a publicized administrative policy for personal long-distance calls made from official telephones an accounts receivable ledger to track collections.  

With Joe drafting my section of the Inspection Report

Highlights:

We stayed at the nice Radisson hotel which was a short walk past a nice park to the embassy.  The team did get a chance to get out and visit the sites and partake in eating some Latvian dishes mostly soups with different meat, potatoes and vegetables.  Fish was also plentiful.  Joanne was a Vegan so we had to make sure to check out the menu at restaurants for vegetarian and organic dishes when we went out to dinner.  

•   Riga Castle

•   Dome Cathedral

•   Museum of the Occupation

   

Riga lies on both banks of the river Daugava in the form of a circle and can roughly be divided into two   parts, the right and left side of the river. The right   side of the city is where Old Riga, New Riga and other districts are located. The left part of the city is also called “Pārdaugava”, meaning “Across the Daugava," and suburbs and are located on this side.Āgenskalns & Ķīpsala located on the left bank

  

Old Town Square





Old Town



 In the northwest corner of Old Town is Riga   Castle, a large cream coloured building with four   floors. It dates back to 1330 when it first was   constructed as residence for the grand master of   the Livonian Order. In 1487 the castle was   destroyed, but it was rebuilt again in 1515. Since   then it has been added to and renovated many   times.  Today there are two museums in the castle,   the History Museum of Latvia and Museum of   Foreign Art. 

 Museum of the Occupation:  Housed in a former   Soviet built building, there is a large collection of   artifacts from and descriptions of the 50 years of   occupation by the Soviets, then the Germans, then   the Soviets between 1940 and 1990. Over 15,000   Latvians were rounded up and sent to Siberia   just before the Nazis invaded in   1941.

 Sweden ruled over Riga between 1621 – 1710.   During this period the Swedish Gate was built,   more exactly in 1698. The Swedish Gate is the   only remaining of the old city gates. The gate   passes through a house and in the rooms above   the gate lived the city’s executioner. A legend   says a young woman was walled up in the gate.   The young woman had fallen in love with a   Swedish soldier so this was made as a warning to   others.

Vilnius, Lithuania

Overview:

Lithuania is the largest and most southerly of the three Baltic republics.  The country regained its independence during the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990. The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into Western European institutions; it joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. In 2015, Lithuania joined the euro zone, and it joined the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2018.

American Embassy Vilnius:

The inspection took place from October 8-17, 2001.  Another quick inspection of essentially seven workdays. For this inspection I focused on management, human resources and financial management. Joanne Thompson joined the team as the second management inspector and covered facilities and general services.  I believe that Joanne did not last long with OIG and this may have been her only overseas inspection.  The embassy was well run but as noted below more agency involvement was required with the International Cooperative Administrative Support Services (ICASS) council.  The Management Officer was John Gieseke, who had served in the Middle East and you could tell by all the carpets he had in his office.  Since there was no American Human Resources Officer there should be a MOU with the Frankfurt Regional Support Center to provide support in this area.  I was impressed with the Foreign Service National (FSN) Senior Financial Management Specialist.  Her name was Ramune Bieksiene and is still working at the embassy to this day as far as I know.  

Findings:

• Establish an interagency working group within ICASS and complete an annual assessment.

• Prepare supporting documentation and request funding to meet embassy space requirements.

• The Regional Support Center in Frankfurt schedule visits to Embassy Vilnius to provide human resources support. 

• The embassy should inventory all nonexpendable property in selected residence, assign nonexpendable property application information, and place an entry log at the alarm site to record access, deactivation, and reactivation of the alarm system.  Also, respond to open recommendations in the Office of Safety/Health and Environmental Management's April 2000 report to ensure the safety of embassy employees.

• With the the passing of the Government Performance and Results Act the Department mandated that payments be made by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).  This applied to having Foreign Service National (FSN) salaries deposited to employee bank accounts and in processing payments to local vendors overseas.

• Install the Electronic Certification System hardware and software and coordinate with the Paris Financial Service Center to provide the necessary training to begin transmitting data for payment transactions electronically. 

