Jan Ruiter Jordaan

Jan Ruiter Jordaan studied arts and economics at Stellenbosch and entered public service in 1927. His early diplomatic work took him to The Hague, Hamburg, Paris, London, and Washington. As secretary of the South African legation in Washington during the Second World War, he dealt directly with the financial arrangements governing American supplies to South Africa. ^{4, 2}

In June 1943, Jordaan explained to State Department official Theodore Achilles why Pretoria considered its contribution to the Allied war effort greater than American discussions of reciprocal aid suggested. South Africa, he said, had agreed to transfer gold to Britain equal in value to the American goods it received through Lend-Lease. Those payments helped sustain Britain’s foreign exchange resources, and Pretoria regarded the supplies as assistance to the wider British war effort. ²

In May 1944 Jordaan conveyed his government’s acceptance of a switch to cash payment, effective from 15 February. He sought clarification about equipment supplied through Britain, orders placed before the cutoff but delivered later, and the continued use of American procurement machinery. He also asked to amend the proposed agreement’s preamble to acknowledge the assistance already received. ³

Jordaan is recorded as chargé d’affaires ad interim in Washington on 7 May 1945. His later career included service as a deputy representative at the United Nations, high commissioner in Ottawa, and ambassador in Brussels. In November 1960 South Africa announced his appointment as ambassador in Paris. ^{1, 4}