Biddle, Virginia Hamill
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Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project VIRGINIA HAMILL BIDDLE Interviewed by: Self Initial interview date: November 23, 1994 Copyright 1999 A ST TABLE OF CONTENTS Early years Born in Omaha Nebraska$ raised in St. Joseph Missouri Briarcliff Manor (finishing school) Married in 1930 Bermuda 194.-1940 1eceptionist at 2.S. consulate Consulate staff and duties Environment Social life Sir Anthony Eden President Truman visit Father Trimble 5ombey dances Sea Cloud Tangier Morocco 1940-1949 Travel to Tangier Duke de 1ichelieu Environment Staff Duties Tangier history Abd-el-6rim Housing Marrakesh 7isit to Madrid Casablanca 8ater shortage Bull fight 1amadan Social life 1 :auen visit 1abat Touring 7isit to Italy 5ibraltar visit 1eturn to 2.S. 8ashington DC - Home Leave 1949 Tea at Blair House Paris France - Passport Clerk 1949-1954 2SIS Ambassador David Bruce Evangeline Bruce 7isit to Monte Carlo 7isit to Basque country Social life Living in Paris Travels in France Christmas in Malaga 7isit to Luxembourg 7isit to Majorca Friends Home Leave - San Bernardino Tea with Mrs. Truman Paris France (contAd.) Spanish stopover BrotherAs death Personalities Social life Margaret TrumanAs visit 7isit to Algeria 7isit to England Home Leave - Consular Clerk San Francisco Bangkok Thailand - Social Secretary 1954-195. 7oyage Hong 6ong Environment 8at of Lulune visit Angkor 8at visit 2 Phnom Penh visit 1oyalty Living in Bangkok 1ose 6ennedy visit Entertainment Termites Chiang Mai visit Protocol duties Ambassador Peurifoy Mrs. Buentin 1oosevelt visit Social life Penang visit Meeting Helen 6eller Helen 6eller visit to 1angoon Ambassador PeurifoyAs death Saigon visit French leaving 7ietnam Perle MestaAs visit Norbert AnschutC 5ulf of Siam visit Social engagements Ambassador Max Bishop Hong 6ong revisited Jim Thompson 1eturn to 2.S. September 195. Beirut Jerusalem Istanbul 5reece Paris Pasadena California November 195. En 1oute to Palermo Italy SS Independence voyage SS Calabria voyage Palermo Italy - 7isa Clerk Tourism Environment Consul 5eneral 6eeley Death of father Social life Italy visit 3 Tunisia visit Elba visit Sardinia visit 1ose 6ennedy correspondence 1ome Italy - Near East Evacuation Personnel Duties Evacuation of Arab posts Florence visit The Palio 1ome visits Pope Pius :II North Italy visit 1eturn to Sicily Farewell parties Stockholm Sweden March 1959-May 19.1 Consular assistant INTERVIEW Born of a Swedish mother in 1904 in Omaha Nebraska but taken when a baby with older brother and sister to Saint Joseph Missouri an aristocratic little town in the mid-west where childhood was spent until sent away to an Episcopal School 5rafton Hall in Fond du Lac 8isconsin for a year. Then to a girlAs finishing school Briarcliff at Briarcliff Manor in 8estchester county New Dork for two years graduating in 1924 when mother suddenly died in her garden. Shortly after moved with father to Beverly Hills California until sailed for Japan to be married in 1930 to Charles 8. Biddle an executive in the National City Bank of New Dork now known as the Citibank. 8hile living in Honolulu the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. 1emained there until sailed 10 days later for the 2nited States and did war work in 8ashington D.C. After war was over sailed for Bermuda in 194.. 8hen making a courtesy call on the American Consul was launched into the Foreign Service and spent 20 years serving in the posts of Tangier Paris Bangkok Palermo Stockholm Istanbul and finally in the Office of Protocol in the Department of State retiring in 19.. to the island of Palma de Mallorca Spain where lived for 1E years. 1eturned to 8ashington in 19E4 to be with aging sister Mildred Trimble accompanying 4 her every summer to England with the Attingham group to study the historic homes until her death in 19E.. Twilight years now spent writing memoirs which the Foreign Affairs Oral History Program of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Service Institute and 5eorgetown 2niversity requested for their archives. Bermuda - January 194. to July 1940 BermudaFs motto is borrowed from 7irgil: H8hither the Fates Lead 2s.H The Fates had led me to Bermuda. The manager of the Everest where I was to stay was at the dock to meet the Furness liner from New Dork that brought me to Bermuda in mid January 194.. This modest English type hotel had been recommended because the people were kind and the food was good. It had a home life atmosphere and was situated in spacious grounds directly across from the beautiful cathedral a dominating gothic edifice on Church Street. There were not many guests but the few were very congenial. 