“Let Us Have Women Diplomats!”

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1064, 30 August 1930, Page 18

“Let Us Have Women Diplomats!”

>~¢ r’ N the course of an inn] .5» i ii; quiry into the eligibility-fl] “6).” of women for certainil WBl7 \551 (‘ivil Service posts, Sir” .13; ‘rgxé Hubert Montgomery. the i distinguished Foreign Ot- i I fice official, gave it as his opinion that H a woman would never be suitable asi a. diplomat or consular agent. §1 The deference that Sir Hubert’sil eminent in his profession entitles him: I to. makes it alarming to try and re—ln fute his statement, but it is difficultg' to resist a few comments (writes the” Baroness Clifton in the “News-(‘llron-f icle”). ‘ To begin with surely for the social ll side of the diplomat life a woman" would be by nature well able to cope :j with her official duties? My own ex--perience of diplomats and their \vaysg' of working is limited. btu from whatj“ I observed on the occasion in my life y when I was privileged to see a cer-g tain amount of diplomatic life, in the; Far East, the social factor was so pre-! eminent, that an immense part of the l‘ diplomatic world semed to depend 0113 the women members of the Legationj' staffs; by that I mean the women re-g lated to members oft he staffs—the; wives and daughters. ; It, was quite obvious that an intelliwl gent and charming wife was as help-1 ful to her husband as a less intent! gent and attractive woman was in the]

nature of a handicap. Such an im-' portant feature of this life—Pekin was ‘ the "mise-en-scene"——were the enter- ‘ tainments, the dinners and the even- ‘ ing parties, the race meetings and Legation receptions, and these for thir success seemed to depend largely onthe hostesses, rather than the hosts. I cannot help thinking that a woman might make a much better diplomat. for instance, than a barrister; a better consu than she would be as a judge; The excellencies for successful diplomatic charm. quick, rather than heavy! weight intelligence, understanding and general amiability—qualities most at-S tractive women possess. . Diplomats have ample opportunities; of looking elegant. and doing—apparently to the outside observer—nothing. i \N’hat could be nicer for a woman? And ; surely there is nothing she would do; better? In fact, to me. diplomacy—i modern diplomacy - has . always} seemed, if I dare say so. an almost efieminate profession. I mean the aspect of it that is obvious to the world. Not. of course, the severe' exercise of grey matter in the seclusion of European Chancelleries. It seems rather a. woman's job to look nice, and go out to dine with the 1 Minister for Lower Sylvania ori Ruritania on the occasion of the, Queen—Regent's birthday, than suit—: able for a man. 3 1 There is, I can’t help feeling. at {great deal of sense in the idea, of al | few women diplomats; and they might IA

with profit be selected on the American plan —for the higher posts —from among women pre-eminent already :. other professions or social life. Perhaps Lady Cunard to Paris—or possibly Marie Tempest to Washington? And if literature were to be represented, why not A. SackviEeWest to Spain, and “Elizabeth anc her German Garden” for Rome: should like to be at the Embass) dinner-party to introduce the Aruba--sadresses to. shall we say, MussoliniIt would be so excellent for the Duce. whose ideas on the subject of women are distinctly old-fashioned, to mee that diamond and crystal brain Seriously, to leave the realms e. fantcy, X think Sir Hubert Montgo ery is a little too sceptical of our powers. I’m told the few foreig women diplomatists have been Q al successful. and I can’t believe tna_ British prestige would suffer from » few carefully chosen women omcaw Of course the important part PUP* Iby women in affairs of State admirably shown in Great Bntara . : the general admiration of the P® op ' I for the abilities of H.M. the i the Prince of Wales is Britain sgre : est Ambassador, it is posible tna. Queen is a very able and e i unofficial extra “Minister of uiaic Her Majesty's intelligence appears show itself in many and w ' lde M( ; Her sympathy, her general cba ™ „ f tact in dealing with every : situation suggest that her i subjects, might not, some of t■ • I deficient in qualities of Statecraft^