"This is not a happy situation for us," said an internal affairs officer, who like all others agreed to speak only on condition of anonymity.

All those years inside an office paid off when a public affairs officer came to him looking for a feel-good feature about his record service.

First, he says, a consumer needs to get a message to a corporate affairs officer, who may not be listed on the company Web site.

He joined the Foreign Service in 1966, serving as public affairs officer.

"We're still trying to win the local population's trust," a British public affairs officer explained.

She also accepted a position as a public affairs officer for an association for women who work in the financial industry.

He was foreign affairs officer in the Department from 1958 to 1961.

"That's it for the moment," the public affairs officer confirmed.

He later worked for the United Nations as an economic affairs officer.

Then, smiling, he added, "We probably should have inserted the public affairs officers first."