5radually I became acquainted. The maid called me every afternoon to ask if I would like to have tea with Mr. Porter an elderly gentleman who had been an instructor for years in Japan and translated Japanese poetry. 8e had many interesting chats over our cups of tea preferring to speak of the more esthetic side of the Japanese rather than the horrible havoc they hurled on Honolulu that fatal day of December 0 1941 when I was there. Soon I met Margaret McCollough an attractive Canadian widow who had been living in Monte Carlo until just before the fall of France. 8e became friends at once and our friendship was to last for many years. Then there was Stewart 8ilding a jovial Englishman whose name appealed to me. 8e had fun cycling and picnicking together. Several notes of introduction had been given to me before leaving 8ashington. One was to Mr. Toddings the publisher of the HMid Ocean News H which I presented shortly upon arrival. The very next day after calling on him I found myself in print. Little did I realiCe while we were chatting that my enthusiastic praise of the island was making copy for his paper. How could I have been so naive. But it was all true. Bermuda did seem to me like Tahiti and Hong 6ong wrapped in one and I did believe that I had found what I had been looking for. Always a lover of islands and ever in search of the haven I felt I had found mine especially after witnessing the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that suddenly plunged us into 8orld 8ar II and weary war years working in 8ashington. A note to Sir Howard Trot was also given me. Trot was a name interwoven in the history of the island when a family seat was established in the 10th century at their home 8alsingham. He offered me a job in the office of the Inverery that began its career as a hotel in 1910. Fate stepped in. A courtesy call was made one day at our American consulate a courtesy I knew was required of every traveler abroad. The consul who had a most charming manner 5 was Clay Merrill a tall broad shouldered man dressed in tweeds. During the course of our conversation I just happened to mention that I thought I would like to find a job some where not really having in mind one there. He asked me if I could type. I said that I could and then asked if he would like to see a letter I was fortunate to possess from my brother- in-lawFs father the Honorable South Trimble who had been for forty years clerk of the House. He read the letter thoughtfully and in a few minutes looked up and with a lovely economy of words said HSee my secretary Lilly Olsen.H So I went into her office where she began to iron out the logistical details of salary. Before I knew it I had been given a job in the consulate. 8ith the innocence of the proverbial lamb I had suddenly embarked upon a career in the Foreign Service of the 2nited States State Department of which I was only vaguely familiar. But with characteristic optimism thought it might have a future. How little did I know. I had been employed as a local and at a localFs low salary but I was lucky for later the State Department was cutting down staffs in an economy drive and no post could employ 2S citiCens abroad. I was to be receptionist and relieve the colored messenger boy Arnold who had been doing this as part time duty. Never having had previous State Department training I had it all to learn. Now that I had a job my living arrangements became inadequate. The Everest was comfortable for a short while but I knew that I could not rest forever there and it didnFt fit in with my now small salary so I made a change. I moved to 1idlin which was just around the corner on the other side of the cathedral and still in Pembroke parish. There I had a very pleasant room in the home of one of the old Bermudian families the Sutherland Coopers. Three windows looked out upon their green spacious lawn bordered by flower beds. 8hen all of my own things were unpacked and books arranged it looked coCy and cheerful. Mrs. Cooper was a dear. Often flowers from her garden were on my breakfast tray the colored maid brought up to me every morning. The English-Speaking 2nion familiarly known as the ES2 was just next door and after I became a member I could go there for lunch or dinner or have tea with friends. Some days Arnold the messenger boy would bring me a sandwich which I would have sitting on a bench beside the water and watch the little boats ride gracefully at anchor in the port and have a stroll to sample the sea breeCe.