“By Far the Best of Our Foreign Representatives:” Vira B. Whitehouse and the Origins of Public Diplomacy

Abstract

The Committee on Public Information’s efforts during World War I marked the beginning of American public diplomacy, but its influence has been overlooked. This paper examines the role of suffragist Vira B. Whitehouse in the pioneering endeavor in Berne, Switzerland. Scant research has looked at Whitehouse’s significant contribution to public diplomacy and, even then, it largely ignores the challenges she faced. Nor does the research link her work as a suffrage leader with her success in creating a brand-new form of diplomacy.