Special Protocol Service Section

The Special Protocol Service Section (SPSS) was an organization, within the Department of State, tasked with mitigating the effects of racism towards visiting African diplomats in the United States. Formed by the Kennedy administration in March 1961, the SPSS was primarily concerned with providing housing (and subsequent safe transit) for resident dignitaries.[1][2][3]

Background

Due to the increasing amount of African states proclaiming independence in the 1960s, many new ambassadorial and consular positions were being assigned to Washington, concurrent with the peaked tensions of the Civil Rights movement. Outside of the capital, these dignitaries faced intense harassment and discrimination. Because of this, the SPSS would go on to work closely with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security; a small team of 10 special agents were assigned to the section, who logged 4,000 hours of unpaid overtime in 1962.[4]

The section was led by Pedro Sanjuan, a Cuban-American staffer.[1] Under Sanjuan, the SPSS indexed and monitored the housing situation, eventually publishing a forty page report on the topic. In April of 1961 it was found that of 211 prospective apartment buildings in the D.C. area, only 8 would allow African diplomats to become tenants.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 Uenuma, Francine. "The African Diplomats Who Protested Segregation in the U.S." Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  2. ↑ "FACT SHEET: U.S.-Africa Relations Chronology". Archived from the original on 2025-12-06. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. ↑ "Memorandum: Foreign affairs manual circular, "Responsibilities Related to Special Protocol Services," 25 May 1963 | JFK Library". www.jfklibrary.org. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  4. ↑ United States Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security. (2016). DSS Then and Now: The First Century of the Diplomatic Security Service. https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/255554.pdf
  5. ↑ Times, Peter Braestrup Special To the New York (1962-04-13). "HOUSING BIAS END IN CAPITAL URGED; Williams Leads Move for Laws--Realtors Opposed Realtors Oppose New Laws". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.