Kennedy Identifies Ostrander for Jamaica Consul Post

State Department personnel officer bypasses normal assignment process to fill critical vacancy with high-performing…

Date: Mid-December 1979 — Arron announces a 27 March 1980 vote; the influential Dutch Military Mission chief leaves on extended leave.

Nancy Ostrander, who would later serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Suriname during the critical 1980 military coup, was selected for a high-pressure consular chief position in Jamaica through an informal, personality-driven assignment process that was characteristic of the State Department at the time.

Details:

  • An emergency vacancy for the Consul position in Kingston, Jamaica—a demanding but career-enhancing job—arose after the incumbent suffered a "nervous breakdown."
  • State Department personnel officer Charles Stuart Kennedy, whose "stable" of officers included Ostrander, identified her as an ideal replacement based on her "very good efficiency reports" and a recent interview.
  • At the time, Ostrander was a mid-level officer in Mexico City and was feeling "submerged" in the large post, making her eager for a new challenge.
  • Kennedy "volunteered" her for the Jamaica position, bypassing the normal assignment process to quickly fill the critical vacancy with a candidate he personally identified as impressive.
  • Her successful performance in this difficult role in Jamaica was a key step that put her on the career track for her subsequent appointment as Ambassador to Suriname.

Significance: This entry provides important background on Ambassador Nancy Ostrander, the U.S. envoy on the ground during the pivotal 1980 "Sergeants' Coup." It illustrates how the State Department's informal assignment system of the era—sometimes labeled an "old boy network"—could rapidly advance officers deemed highly capable into high-stakes positions. Her selection for the challenging Jamaica job demonstrates that she was already regarded as a competent officer able to handle crises, a reputation that undoubtedly influenced her later selection for the even more demanding post in Suriname just before the military takeover.

Source:

"Interview with Charles Stuart Kennedy." Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST), Foreign Affairs Oral History Project, September 4, 1996.

Link:

Internal Link:

Date:
December 1, 1979
Categories:
Foiled Coups & Plots, Log, Matthew Smith, Military & Intel, Politics, The Suriname Archive
Tags:
Assignment Process, Diplomatic Career, Oral History, State Department
Boxes:
MW Zotero
Years:
1979
Persons:
Charles Stuart Kennedy, Nancy Ostrander
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