After law school, Johnson became a lawyer in New York City with Davies, Auerbach, Cornell & Barry. On June 18, 1912, the
U.S. Department of State announce that Johnson was one of the successful candidates. While in England, Johnson was presented to the
King George V and
Queen Mary, attended various royal affairs, and had an interesting conversation with Prince Albert. In February 1913, newspapers in the United States, Canada, and England reported that 24-year-old Johnson was left in charge of the London embassy with just six months experience due to the death of first secretary Reid and the resignation of second secretary Cressen. This was of concern because Johnson would then have been responsible for negotiating treaties with Great Britain, including the six power loan to China and the
Panama Canal free tolls.
Ottoman Empire In May 1914, he was transferred to the Constantinople embassy for the
Ottoman Empire where he was also Third Secretary. He reported in Constantinople on July 4, 1914. This was on the eve of
World War I and Turks was contemplating siding with Germany—Johnson noted the number of German soldiers in Turkish uniforms was increasing. He wrote, "When the Ambassador
Henry Fletcher found that I could not speak or type Spanish, in which he was fluent, he gave me 50 pages in Spanish to translate and type. When I came to, several weeks later, I knew something of both." However, Fletcher was replaced with Ambassador
Joseph Shea, who not only did not know Spanish, but also had no experience in diplomacy. As a result, Johnson did most of the work. He became the acting chief of the division of Latin American Affairs for the Department of State. However, with responsibility for so many countries, he frequently worked into the night.
Belgium and Sweden In 1920, he became the first secretary of the embassy in
Brussels, Belgium. While there, he dined with the Queen of Holland, the King and Queen of Spain. In early 1922, he was transferred to
Stockholm, Sweden, where he was the first secretary of the American legation.
Spain However, he moved on to
Madrid, Spain in 1923. Unfortunately, his working relationship with Ambassador
Alexander P. Moore was strained—Johnson said that Moore, who had been married to the late
Lillian Russell, was a name-dropper who "worshipped royalty and entertained them continually."
France In 1924, he became the first secretary of the American embassy in
Paris, France. Johnson wrote, "The work was fascinating, covering the European situation resulting from the postwar treaties. I received a commendation from Washington for a long summary of all the treaties France had been a party to since the end of World War I. Johnson was also the bride's witness for the marriage of movie star
Gloria Swanson and the Marquis De La Falaise De La Coudray on January 28, 1925.
Norway In August 1927, he was transferred from Paris, to
Oslo, Norway where he was also the first secretary. Johnson said, "My work in Norway was interesting but not exciting. One of my principal reports went into great detail to show that Norwegian socialism was a comparatively healthy national brand and had no relationship or communication with Communist Russia."
Netherlands In August 1929, he was assigned to serve as the counselor to the legation at
The Hague in the
Netherlands. A counselor ranks next to the ambassador and is the chargé d'affaires in the ambassador's absence. Johnson noted that
Queen Wilhelmina was serious, formal, and "the only woman I remember who completely scared me." Her consort, Prince Henry, was friendly and casual. Since his previous post in Spain, the country had become a republic. This time, the ambassador was
Claude Bowers, a
Jeffersonian Democrat who supported the Republic even though it was corrupt, and had no use for
General Francisco Franco. From July 20 to July 25, 1936, he was trapped at the Continental Palace hotel without any outside communication, along with 25 others consisting of the American embassy staff, the British ambassador, and the German ambassador. Despite shooting randomly at walls, the soldiers were "polite to foreigners." Ferber noted, "But before Hallett Johnson left San Sebastian, every American was evacuated. He and his staff have done a superb job." Other bombs fell within 150 yards of the U.S. embassy. Part of his duties involved creating economic reports on how this undeveloped country could be helped. Johnson noted the vast difference between the poor and the rich. He was assigned as the consul general, counselor of legation, and chargé d'affaires. Americans were also urged to keep their papers or passports on hand. In addition, the country was under a blackout, and there had been no hot water for two months. However, the Germans did not invade Sweden. Later, Johnson wrote the following, which was published in
The Saturday Evening Post on June 19, 1943'': Most of his work involved the War Supply and Resources Division. As was his practice, he traveled across Costa Rica to get to know the country; he also became friends with president Don
Teodoro Picado Michalski and often went horseback riding with him. Johnson also studied Spanish so that he could give a speech to the Costa Rican Congress in their language. He also met monthly with an advisory committee of American businessmen, as well as with heads of United States government agencies, to improve communication and cooperation.
Other work Johnson continued with the Foreign Service until he retired in 1948. He also undertook a project that involved finding and reporting on confidential agents in Europe. During this trip, he was able to visit past friends such as Prince Bertil in Sweden and Olaf, now King of Norway. He also joined the Citizens Committee for Reciprocal World Trade. == Publications ==