Editing Michael Collins (astronaut) (section)

===Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs===
[[Image:MichaelCollinsByPhilKonstantin.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Collins, February 2009|alt=see caption]]
NASA Administrator [[Thomas O. Paine]] told Collins that Secretary of State [[William P. Rogers]] was interested in appointing Collins to the position of [[Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs]]. After the crew returned to the U.S. in November, Collins sat down with Rogers and accepted the position on the urgings of President [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]].{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=454–455}} He was an unusual choice for the role, as he was neither a journalist nor a career diplomat. Nor, unlike some of his predecessors, did he act as the department spokesperson. Instead, as the head of the [[State Department]]'s Bureau of Public Affairs, his role was that of managing relations with the public at large. He had a staff of 115 and a budget of $2.5&nbsp;million,{{sfn|Lee|2007|pp=184–186}} but this was small compared with the 6,000 public affairs staff at the [[United States Department of Defense]].{{sfn|Lee|2007|p=188}}

Collins was appointed to the position on December 15, 1969, and began his work on January 6, 1970.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Michael Collins – People – Department History – Office of the Historian|url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/collins-michael|access-date=April 29, 2021|website=history.state.gov}}</ref> He took over at a very difficult time. The [[Vietnam War]] was going badly, and the [[Cambodian Campaign|invasion of Cambodia]] and the [[Kent State shootings]] had triggered a wave of protests and unrest across the country. He had no illusions about his ability to change minds, but attempted to engage with the public all the same, playing on his Apollo 11 fame.{{sfn|Lee|2007|p=188}} He attributed part of the nation's problems to insularity. In a 1970 commencement speech at [[Saint Michael's College]] in Vermont, he told his audience that "Farmers speak to farmers, students to students, business leaders to other business leaders, but this intramural talk serves mainly to mirror one's beliefs, to reinforce existing prejudices, to lock out opposing views".{{sfn|Lee|2007|p=187}}

Collins realized he was not enjoying the job, and secured President Nixon's permission to become the Director of the National Air and Space Museum.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/74-7459hjpg|title=Michael Collins|date=June 9, 2016 |publisher=National Air and Space Museum|access-date=March 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327092918/https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/74-7459hjpg|archive-date=March 27, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> His departure was officially announced on February 22, 1971,{{sfn|Lee|2007|p=189}} and his term as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs ended on April 11, 1971.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/collins-michael |access-date=December 18, 2018 |title=Michael Collins – People – Department History – Office of the Historian |publisher=United States Department of States |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218054536/https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/collins-michael |archive-date=December 18, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> The position remained vacant until [[Carol Laise]] succeeded him in October 1973.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24353266/the_pittsburgh_press/|title=Eyes of Nepalese|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|location=Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|via=Newspapers.com|page=17|date=November 27, 1973|access-date=October 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008061508/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24353266/the_pittsburgh_press/|archive-date=October 8, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/laise-caroline-clendening |access-date=December 18, 2018 |title=Caroline Clendening Laise – People – Department History – Office of the Historian |publisher=United States Department of States |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218054522/https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/laise-caroline-clendening |archive-date=December 18, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>