• Ensure that supervisors of sub cashiers perform unannounced cashier verifications on a monthly or quarterly basis as required by regulations. 

Highlights: 

• Besides visiting the sites below, we attended a concert of classical music in the old hall in the old town.  

• Lithuanian food was influenced by Baltic, Russian and German cuisine.  Potato dumplings, fried bread, beetroot soup, chilled borscht, mushroom cookies, fried curd cakes and potato pancakes were most traditional dishes.   

The capital of Lithuania, Vilnius is the biggest and most beautiful city in the country. Vilnius was first mentioned in 1323 in the letters of Lithuania’s great ruler Grand Duke Gediminas, who invited craftsmen and merchants from all over Europe to settle here. Today it is a modern city with 542,000 citizens. The city has a stunning array of Baroque and Gothic architecture and one of the largest Old Towns in Central and Eastern Europe, which takes up 360 hectares and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Gates of Dawn on the edge of the Old Town is one of the most renowned sacred places for Catholics around the world. The focus is the Chapel in the Gates of Dawn and its 17th century icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the 20th century, the image of Mary was named the Mother of Mercy, and inside the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and Paul in Rome a chapel was created in her honor.

  

  

St. Anne’s Church (16 cent.) is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture famous for its intricate and beautiful facade ornamented with red-brick twists and turns and three graceful towers. Next to St. Anne’s stands the ensemble of St. Francis’ and Bernadine Church, the latest discovery at which are several frescoes hidden from view for several centuries under a layer of plaster. 

Upper Castle on Gediminas Hill, built many
centuries ago,

  

The Church of St. Peter and Paul is a masterpiece of Vilnius Baroque. It was built in the 17th century with its wondrous interior decorations of more than 2,000 sculptures and bas-reliefs

Minsk, Belarus

Overview:

Belarus is a poor, highly repressive former Soviet republic with little to offer in the way of jobs and other opportunities. Aleksandr Lukashenko has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means and a centralized economic system. Government restrictions on political and civil freedoms, freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion have remained in place. The current migrant situation has some remaining in place as opposed to returning to their home countries or facing off against Polish soldiers and border guards.  

American Embassy Minsk:

American embassy in Minsk opened in 1992 and was part of the Department’s Special Embassy Program.   The inspection took place from October 1-8, 2001 shortly after the September 11 attacks which made us a little anxious to travel.  This trip was the first of four embassies to be inspected, in the Baltic region with other embassies including Vilnius, Lithuania; Riga, Latvia and Tallinn, Estonia.  

This was a very challenging inspection for me since I was still relatively new to OIG just after 9/11 and we only had a week.   I was essentially the lead Management Inspector responsible making travel arrangements for the team and facilitating communications with embassy Minsk before our arrival.  I also had to train a brand new inspector and I had never inspected facilities or general services.  

Fred was kind enough to take the time to write an excellent appraisal of my performance.  I ran into Fred at a fitness club in downtown Falls Church after his permanent retirement around 2010.  He was living in McLean and doing well.  Thanks to Administrative Officer Tom Burke who arranged for our accommodations, orientation to Minsk and a couple of excursions for us.   Among the findings were:

Findings:

The embassy was alarmingly overcrowded and in need of major renovation. The office of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) needed to renovate the facilities as quickly as possible and then to maintain them.  An additional contractor from Pacific Architects and Engineers to assist in the maintenance of the embassy complex and reassess reassess the regional coverage for facilities maintenance.     A motor pool dispatcher should be hired.  Morale among local staff was a problem.  An offshore retirement program for should be established for local employees and the Regional Financial Service Center in Paris should provide Embassy Minsk with an annual summary of the amount of U.S. government contributions made toward retirement for each employee going back to 1992, or as far back as records are available.  Erroneous charges to the embassy Overseas Buildings Operations allotment 2221 for budget fiscal years 1997, 1999, and 2000 should be corrected.  Consular receipts for January through September 2001 should be reported.

