Ambassadors at sea : the high and low adventures of a diplomat / Henry E. Catto, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Catto, Henry E., 1930-2011.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Catto, Henry E., 1930-2011.

Catto, Henry E.

Diplomats--United States--Biography.

Diplomats.

United States.

United States--Foreign relations--1945-1989.

International relations.

United States--Foreign relations--1989-.

United States Information Agency--Biography.

United States Information Agency.

Genre:

Biographies.

Autobiographies.

Physical Description:

x, 396 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First University of Texas Press edition.

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, 1998.

Summary:

In 1969, Henry Catto was selling insurance in San Antonio, Texas. Just twenty years later, he presented his credentials as ambassador to the Court of St. James's to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, at Buckingham Palace. In this engaging memoir, he retraces his journey from Texas outsider to Washington insider, providing a fascinating look at the glamour, day-to-day work, and even occasional danger that come with being a high-level representative of the United States government.

Catto's posts brought him into contact with the world's most powerful leaders and left him with a wealth of stories, which he recounts amusingly in these pages. He was the official host for Queen Elizabeth's visit to America during the Bicentennial year -- and one of Jose Napoleon Duarte's protectors after his failed 1972 coup attempt in El Salvador. Catto accompanied Richard Nixon on his historic trip to Russia, sparred with Bill Moyers and the producers of "60 Minutes" as Caspar Weinberger's spokesman at the Pentagon, and hosted George Bush's planning meeting with Margaret Thatcher at the beginning of the Persian Gulf War. In telling these and other stories, he offers behind-the-scenes glimpses into how political power really works in Washington, London, and other world capitals.

Contents:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [365]-369) and index.

ISBN:

029271212X

OCLC:

39045205