{"record":{"aliases":[],"appointmentIds":["canada-1bd5b43764c08d"],"appointmentsDataset":"https://chanceries.org/diplomats.json","archivalSources":["fisher-finding-aid"],"canonicalUrl":"https://chanceries.org/diplopedia/people/c-s-a-ritchie-116b6543a9/","countrySlug":"canada","entityId":"https://chanceries.org/diplopedia/people/c-s-a-ritchie-116b6543a9/#person","eventIds":[],"expandedParagraphs":["Charles Stewart Almon Ritchie joined External Affairs in 1934 and served in London during the Second World War. Later appointments took him to West Germany, the United Nations, Washington, NATO, and the British high commission. He also kept diaries, publishing accounts of diplomatic life including The Siren Years and Storm Signals.","He arrived in Washington in 1962 amid disputes over nuclear weapons and Canadian defence commitments. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, John Diefenbaker briefly recalled him to Ottawa. Ritchie persuaded the prime minister to send him back early, cautioned Canadian officials about public criticism of American policy, and reassured the State Department of Canada’s support."],"id":"canada:c. s. a. ritchie","identifiers":{},"legacyPersonIds":[],"legacyUrl":"https://chanceries.org/diplomat-116b6543a943d7cc3abc.html","name":"C. S. A. Ritchie","notes":[],"paragraphSources":[["ambcanada-bio","fisher-finding-aid"],["ambcanada-bio"]],"profileUrl":"diplomat-116b6543a943d7cc3abc.html","relatedEvents":[],"relatedPeople":[],"relationships":[],"researchStatus":"reviewed","reviewedOn":"2026-10-28","revision":"7dd7b2b9304516ae","sources":[{"accessedOn":"2026-10-28","date":"","id":"ambcanada-bio","locator":"Biography","publisher":"Canadian Ambassadors Alumni Association","title":"Charles Ritchie","type":"institutional-history","url":"https://ambcanada.ca/canadian-diplomacy/ambassadors/charles-ritchie/"},{"accessedOn":"2026-10-28","date":"","id":"fisher-finding-aid","locator":"Ms. Coll. 00626, biographical information, pp. 1–2","publisher":"Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto","title":"Charles Ritchie diaries, 1940–1994","type":"archive","url":"https://fisher.library.utoronto.ca/sites/default/public/finding_aids/ritchie626.pdf"},{"accessedOn":"","date":"","id":"mission-582f8584a0ed8a206911","locator":"","publisher":"","title":"C. S. A. Ritchie — mission record (1962–1966)","type":"Mission record","url":"https://w05.international.gc.ca/CHOMA-CDMCE/Posting/View/2368"},{"accessedOn":"","date":"Accessed 21 October 2026","id":"mission-3c9e89462afdcdc1960d","locator":"Tenure chronology; pre-1989 appointments belong to earlier chancery buildings.","publisher":"","title":"Canadian ambassadors to the United States: roster","type":"Mission record","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ambassadors_of_Canada_to_the_United_States"},{"accessedOn":"","date":"","id":"mission-a9f7dce801fac3a0d88a","locator":"","publisher":"","title":"C. S. A. Ritchie — mission record (1962–1966)","type":"Mission record","url":"https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/visits/canada"}],"topics":["Cuban Missile Crisis","nuclear defence","diplomatic diaries"]},"schemaVersion":1}