Michael Rockland served as assistant cultural attaché in Madrid in the 1960's. His memoir, An American Diplomat in Franco Spain, is filled with amusing anecdotes and illuminating accounts of historical events from that period, including stories about accompanying Martin Luther King Jr. and Ted Kennedy during their visits to Madrid, and what happened when the US accidentally dropped 4 hydrogen bombs on coastal Spain.
In the introduction, he writes:
"Friends on both sides of the Atlantic have wondered how someone with my politics and interest could have wanted to serve in the United States government. The answer is simple: when John Kennedy, in his inaugural address, said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country," I took him quite literally..."
Michael Aaron Rockland has authored several other books, and is professor of American Studies at Rutgers University.
