
NEW RELEASE—DENALI DIARY
Denali Diary is an illustrated memoir of one of the boldest and most dangerous first ascents in North American climbing history, the direct ascent of the Wickersham Wall—written by one of the men who made it. Find the free download here.

John Graham Speaks at the Naval Academy
Trump this one! At Annapolis all 4,500 midshipmen roared to their feet in response to my speech, challenging them to think deeply about "War, Leadership and a Moral Life." For more on my speeches and workshops, go here.

QUEST — Risk, Adventure and the Search for Meaning
WATCH THIS 90-SECOND PEEK at avalanches, wars, and a lifeboat in a typhoon, to the greatest adventure of all—finding your way to a meaningful life. I wrote it all down so you don’t have to dodge bullets or even get wet to take this journey. You can pre-order QUEST now, from your favorite bookseller or from Amazon.

Vietnam Revisited
In 1972, I was US Advisor to the City of Hué, South Vietnam. Some evenings, especially if the day had been difficult and dangerous, I would drive a few miles outside the City to an ancient pagoda called Linh Mu. There I would sit at this very spot on a wall overlooking the Perfume River where I would try to absorb some of the calmness of the river, the temple bells, and the monks sweeping the courtyard with straw brooms. But the war was never very far away. more
Shots from the album. Ah youth!
SELECTED BLOG POSTS
Hey, He's Just a Pope
John Graham
Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled that “Father Bob” got elected. The more I read about his background in New Orleans and Chicago and Peru and his career as a global diplomat, the more he seems to be the inspired choice that his fellow cardinals were praying for.
What does worry me, however, is how many people—disheartened and frightened by the rising tide of anti-democratic forces all over the planet—want to see the new Pope as a man on...
moreIran: A Haunted Renaissance
John Graham
I’m betting you’re overwhelmed by the torrent of news coming at you, so much of it awful. I know the feeling, but I still want to talk to you about the closed-to-the-world nation of Iran and its place in the global rising tide of autocracy. An Iranian contact of mine has been sending me his observations, an extremely smart, well-educated and reflective man who’s given me permission to share his unedited words with you.
I see in them a...
moreIf There's a Hell, Henry Kissinger is in It
John Gaham
There’s no doubt that Henry Kissinger was a complicated man, as shown by the torrent of fierce opinions published since his death.
I worked for the man and Vietnam was where I first began to hate him. A young US diplomat, I was a civilian adviser to the Mayor of Hué, one of the most dangerous places in the country during the last years of the war, at a time when any American there still in control of his senses knew we’d lost the war....
moreA Personal Battle in Vietnam
John Graham
As you may know, Gordon Lightfoot recently died. You may have memories of the Canadian singer/songwriter’s work. My memory is that he changed my life.
In 1971-72, as a US Foreign Service Officer, I was Advisor to the city of Hué, South Vietnam. I’d volunteered for Vietnam because being in a shooting war was one adventure I’d not yet had.
I was an adrenaline addict, drawn to war zones and high, dangerous mountains. I’d asked the...
moreA Near-Miss That Almost Changed History
John Graham
The Iran Hostage Crisis Re-visited
In November of 1979 the staff of the US Embassy in Teheran was taken prisoner by mobs controlled by the Ayatollah Khomeini. Two months of diplomatic pressures and direct threats hadn’t freed them.
But in early 1980, I came close.
I thought I knew then why I’d failed, but I didn’t know the half of it. Decades of investigative reports have now revealed the truth. Any efforts to free...
moreWhat’s So Great about Being White?
375 people have now been arrested, charged and intensively interviewed about their participation in the attack on the US Capitol January 6. A reliable picture is emerging of who they are and what motivated them.
It’s no surprise that they were overwhelmingly white and male and strongly influenced by Donald Trump’s campaign to overturn the November election
But it came as a bit of a surprise, at least to some, that only about 10%...
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