Abroad for Her Country: Tales of a Pioneer Woman Ambassador in the U.S. Foreign Service

Jean M. Wilkowski began her career with the U.S. Foreign Service in 1944 and carried out career assignments to nine countries on three continents before retiring in 1980. Along the way she was awarded six honorary degrees and is the only woman to receive the Foreign Service Cup from the 'Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired'. "Abroad For Her Country: Tales Of A Pioneer Woman Ambassador In The U.S. Foreign Service" is her personal memoir of thirty-five years spent in the diplomatic service which included being the first woman U.S. Ambassador to an African country and the first woman acting U.S. Ambassador in Latin America. In addition to promoting U.S. Trade and investment interests in postings that ranged from Paris and Milan, to Rome, Santiago and Geneva, she also saw service in Bogota during the Columbian revolution, attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Teguicgalpa, and the war between El Salvador and Honduras where she was responsible for U.S. humanitarian aid for 50,000 war-displaced persons. Other career highlights include being coordinator of the U.S. preparations for the 1979 United Nations Conference on Science and Technology in Vienna, and working with the U.S. delegation on a fact-finding visit to the Peoples' Republic of China. "Abroad For Her Country" is a fascinating, informative, deftly written autobiography and is especially recommended for academic and community library collections, as well as the personal reading list for anyone with an interest in International Relations in general, and the American diplomatic service in particular.