The American Diplomat

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Winona State University

HIST 397: Topics in History – America Foreign Relations

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The American Diplomat

The Cold War significantly shaped the US foreign policy. With more interest growing on nations in Africa and Asia, the US was determined to present itself as better than the Soviet Union. The period saw African American assuming diplomatic roles. However, as they represented the US in Washington and abroad, they were still second-class citizens locally. American racism, symbolized by Jim Crow practices was a stark contrast to the American pretensions to world leadership post World War II. In December 1952, the US attorney general recommended the desegregation of public schools. Still, in 1955, dark-skinned Indian ambassador G. I. Mehta was racially abused in Texas, and in 1957, Ghana’s finance minister K. A. Gbedemah was denied food at a restaurant in Delaware (Textbook, p.314). The Cold War and civil rights struggles despite being isolated from each other, shared a place, time, and mutually reinforcing ideological and political contexts. A combination of the two exposed the US as a powerful yet profoundly insecure nation (Woods, p.13). The documentary sheds to light the interaction of the Cold War with the Civil Rights Movement in the context of black American diplomats who had to stand for patriotism and nationalism internationally while facing racism at home.

The documentary, “The American Diplomat: First-Class Patriots Abroad, Second-Class Citizens at Home ” focuses on several key themes including African American diplomats, racial discrimination, cultural diplomacy, and imperialism. It focuses on the experiences and contributions of African American diplomats during the Cold War era. At the start, New York lawyer, Edward R. Dudley had been nominated as envoy to Liberia (00 min 21s). The appointment of Dudley and other African Americans as diplomats was a result of progress that was being made in the nation, and attempts by Truman to win the black vote. As NAACP Rescue newspaper reported, “LYNCHERS USE BLOW TORCH ON NEGRO VETERAN; 17-YEAR-OLD YOUTH FEIGNS DEATH, ESCAPES.” The military was desegregated by President Truman in 1948 and he asked Walter White, leader of NAACP to recommend a candidate to Liberia. It also explores the racial discrimination that these black diplomats faced abroad and within the U.S. State Department. Diplomats who worked with him in Liberia had experienced more freedom than they had in the US. The viewer is also exposed to the roles of the diplomats in promoting American values and interests while navigating complex racial dynamics. President J.F Kennedy assumed power and promised to support the Civil Rights Movement, Southeastern Asia’s, and Africa’s Independence (36 min 20s).

The documentary uses various audiovisual materials to relay its message. Historical footage of significant events, public speeches, and diplomatic activities are predominantly used. For example, there is an archival footage of Truman giving the Truman Doctrine (03 min 40s). Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, sensationally claims that hundreds of Communist spies had infiltrated the State Department (22 min 05s). There is footage, “The Trouble in Little Rock”, which captures a melee at Little Rock, and the narrators explain that it was a time when the world was exposed to the realities of racial segregation in the US (30 min 40s). Photographs and newspapers are also used. There is a newspaper, focusing on “Senate to Confirm Appointment Of Minister To Liberia”. The newspaper is then followed by the still photograph of Dudley and his wife standing on a railing, and it is followed by his voice about how it was like when he was appointed. Another one captures the Truman Doctrine on a newspaper headline by Elmira Star-Gazette, “TRUMAN ASKS 400 MILLIONS TO AID GREECE, TURKEY BLOCK COMMUNISM” to highlight changes in the US foreign policy (03 min 41s). There are more still images of Terence Todman and Carl Rowan emerged as the first African American diplomats. The documentary also uses interviews to collect testimonies and perspectives from historians, former diplomats, and family members. Carl Rowan narrates how on the New Year’s day of 1961, he was summoned to Washington to serve as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, a move than he occasionally regretted (37 min 02s). At Tennessee, Rowan was still a second-class citizen. Initially, he had used is position as a journalist to tell the story of blacks under the series, “How far from SLAVERY?” Consistent narrative voice guides viewers through the events and provides context and commentary. Other than the voice of the primary narrator, voices of Adriane Lentz-Smith, a historian, Robeson Taj Frazier, an author, and Mary Dudziak, another historian; are important in providing insight and expert analysis.

