Who is James Retief

James Retief at a Glance 

Jame Retief is the main character in a series of satirical science fiction stories by Keith Laumer. The stories were written over a span of thirty years beginning in the early 1960s, without much regard for chronology or any particular scheme.

Detailing the travails of Jame Retief in the Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne (CDT) the stories have a base in Laumer's experiences in the United States Foreign Service, notably his time as vice consul in Burma in the 1950s. Reorganisations in the Foreign Service both before and after World War II were a source of considerable conflict at the time, as the diplomatic "old guard" were confronted with a new world situation and a new generation of diplomats, men like Laumer, who took a more pragmatic approach to the service. This conflict undoubtedly informs the Retief stories, in which stubborn and often ignorant superiors mired in bureaucracy cause him endless difficulties in the carrying out of his duties.[1]

The first Retief story, Diplomat At Arms, appeared in the magazine Fantastic Stories of Imagination in January 1960.

History, Skills, and Appearance
Retief himself is described only in the broadest of terms. His history is never recounted, and very little is revealed about his life prior to joining the CDT. He apparently holds a rank of minor nobility on a planet ruled by a feudal-style aristocracy,[2] but his motivations for joining the CDT are never explained. His physical appearance is rarely described in anything but the broadest terms (for example, in "Retief's War," it is stated that he is 6'3" tall), though his activities within the stories indicate that he is physically fit and quite athletic, with unusual upper-body strength. In the various stories, Retief can be found swimming, skiing, mountain climbing, scuba diving, combat driving, and piloting various types of air- and spacecraft. He also shows a wide knowledge of history, art, languages, and politics, usually beyond that of his superiors in the CDT.

According to Jan Strnad, who adapted several Retief stories into a comic book series published by Mad Dog Comics in the mid-80s, Laumer informed him that he had always pictured Retief as having black hair, and looking somewhat like Cary Grant. Laumer also indicated that he was displeased with the covers of the mid-80s Baen Books reprintings of the Retief books, since they presented Retief as a blond-haired character.

In many of the stories Retief is shown to have a taste for fine wine, though he doesn't hesitate to down a prospector's homemade booze if offered. He also enjoys fine cigars and fine food as well. One also notices that women in the storylines tend to fall for him even if they are taken already, and he behaves more like a gentleman than anyone while simultaneously being the most uncouth by disregarding Corps protocol.

The origins of the character's name are likely South African: Retief is a surname found only in South Africa. During an interview with Paul Walker (found in "Speaking of Science Fiction", 1972), Laumer states

Inadvertently, I dredged the name Retief up from the depths of my subconscious; I could taste the flavor of the name, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I thought of various place names such as Tenerife and Recife and finally Retief popped into my mind. Many years later, Jack Gaughan pointed out to me that an actual historical character named Retief had lived in South Africa and had been massacred by the Zulus and been mentioned in a H. Rider Haggard novel, "Marie". I had read the book but had no conscious recollection of it.

Themes
In the course of the stories, Retief encounters and resolves problems, usually between multiple parties, on numerous worlds. Whether establishing new missions on alien worlds, dealing with the clash of self-determination with established interests, preventing war, or solving cultural clashes, the devil is in the detail. He is a cunning, fast-thinking, smooth-talking, tough brawler, solving problems through the rapid application of clever dealing, judicious violence, and complete disregard for the directives of the Corps and his immediate superiors. In contrast, most of his fellow diplomats in the CDT are protocol-obsessed, petty, small-minded, arrogant, ignorant, cowardly, and notoriously corrupt. Naturally Retief's career in the CDT is often stalled and he is very poorly regarded by his peers. The only member of the CDT who has any respect whatsoever for Retief's resourcefulness (grudging though it may be) is Retief's immediate superior, a feckless, pencil-pushing career bureaucrat named Ben Magnan who often ends up in the field with Retief.

Many stories begin with a quote from the official CDT history, praising the Corps' high-minded ideals and giving all the credit for the triumph in the following story to anyone other than Retief. Targets of bureaucratic excess skewered by Laumer include hair-splitting diplomatic protocol (often represented by required dress - the early late evening hemidemisemi-formalwear, for example), meaningless awards (the fig leaf with clusters), the Cold War (the alien race known as the Groaci are direct analogues for the USSR in many stories), and a panoply of excruciatingly-nuanced facial expressions, catalogued by number in the official CDT handbook, and exemplified in the following quote:

" "A most perceptive observation, Chester," Earlyworm said, bestowing a 24-w (Gracious Condescension) leavened with a hint of 7-y (Expectation of Great Things in Due Course) on the lucky bureaucrat, at which his fellow underlings around the table were quick to bombard him with approbation, ranging from Faintlady's 12.7-x (Knew You Had It In You, Fella) to Felix's more restrained 119-a (We're All Pulling For You, Lad), to which he responded with a shy 3-v (Modest Awareness of Virtue).
"In fact," Earlyworm interjected a Cold Return to Objectivity (91-s) into the lightning interplay of ritual grimacing...
"

Connections to the Bolo series
The Retief stories seem to have a loose connection to the Bolo stories, also created by Laumer. Several Retief stories make references to the Concordiat of the Bolo series (There are hints that the Concordiat had ceased to exist by the time of Retief). There are also brief references of technology mentioned in the Bolo works. In the Retief story "Courier", a Bolo tank makes an appearance. However, it is not known whether or not Laumer intended for both series to be treated as one universe, or just have similar elements.

Quote
" "Retief..." Hidebinder glared across the table. "I'm not going to press civil charges... However, I may as well tell you at once - your future with the Corps is non-existent. A trifling embezzlement of official funds, I could wink at. Embellished reports, slack performance of duty, cowardice in the face of the enemy - these I could shrug off as youthful peccadilloes. But foot-dragging in the carrying out of Corps policy-" his fist thumped the desk. "Intolerable!" "

List of Retief stories
Envoy to New Worlds (1963)
Galactic Diplomat (1965)
Retief's War (1966)
Retief and the Warlords (1968)
Retief of the CDT (1971)
Retief: Emissary to the Stars (1975)
Retief at Large (1978)
Retief Unbound (1979)
Retief: Diplomat at Arms (1982)
Retief to the Rescue (1983)
The Return of Retief (1984)
Retief (1986)
Retief in the Ruins (1986)
Retief and the Pangalactic Pageant of Pulchritude (1986)
Reward for Retief (1989)
Retief and the Rascals (1993)
Retief! (collection, ed. Eric Flint) (2002)[3]