The Brunauers spent time in Germany on fellowships in 1933 , during the Nazi seizure of power . Returning to the U.S. , Esther Brunauer became an advocate for collective security in opposition to the pacifism of many women 's rights advocates of the period . She headed a National Defense Study Commission that published a study of national defense in 1937 that the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations assessed in 1950 as " largely responsible for converting various pacifist organizations in this country and thus making possible an immediate program of rearmament " . On behalf of the AAUW , she became a key figure in such organizational alliances as the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies and the Women 's Action Committee for Victory and Lasting Peace . She campaigned on behalf of the AAUW for the relaxation of the U.S. Neutrality Acts . In 1941 she authored an attack on isolationism and appeasement , " Relationship of Foreign Policy to National Defense " , that said : Brunauer joined the U.S. State Department in March 1944 where she was responsible for international organizational affairs . She first worked on planning for post-war international cooperation , helping draft plans for the United Nations and United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) . In 1945 she served as an adviser to the U.S. delegation at the conference that founded the United Nations . She was promoted to the rank of minister , the third U.S. woman to hold that State Department rank , and represented the U.S. at preparatory meetings of UNESCO and several of its overseas conferences
conference
United Nations Conference on International Organization
Esther Brunauer