While providing a tour of an embassy for a forthcoming @DiploGlobal profile, my host made the mistake of telling me they've never been able to open the 1905 safe they inherited from the building's previous owner. I've spent several months researching how to break into it.

See also: why each Diplomatica profile takes so long.

I might have been able to let it go, insatiable curiosity aside, if I hadn't toured another country's property shortly after, and saw their similar safe, which they had been able to open, and found some fascinating tidbits inside.

All of which is to say, the readers who found it amusing when I poked into embassy closets and offered to climb into an ambassador's residence attic crawl space in search of presidential love letters, brace yourself.

When I first launched Diplomatica as a newsletter, my request was, "Please let me come and tour your property." Two years later, it's "Please let me come and do some light B&E."

And if you think I'm kidding, here are all our profiles so far. https://www.diplomaticourier.com/channel/diplomatica