Ask the Scholar
Page 5 of 12
I can add historical knowledge about this page.
Page image
OCR
-3-
as I had grown to love the Luxembourg people and I felt that the more I
with them, the more they would get to know America and Americans.
was . **ATIONAL SERVICE"
ARCHIVES AND
RECORDS
When I was in America in the spring of 1950, the position of Political
Officer was open. The Department had chosen Mr. Anthony Clinton Swezey to
fill this post and asked me to interview him while I was here. After talking
with him, I felt that he would not fit into the Legation very well.
He
impressed me as being not only an intellectual snob, but a social snob as
well. I told the Department that I did not care to have him as an officer of
the Legation in Luxembourg as he appeared to be a snob, and I felt he would
never fit into the life of Luxembourg. The Chief of Personnel assured
me
that he thought that he would change his attitude once he got to Luxembourg.
Immediately upon his arrival in Luxembourg, Mr. Swezey's actions toward
the personnel in the Legation were overbearing and undemocratic.
He was such
a snob that anyone without a title did not appeal to him.
The fact that Mr.
Sherman, the American Consul, was a Foreign Service Staff Officer instead of
a Foreign Service Officer made him not socially acceptable to Mr. Swezey.
He treated Mr. Sherman very rudely. He barely spoke to the clerks in the
office if he happened to meet them socially.
Mr. Swezey's resourcefulness was not to be inderestimated, however.
Although he was courteous most of the time to my face, behind my back he slowly
and deliberately organized my S taff against me. I do not mean the Foreign
Service Staff personnel as they have been loyal to me thr oughout my stay in
Luxembourg. Although I had not realized it at first, there seems to be qui te
a distinction between Foreign Service Officers and Foreign Service Staff per-
sonnel.
This attitude does not seem to be democratic to me, but I have noticed
that it also exists on other posts as well.
Foreign Service Officers seem to take the at ti tude that they are career
men above reproach and that they vil be in the service long after political
appointment S
Page data
- Page
- 5
- Source index
- 0
- Type
- photo
- Media ID
- 19f89e72fb453c1b
- Size
- unknown
Document data
- ID
- 193225441
- Core
- doc
- Type
- document
DTO data
{
"id": "193225441",
"sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193225441",
"contentType": "document",
"title": "Memorandum from President Harry S. Truman to Secretary of State Dean Acheson with Attached Report from United States Ambassador to Luxembourg Perle Mesta",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193225441",
"collections": [
"Dean Acheson Papers",
"Secretary of State Files"
],
"iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721943/1721943-04-01.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721943/1721943-04-01.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721943/1721943-04-01.jpg",
"imageCount": 12,
"hasImages": true,
"source": "import",
"hasTranscription": false
}
Context sent to Scholar
Document identity
{
"localId": "193225441",
"label": "Memorandum from President Harry S. Truman to Secretary of State Dean Acheson with Attached Report from United States Ambassador to Luxembourg Perle Mesta",
"core": "doc",
"dtoType": "document",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193225441"
}
Document source metadata
{
"id": "193225441",
"sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193225441",
"contentType": "document",
"title": "Memorandum from President Harry S. Truman to Secretary of State Dean Acheson with Attached Report from United States Ambassador to Luxembourg Perle Mesta",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193225441",
"collections": [
"Dean Acheson Papers",
"Secretary of State Files"
],
"iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721943/1721943-04-01.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721943/1721943-04-01.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721943/1721943-04-01.jpg",
"imageCount": 12,
"hasImages": true,
"source": "import",
"hasTranscription": false
}
Document source extras
{
"url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193225441",
"naId": 193225441,
"levelOfDescription": "item",
"productionDates": [
{
"day": 11,
"logicalDate": "1952-08-11",
"month": 8,
"year": 1952
}
],
"recordType": "description",
"ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}
Page context
{
"seq": 5,
"pageIndex": 0,
"type": "photo",
"url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721943/1721943-04-05.jpg",
"mediaId": "19f89e72fb453c1b",
"ocrText": "-3-\nas I had grown to love the Luxembourg people and I felt that the more I\nwith them, the more they would get to know America and Americans.\nwas . **ATIONAL SERVICE\"\nARCHIVES AND\nRECORDS\nWhen I was in America in the spring of 1950, the position of Political\nOfficer was open. The Department had chosen Mr. Anthony Clinton Swezey to\nfill this post and asked me to interview him while I was here. After talking\nwith him, I felt that he would not fit into the Legation very well.\nHe\nimpressed me as being not only an intellectual snob, but a social snob as\nwell. I told the Department that I did not care to have him as an officer of\nthe Legation in Luxembourg as he appeared to be a snob, and I felt he would\nnever fit into the life of Luxembourg. The Chief of Personnel assured\nme\nthat he thought that he would change his attitude once he got to Luxembourg.\nImmediately upon his arrival in Luxembourg, Mr. Swezey's actions toward\nthe personnel in the Legation were overbearing and undemocratic.\nHe was such\na snob that anyone without a title did not appeal to him.\nThe fact that Mr.\nSherman, the American Consul, was a Foreign Service Staff Officer instead of\na Foreign Service Officer made him not socially acceptable to Mr. Swezey.\nHe treated Mr. Sherman very rudely. He barely spoke to the clerks in the\noffice if he happened to meet them socially.\nMr. Swezey's resourcefulness was not to be inderestimated, however.\nAlthough he was courteous most of the time to my face, behind my back he slowly\nand deliberately organized my S taff against me. I do not mean the Foreign\nService Staff personnel as they have been loyal to me thr oughout my stay in\nLuxembourg. Although I had not realized it at first, there seems to be qui te\na distinction between Foreign Service Officers and Foreign Service Staff per-\nsonnel.\nThis attitude does not seem to be democratic to me, but I have noticed\nthat it also exists on other posts as well.\nForeign Service Officers seem to take the at ti tude that they are career\nmen above reproach and that they vil be in the service long after political\nappointment S"
}