Ambassadors At Sea: The High And Low Adventures Of A Diplomat

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.

Review: When it comes to foreign affairs, Henry E. Catto Jr. may not have seen it all, but he's come close-and seen most of the world, besides. For more than two decades, Catto served Republican presidents in a succession of lofty posts in which he was an on-the-scene observer of historic events. . . .

Catto has now written Ambassadors at Sea, a delightful memoir with humorous reflections on the inevitable mishaps and errors that plague dealings with folks from different cultures. . . . Indeed, there is something for everyone in Catto's memoir. Lovers of the capital's lavish social scene will find ample accounts of elegant Georgetown dinners along with details of White House entertaining. * San Antonio Express-News *

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