Michael J. McDermott (1894–1955) was a US diplomat who rose to the Office of
U.S. Ambassador
Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the President of the United States, president to serve as the country's diplomat, diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as Ambassador-at-large, ...
, serving from the 1930s onward.
Biography
Michael James McDermott was born in 1894 and his State of Residence has been described as the
District of Columbia.
By 1932, Michael J. McDermott had found employment with the U.S. Department of State as what the department often referred to as a "Non-Career Appointee".
In April, 1932, he held the Office of 'Chief, Division of Current Information, Department of State'. While still holding this Office, on October 18 of 1943, M.J. McDermott was a Member of the American Delegation at the three Government Summit known simply as the
Moscow Conference (1943). Within less than a year after this conference in the USSR, M.J. McDermott had earned a new job title by August, 1944 - 'Special Assistant to the Secretary of State'. By July, 1946, Michael J. McDermott had earned yet another change in his job title to 'Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Press Relations'; it was with this job title that Michael J. McDermott was a Member of the American Delegation to the 1946
Paris Peace Treaties, 1947
The Paris Peace Treaties (french: Traités de Paris) were signed on 10 February 1947 following the end of World War II in 1945.
The Paris Peace Conference lasted from 29 July until 15 October 1946. The victorious wartime Allied powers (princi ...
Conference. McDermott held the job title of 'Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Press Relations' until December 1952. Thereafter, in 1952-1953, he was briefly reassigned to be the 'Special Assistant for Press Relations in the Office of the Secretary of State' before he retires from media relations within the U.S. Department of State.
However, on May 28, 1953, the
Eisenhower Administration
Dwight D. Eisenhower's tenure as the 34th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1953, and ended on January 20, 1961. Eisenhower, a Republican from Kansas, took office following a landslide victory ov ...
has Michael J. McDermott appointed the 6th
U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador
The following is a list of United States ambassadors, or other chiefs of mission, to El Salvador. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently ''Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.''
Ch ...
; he presented his Credentials on June 25, 1953 and would not leave his Post until September 28 of 1954.
Thus he served at this post during the CIA's overthrow of
Jacobo Arbenz Guzman
Jacobo is both a surname and a given name of Spanish origin. Based on the name Jacob. Notable people with the name include:
Surname:
* Alfredo Jacobo (born 1982), Olympic breaststroke swimmer from Mexico
* Cesar Chavez Jacobo, Dominican profession ...
who was the democratically elected 25th President of the nearby nation of
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
. While serving in El Salvador, Ambassador M.J. McDermott was briefed by the CIA on its program - code named
Operation PBSuccess - to overthrow Jacobo Arbenz.
After retirement as a U.S. Ambassador in 1954, Michael James McDermott died in 1955 and was honored with burial at the
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, County of Arlington, Virginia.
''Where They're Buried''
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDermott, Michael J.
1894 births
Ambassadors of the United States to El Salvador
1955 deaths