Copyright by Gregory Krauss 2007 - The University of Texas at Austin

own, unofficial descriptions of the Italian left. 44 On July 1, 1960, 45 while Horsey was
on vacation in Austria, Lister took his case to Ambassador Zellerbach; 46 as a result,
the Embassy made some slight modifications in its official policy stance. 47 However,
tension between Lister and his Embassy superiors led the Political Counselor, his
immediate boss, to criticize him in a February 1961 efficiency report for “a lack of
discipline and cooperativeness.” 48
In March, 1961, Roving Ambassador W. Averell Harriman visited Rome.
Lister served as Harriman’s interpreter in conversations with leaders of the Socialist
and Republican parties. 49 Aware that Lister was knowledgeable about Italian politics,
Harriman invited Lister to his hotel to discuss the Italian political situation. 50
Harriman evidently agreed with Lister’s attempts to reach out to the Socialists;
according to Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Harriman “pronounced Lister the only officer in
the Rome Embassy who understood the Communist problem.” 51 Later that year,
Lister’s tour in Rome ended. He returned to Washington, D.C., where he was
informed by the State Department’s Promotion Panel that he had been recommended
for “selection out” of the Foreign Service. 52 Lister’s job was only saved by
intervention from Harriman, although he was still demoted—a consequence which
severely hampered Lister’s career prospects. 53
Lister, however, continued to be involved in the Italian political situation. On
October 16, 1961, Harriman wrote to Lister to tell him that he had mentioned Lister’s
name to Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., then a top advisor to Kennedy. 54 Lister and
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