ONE unfortunate by-product of the Kissinger era has been such a personalization of American foreign policy that the public now forgets—if it ever knew—that crisis management is only one aspect of diplomacy. In fact, the making and implementation of foreign policy is a collective process involving half a dozen agencies and hundreds of anonymous officials. In propagating the delusion of a master hand and only one tiller, both the executive branch and the news media have collaborated as if in a silent conspiracy—the executive branch in order to enhance the prestige and image of its political leadership, and the news media to simplify the task of reporting and enlarge their audience by dramatizing a few personalities.

The resultant distortion depreciates the importance of issues and policy considerations. It encourages the political leadership (including secretaries of state) to play up and identify themselves with favorable developments in foreign policy. It accentuates their tendency to pursue short-term success for domestic political advantage at the expense of long-term