The filmmaker’s objectives for making the film are possibly to educate, highlight challenges, and celebrate the contributions of African Americans. The movie highlights the important yet usually-overlooked contributions of African American diplomats in the Cold War era, and that makes it educational. Viewers can also reflect on the racial discrimination that the diplomas faced and how they navigated the challenges in their professional roles. For example, Senator Terence Todman, despite passing all his federal state service exams and reporting to work at the State Department, was reminded that his accent was not 100% American, and they could not afford to have anyone in service who could not be immediately identifiable as American. James Dandridge, a foreign service officer and family friend of Sen. Todman explained that Todman was rejected because he was black and not because his accent had issues.

Likes about the film include the rich historical context. For instance, it gives us a perspective of how Todam ended up becoming an ambassador. He learned Japanese and related freely with the Japanese while serving in military after World War II. He started as front office desk officer in Virginia, before being posted in India. He experienced segregation as he could not join his white colleagues in local restaurants. When he challenged it, it resulted in desegregation of cafeteria for foreign service officers. The film also focuses on in-depth personal stories and uses expert analysis to reinforce the points and provide perspectives. The personal narratives are deeply engage and provide a deeper humanizing perspective on the experiences of African American diplomats. Adriane Lentz-Smith, a historian, Robeson Taj Frazier, an author, and Mary Dudziak, a historian explain how the US and the Soviet Union had forced nations to take sides on the Cold War, and they juxtapose it with the suffering of the people of color at home (05 min 11s). Ambassador Aurelia Brazeal speaks about Rowan’s experiences and appointment to Finland as a diplomat (43 min 33s). However, the film failed to provider a coverage of the broader impact of the diplomatic developments. One would feel that beyond personal stories, it should have explained in detail what impact the works of these diplomats had on American foreign policy.

The documentary is significant from historical and intellectual perspectives. It shows how foreign policy helped shape domestic policies, and the role of African American diplomats in the developments. Like African Americans at home, the diplomats were also Jim Crow’ed to black nations of Haiti, Madagascar, Cape Verde, Liberia. However, it appears the successes they made may have contributed to the successes of the civil rights movement. Rupert A. Lloyd became the first black American to serve in Europe - an ambassador in Paris, France from August 1, 1949; Charles M. Hanson, Jr. was sent to service in Switzerland; Beatrice Carson was sent to Rome, Italy, which was a big win for black people. Dudley in his resignation letter called for equal opportunities for assignments worldwide for black foreign officers. He left the State Department in 1952 to rejoin NAACP in its struggle for civil rights in America. Rowan was named by President Lyndon Johnson as the Director of the United States Information Agency. There is also Irvin Hicks Jr., career member of the Senior Foreign Service, who says that the appointment was a big thing for African Americans because it was unprecedented (47 min 20s). Carol Anderson, a historian is arguably the greatest voice in the documentary, and she explains why Rowan was at loggerheads with the Civil Rights Movement. He was protecting the image of the US outside, yet his own people were in battling racial injustices locally. A deteriorating relationship with the president forced him to resign in 1969.

References

PBS. (2022). The American diplomat: First-class patriots abroad, second-class citizens at home [Video]. Winona State University. https://winona.learn.minnstate.edu/d2l/le/content/6541818/viewContent/66675644/View

Woods, J. (2010). The Cold War and the struggle for civil rights. OAH Magazine of History, 24(4), 13-17. https://doi.org/10.1093/maghis/24.4.13

Paterson, T. G., Clifford, J. G., Brigham, R., Donoghue, M., Hagan, K. J., Kisatsky, D., & Maddock, S. J. (2015). American foreign relations: A history, Volume 2, Since 1895 (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.