Henry E. Catto, Jr, 1989–91

Abstract

It is commonplace for citizens of other nations and even some members of the US Foreign Service to look askance at the time-honoured American practice that permits Presidents to use a certain proportion of ambassadorships as rewards for their friends and financial supporters. The system of political appointments has certainly thrown up its share of embarrassments and second-raters over the years, and by reducing the pool of appointments available to veteran diplomats it has frustrated careers that might otherwise have flowered to the benefit of US foreign policy. Yet the name of every lacklustre incumbent can be counter-balanced by the name of a political appointee who won the admiration of his staff and proved the value of a political pedigree. Henry Catto, Ambassador to the UK from 1989 to 1991, is a prime example of the second kind.