In December 1910, Palmer joined the United Statesconsular service as a consular assistant, and was later posted to Mexico City and Bucharest. With the establishment of the United States Foreign Service in 1924, pursuant to the Rogers Act, Palmer became one of the original class of foreign service officers; he was thereafter sent to Madrid, Paris, Jerusalem, and Sydney. From Sydney, Palmer was posted to Afghanistan, in 1945. He proceeded to serve as the United States minister to Afghanistan, from 1945 to 1948; thus, upon the elevation of the legation to an embassy, he became the first United States Ambassador to Afghanistan, which lasted for a few months. Like President Harry S. Truman, who nominated him, Palmer found Afghanistan to be "a fascinating country". His successor, Louis G. Dreyfus, took office in 1949. Following his time in Afghanistan, Palmer succeeded Paul A. Porter as the representative of the United States on the United Nations Conciliation Commission, in October 1949; President Harry S. Truman approved his decision in November; and Palmer began work within a week. During the course of his appointment, Palmer met with diplomats and stakeholders to try to find a solution for the Arab-Israeli conflict. He also served as the chairman of the commission, starting in January 1950. Amidst a diplomatic impasse, he had to convince French diplomat Claude Bréart de Boisanger in matters regarding remuneration for Palestinian refugees, a position rejected by Dean Acheson; ultimately, even the study of possible compensation was tabled in fanciful hopes of more negotiation. All the same, Palmer considered the question of compensation to be the most pressing matter, and many of his actions as chairman would attempt to resolve this issue; even as it became clear to both the Israelis and the Arab League, as James Grover McDonald noted, that the Commission was rather ineffective, and disliked by both sides. In the end, over the warnings of John Blandford Jr., a conference in Paris was organized in an attempt to facilitate peace negotiations and to investigate the possibility of compensation. Held from September 1951 to November 1951, it failed to produce any progress, in either monies or peace. Thus, without support from his superiors, Palmer's term as the American representative on the Commission proved to be rather ineffectual; and his work proved to be for naught. At the time, under the Foreign Service Act of 1946, career diplomats of certain prominence could retire, but only at the rank of Career Minister: and Palmer did so, retiring from the Foreign Service, at the rank of Career Minister, on July 31, 1952. At that point, he retired to his ranch in California.
Personal life
Palmer married Mrs. Eno Ham Johnson in June 1913; his Canadian-born wife would follow him from posting to posting. She predeceased him in 1961. Their son George went into the Foreign Service as well: George Palmer served in Spain, Panama, Canada, and Mexico. George also predeceased Palmer, in 1976. Both before and after retiring, Palmer was known for his acquaintance with Eugene Ormandy. Throughout his career, he also collected autographs. Ely Eliot Palmer died on August 12, 1977, in San Bernardino, California.
