Derian, Patricia (“PATT”)

   Assistant secretary of state for human rights under President Jimmy Carter (1977–1981). Born in New York City, she became a registered nurse and then moved to Jackson, Mississippi. There, in the 1960s, she became a civilrights activist and was threatened by the Ku Klux Klan. She served as Democratic National Committeewoman in Mississippi in 1968, ran George McGovern’s presidential-election campaign in the state in 1972, and served as deputy director of Carter’s national election campaign in 1976. When Carter took office in January 1977, pledging to defend human rights throughout the world, he appointed her coordinator of the revived Bureau of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, a State Department position. Within the year, she was promoted from coordinator to assistant secretary.

   Derian was an outspoken critic of human-rights violators, and her commitment to the issue put her at odds with others in the State Department. The Bureau was often ignored or ridiculed. Her most vocal critics were Richard Holbrooke, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Terence Todman, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, both of whom accused her of promoting human rights to the detriment of national security or economic considerations. Meanwhile, finding it difficult to apply a human-rights policy across the board, the Carter administration adopted a case-by-case approach, and in some countries—most notably China—made human rights secondary to other foreign-policy objectives.

   By January 1978 the policy was largely applied to Latin America alone. Derian made several trips to Argentina, vehemently protesting the desaparecidos and raising the issue of torture. She lobbied for the release of Jacobo Timerman, who later credited her with saving many lives. But despite her agency’s opposition and congressional legislation, she was dismayed that some types of military aid (spare parts and support equipment) continued to flow into Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and other countries with dismal human-rights records. In 1980 the Carter administration considered renewing military aid to Argentina, hoping to win its cooperation in the U.S.-led grain embargo against the Soviet Union. Derian said she would resign if military aid was restored. The administration decided against the aid, and she remained in her position. Her influence, however, continued to diminish.