The Patriarchs
This chapter explores the male-dominated US diplomatic world in the early twentieth century. US diplomats and ambassadors formed an exclusive and insular elite, sticklers for protocol and sensitive to the stereotype of the delicate, effeminate, even gay “striped-pants boys.” They excluded women from their world for a variety of reasons; only secretaries and diplomatic spouses, who played vital if unsung roles, were admitted. The first female ambassadors are introduced (appointed by Hungary and the USSR), as is the first female US Foreign Service Officer, Lucile Atcherson, appointed in 1922. She and her tiny cohort of female diplomats faced discrimination and limited opportunity. In 1933, male diplomats had no reason to expect the appointment of a female ambassador.