The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2007

1951 to 1953. Then I spent the next four years in Belgrade as an adminis- trative assistant to Mr. Riddleberger, who was the new ambassador to Yugoslavia. The Trieste crisis broke a few days before I was scheduled to arrive in Belgrade. Since the troops of Italy and Yugoslavia were massed on each side of their borders, it was decided that I should enter Yugoslavia from Austria. When I attempted to cross into the country, I was turned back by Customs because the proper papers for my car had not been obtained. FSJ: You left Belgrade in 1957? JC: Yes. I came back to Washing- ton. Later that year I was commis- sioned as a Foreign Service officer and shortly thereafter assigned to the Personnel Operations Division in the section handling assignments. FSJ: How did that come about? JC: This sounds strange, but I was walking through the corridors one day and saw the name “Findley Burns” on the outside of a door. He had come to inspect Belgrade while I was there, so I stopped in to say hello to him. He asked what I was doing, and I told him I was waiting for Personnel to assign me. He said, “Well, how about giving Personnel a whirl?” That sounded good to me, so that’s where I went. After two years in Personnel, I became a post management officer in the Bureau of European Affairs. I mainly handled the Benelux countries, but also covered Jamaica, British Guyana and several other colonies. FSJ: Did you feel like you had found your calling at that point? JC: Yes, I really liked what I was doing. When you do administrative work, you can see results. It doesn’t get lost. FSJ: Did being a female FSO pose particular challenges during your time in the Service? If so, how did you overcome them? JC: No, absolutely not. I never felt discriminated against at any time dur- J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 51