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John Pederson

Keywords

foreign relations, diplomacy, war, Danish political figures

Abstract

Thus did the respective Foreign Service leaders of Denmark and the United States assess Eugenie Anderson's tenure as America's ambassador to Denmark. Danish Foreign Minister Ole Bjorn Kraft made his remarks at the farewell dinner for Ambassador Anderson at Christiansborg Castle in 1953. Going from Red Wing, Minnesota to Copenhagen, she had served throughout most of the Korean War. The trappings and glamour of an ambassador's power and rank are seductive, particularly for political appointments. In extreme cases some ambassadors become as much an advocate for the country where they are stationed as the one they serve.3 In Anderson's case, however, she had the praise of not one, but both countries. Acheson wrote his comments for a dinner Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey held for Anderson upon her return. Besides serving during a turbulent part of the Cold War, Anderson also deserves attention as the first woman ambassador of the United States. To evaluate the accuracy of the ringing endorsement of Anderson's ambassadorship from both Danish and American officials, this paper examines her arrival in Denmark, her first Fourth of July there, a speech she prepared for broadcast in the United States, the Korean War, and American assessments of Danish defense preparations. Overall, she improved the American image in Denmark and enhanced relations between the two countries.

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