Robert Raynor (Management), me, Ambassador Fred Rondon, Team Leader and Joe Lahnstein walking to the Embassy. Fred (Fernando) was the former Ambassador to Ecuador and Madagascar and worked at the NSC.   Other team members not pictured were Don Bramonte (Deputy), Bill Belcher (DS), and Carl Troy (CONS).   It was nice travelling again with Bill and my first time with Carl who was a lot of fun especially when we got together for drinks, after dinner.             

 The 3-star Planeta Hotel is located in the center of Minsk. The Old   Town, Jewish Memorial and Opera and Ballet Theatre are located   nearby. The hotel was reconstructed in 2001 and is convenient to the   embassy.  Rooms quite spartan with slat bed and thin mattress.  Food   was very basic Russian fare and not much better in town, although there was a McDonald's.

Victory Square

Fellow team members and embassy staff and families out on an excursion to Mir Castle, historic 16th century fortified castle.

Mir Castle

Nassau, Bahamas

Overview:

An archipelago of 700 islands and islets, the Bahamas attracts millions of tourists each year.  The visitors come to enjoy its mild climate, fine beaches and beautiful forests.  A former British colony and now a Commonwealth member, the country is a major center for offshore finance and has one of the world's largest open-registry shipping fleets. The Bahamas enjoys a high per capita income.  The huge growth in the services sector of the economy has prompted people to leave fishing and farming villages for the commercial centers in New Providence Island, Grand Bahama and Great Abaco.  As with other Caribbean countries, The Bahamas faces the challenge of tackling drugs trafficking and illegal immigration.  It has taken steps to clean up its offshore banking system.  Dr Hubert Minnis was elected prime minister on 10 May 2017, when his Free National Movement (FNM) soundly defeated the ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). 

Source:  BBC Country Profile

American Embassy Nassau:

We only had ten days in Nassau from June 19-29 so we were really pressed for time to complete our interviews and draft the report.  The embassy staff included over 150 U.S. direct-hire Americans but half were with DOJ/DEA/INS and Coast Guard given immigration and customs inspections in Nassau and Freeport and drug trafficking.  The Management Officer was Andrew “Drew” Oltyan who is still around working with INL at the Department.   The embassy building was purchased in 1995, had no setback needed serious renovations, fire and security enhancements.  I understand that a new site had been purchased for a new embassy compound and construction started in 2019. 

 

Findings:

 

A real property concern was the status of the government-owned vacant Great Inagua Aerostat site, OIG recommended the Office of Overseas Buildings Operations, resolve the disposal.  The post needed to establish a comprehensive maintenance program covering all facilities in accordance with the Office of Overseas Buildings Operations Facilities Maintenance Handbook.

 

The embassy needed to implement the electronic funds transfer of local employees' net pay to individual bank accounts. There were issues with processing official residence expense vouchers that should be borne by the representational appropriation.  Embassy Nassau had serious issues with the former cashier's account and OIG recommended that the issue be submitted to the committee on fiscal irregularities for a decision on whether to close out the former cashier's accountability.  The embassy also needed to establish a centralized system for maintaining accounts receivable records and institute a procedure for following up on outstanding bills.  The embassy should clear the remaining funds in its suspense deposit abroad account and review prior-year travel advance accounts and proceed with collection action for those advances that are still outstanding. The FMO should establish procedures to review and verify the monthly summary of daily accounting sheets of consular receipts from the accountable consular officer. 

After returning home and reviewing the final drafts of our inspection report I had contact with WHA/EX and a former colleague, Wayne Logsden, who was with me in Kuwait following the gulf war when we reopened the embassy there.  We also sorted out the recommendation regarding a bi-lateral work agreement with the bureau.  

Highlights:

•   Straw Market

•   Fish Fry Restaurants

•   Atlantis on Paradise Island

•   Cracked Conch, fritters, chowder and salad

Holiday Inn downtown where we stayed 

Cruise ships at the port

The Atlantis, Paradise Island

Downtown Nassau

Straw Market

Seafood restaurant famous for Cracked Conch (Fritters) or Conch Salad