UNDER SECRETARY: It is now my pleasure to introduce the Honorable Madeleine K. Albright,
the 64th Secretary of State.
(Applause.)
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Definitely height-challenged.
Thank you very much, Pat, for the introduction, but thank you very much for everything that
you’ve done for the Department and for all of us.
Secretary Kerry, Secretary Clinton, Secretary Powell, Ambassador Bagley, and former State
Department colleagues and distinguished guests, I am truly delighted to be here with all of
you.
And I am especially grateful to be able to appear at this center in person and not as
an exhibit, at least not yet.
(Laughter.)
Having been secretary when the idea was originally proposed, I can say without hesitation that
this day is most welcome.
And while there are many people to recognize and thank, I do want to single out the Diplomacy
Center’s intrepid director, Kathy Johnson, for her outstanding efforts.
She really – (applause).
Thank you.
When I spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony for the center many years ago, I noted that
our country had not accorded sufficient recognition to the immense contributions that diplomacy
makes to our security, prosperity, and freedom; and the Center will make up for that by bringing
the deeds of our diplomats to life, showing the challenges they face and the risks they
run to advance America’s interests and uphold our values around the world.
By making these stories more accessible, it will help the American public to understand
what our diplomats have been doing and, more importantly, why they have been doing it.
When I was secretary, I tried many different ways to make foreign policy seem less foreign
to the American people.
I was the first secretary to have a website, which really makes me feel as though I belong
in a museum, but I found that one of the most effective tools was one of the most unlikely
ones, and that was my jewelry.
I became known for using a pin or a broach to send a message: a butterfly if I was in
a good mood, a balloon to show that I had high hopes, and a spider if I wanted my counterpart
to watch out.
(Laughter.)
As you can imagine, by the time I left office, I had built up a considerable collection.
And a few years ago my former chief of staff, Elaine Shocas, came to me with the idea of
writing a book and doing a museum exhibit about the pins.
At that point, I asked the obvious question: “Are you out of your mind?”
Her answer was that it would be both educational and fun, and I have to admit that she was
absolutely right.
The exhibit “Read My Pins” has been on tour throughout the United States since 2009,
and when it ends up in 2018 it will have been to 22 museums, including the Smithsonian and
eight of the 13 presidential libraries.
I was humbled and surprised by the success of the exhibit, but I realized that since
many of my predecessors had beards and none was known to wear a skirt, my use of pins
to send a diplomatic message was something new in American history, and that did make
them consequential.
And it got us thinking about where they should reside in perpetuity.
The answer was obvious: here at the Diplomacy Center.
So as we mark the completion of the museum pavilion, I am thrilled to announce that I
will donate “Read My Pins” to the Diplomacy Center – (applause) – I have to say much
to the consternation of my youngest granddaughter, who said, “Who’s getting all this stuff?”
(Laughter.)
I’m truly honored to be able to share my story with the country and to know that my
pins will have a wonderful home in our nation’s preeminent museum of diplomacy.
Today, we’re closer than ever to making that museum a reality.
So thank you all so much for helping this day and to making it possible.
And thank you all – all of you – for the great work that you’ve done and to make
vital the work of this Department more understandable and more accessible to people.
Thank you so very, very much.
(Applause.)