George C. Herring

George Cyril Herring (May 23, 1936 – November 30, 2022) was an American historian specializing in the history of U.S. foreign relations, with a particular focus on the Vietnam War.

Early life and education Born and raised in Blacksburg, Virginia, Herring earned his bachelor's degree from Roanoke College. After serving two years in the United States Navy, he attended the University of Virginia, where he earned an MA (1962) and a PhD (1965) in history.

Career Herring began his academic career teaching at Ohio University from 1965 before joining the University of Kentucky faculty in 1969. He taught there for 36 years until his retirement in 2005 as Alumni Professor of History Emeritus. During his tenure at Kentucky, he served three terms as chair of the history department and was acting director of the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce in 2005. In addition to his long-term position at the University of Kentucky, he was also a visiting professor at the University of Otago in New Zealand, the United States Military Academy at West Point, and the University of Richmond. His area of teaching expertise was the history of U.S. foreign relations. He taught a wide range of courses from introductory U.S. history surveys to graduate seminars and supervised 35 doctoral dissertations and over 50 master's degrees.

Herring served on the CIA's Historical Review Panel from 1990 to 1996, a panel established in 1984 to advise on the declassification of CIA operational records. Initially optimistic about increased transparency after the Cold War, Herring attended his first meeting in 1990, noting unusual procedures such as receiving cash payments in plain envelopes and being escorted to restrooms. Herring criticized the panel, calling CIA claims of openness a "brilliant public relations snow job". Promises to release documents on covert operations remained unfulfilled, often citing concerns about damaging to U.S. national security. His experience highlighted the entrenched culture of secrecy within the CIA and the challenges historians face accessing its records. "Generations of college students have received their introduction to the war through the book... Indeed, it’s a fair guess that it has taught more Americans about the war than any other book," said Fredrik Logevall, professor of history and international relations at Harvard University. and won the 2009 Robert H. Ferrell Book Prize from the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. Other notable works include The Secret Diplomacy of the Vietnam War: The Negotiating Volumes of the Pentagon Papers and LBJ and Vietnam: A Different Kind of War.

Beyond his writing and teaching, Herring served as editor of the journal Diplomatic History and was a member and former president of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. He also contributed to historical advisory committees, including the Department of the Army Historical Advisory Committee, and was involved with cultural and humanities organizations such as the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation and the Kentucky Humanities Council. Throughout his career, Herring received numerous honors, including fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Fulbright, Rockefeller Foundation, He was recognized for his excellence in teaching with awards like the University of Kentucky Alumni Association Great Teacher Award and the Sturgill Award for Excellence in Graduate Education.

George C. Herring died of lung cancer on November 30, 2022, in Lexington, Kentucky, at the age of 86.

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