Security weaknesses at the US embassy in Nairobi so concerned the ambassador, Ms Prudence Bushnell, that she asked for a new building three times but was rebuffed.
After repeated analyses, the State Department concluded that the Nairobi embassy, while not up to current security standards, was "in compliance [with] the standards for the threat level [perceived] for that post," an assistant Secretary of State, Mr Patrick Kennedy, said on Wednesday.
"I've been a foreign service officer for 25 years," said Mr Kennedy, his voice breaking as he briefed reporters. "The fact is, we did the very best we could, given what we had. We set priorities . . . No one has all the money to meet all the needs all at the same time."
He said Ms Bushnell, a career foreign service officer, was apparently not motivated by any specific threat or incident when she submitted a request for a replacement building.
She appealed through regular channels and then directly to the Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright - a plea that Ms Albright did not mention when she was asked about the bombing in a televised interview last Sunday.
Mr Kennedy said the department agreed with Ms Bushnell that simply by virtue of being situated directly on a major street, at a busy intersection, the embassy fell short of current security standards, which call for 100-foot setbacks.
AFP adds from London: British embassies around the world have been told to tighten security following last week's African bombings.