Dr. Henry Mattox. An Appreciation.

• Author: Mattox, Henry E.
• Position: In memoriam

March 2016

As the two most recent Editors of American Diplomacy, we are called to honor the unique and lasting contributions that Henry Mattox made to our journal. Henry, along with Frank Crigler, Bart Moon, Ed Williams and others of their generation, founded American Diplomacy Publishers, a 501 c 3 non-profit, twenty years ago.

The first edition of this electronic journal appeared later that year, with Henry as its first and longest-serving editor. Henry's vision of an electronic journal (a rarity at the time), devoted to the topic of American diplomacy, drawing upon quality writings of scholars and students of foreign affairs as well as practitioners of diplomacy continues to this day. While technological enhancements and adjustments to changing reading habits have brought forward some improvements over the years, the quality of the writing and the overall contents of the journal remain unchanged.

We can thank Henry Mattox and his co-founders for the steady foundation upon which American Diplomacy has been built. We, successor editors and board members, are grateful to stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before us. And we pledge our efforts to carry on the work of this remarkable scholar-diplomat, Dr. Henry Mattox in the years to come.

William P. Kiehl, Ed. D., Editor emeritus

Csaba T. Chikes, Editor, American Diplomacy

A small, non-representative sample of writing by

Henry E. Mattox

Here are a very few of American Diplomacy founding editor Henry Mattox's written contributions to this journal. A more extensive list may be found here.

Launching a Journal: The Editor's Gratitude (1996)

"No particular agonizing reappraisal seems to be called for at this point. The reception of our inaugural effort, Volume I, Number 1, thus far has pleased us, the members of the Editorial Board and staff. We will not have to contemplate massive (intellectual) retaliation against any carping critics, at least not at this point."

Technology and Foreign Affairs: The Case of the Typewriter (1997)

"Tradition-bound critics opposed the use of typewriters on legal and even health grounds. Because the finished product was neither handwritten nor printed, as was customary, laws had to be enacted confirming the legality of typed documents. Some diehards further held that reading typed copy, which they claimed tended to become blurred, harmed one's eyesight, citing as "proof" statistics which showed that more people than ever wore eyeglasses."

Present at the...