1.   We might ask desk officers to make an initial selection of important records as they come off the live system.

2.   Ambassadors, despite their expertise and experience, now often suffer the indignity of having to plead for time with congressional staffers and State Department desk officers.

3.   As a desk officer, Quinones monitored developments in his assigned country and handled routine diplomatic duties.

4.   As the desk officer for Afghanistan, Mrs. Oakley outshone the other guests and Schultz called to tell her so.

5.   But Beyrle is of considerably higher rank than the Russia desk officer whom the Clinton administration sent to meet with Akhmadov last year.

6.   He turned the cash over to the desk officer, and the shower of praise began.

7.   I went back to the desk officer with the great news that the pickpocket had put the empty wallet back.

8.   In addition the foreign-policy apparatus that relies on desk officers, ambassadors and inter-agency coordination was shunted aside.

9.   Inspector Perlov was not in the station house late Friday afternoon, and the desk officer at the precinct could not be reached during repeated phone calls.