US State Department Ad Featuring Big Ben Sparks Diplomatic Concerns
A US State Department advertisement recruiting Americans to serve as its “eyes and ears” abroad, prominently featuring an image of London’s Big Ben, has generated unease among US and UK diplomats regarding its implications for bilateral relations.
The advertisement, released over the weekend, called on Americans to “navigate great-power rivalries, defuse global crises, and protect Americans and their interests across the globe.” The ad’s visual includes an American flag set against a dark, grainy image of Big Ben.
A former UK diplomat commented on the ad’s tone, stating:
“It sounds awfully spooky, like they’re recruiting for the CIA and not the State Department.”
Similarly, a former senior US diplomat noted:
“There is growing uneasiness in DC about the UK’s independence from the US, so this may be seen as a symbol of an overseas post to watch what other countries are doing and report back.”
However, the same diplomat acknowledged alternative explanations for the choice of Big Ben in the image:
“London still holds a charm for people who want to serve in the foreign service.”
The British diplomat suggested there might be “innocent considerations” behind the selection of Big Ben, explaining:
“I don’t know whether they chose Big Ben because it’s recognisably foreign. You could have had the Eiffel Tower, you could have had the Kremlin, I suppose. Maybe it’s as simple as that.”
Nonetheless, the diplomat remarked that in the context of recent US criticism of the UK on freedom of speech, the ad’s implication might be that the US is closely monitoring developments in Britain:
“The implication might be that the US is watching carefully what happens in Britain, and that it’s not a coincidence, perhaps.”
He added:
“If you’re sitting and looking at this in King Charles Street, you couldn’t rule out the thought that this is a little bit pointed.”
Background on US Foreign Service Recruitment
Last February, the State Department suspended recruitment for the Foreign Service—the US diplomatic corps—amid significant federal government cuts led by Elon Musk’s department of government efficiency, Doge.
Recruitment resumed earlier this year, more than a year later, following an overhaul of the selection process and training curriculum for new US diplomats. The revised selection process, announced in April, removed questions aligned with the diversity, equity, and inclusion agenda. Concurrently, the updated curriculum aims to train diplomats in “America First foreign policy.”
The American Foreign Service Association responded to these changes with concern, stating there were “serious concerns” about ideological influence in the selection and training of US diplomats.
A former US diplomat criticized the administration’s approach, saying:
“This administration is changing the face of the US diplomatic corps by going back to the 60s and 70s when US diplomats were ‘male, pale and from Yale.’”
He further elaborated:
“The recruitment of new foreign service officers will be based on the ‘correct’ understanding of US history and politics and advancement will be justified on fidelity towards the administration’s policies.”
Other Recruitment Imagery and Reactions
Another recent advertisement for the Foreign Service featured an image of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, accompanied by the words: “Today, America needs dedicated patriots to continue the legacy of American diplomacy.”
Orna Blum, a retired US senior diplomat, commented on the London image, suggesting it was “more a creative choice than a diplomatic one,” but acknowledged it struck an unusual tone:
“From a recruiting standpoint, there’s a disconnect. The job is human – earning trust, managing crises, protecting Americans in complex environments. That reality just isn’t coming through here.”
The British diplomat added:
“What’s really odd or striking is that I would never have said that the job of a diplomat is to be the eyes and ears of a country. They’ve always been seen in the past as interlocutors, people who would go out and speak on behalf of a country, and not just passively receive information.”
Kristofer Harrison, a former State Department Russia expert, expressed his view:
“We need diplomats to be lines of communications to foreign governments, not our eyes and ears. My gut is that this is just Maga incompetence.”
The State Department was contacted for comment but did not provide a response at the time of publication.
