Attaché
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned ('attached') to the administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Depending on custom, 'attaché' may be modified to correspond to the gender (e.g., 'attachée') or number (e.g., 'attachés').
The term normally denotes an official, under the authority of an Ambassador or other head of a diplomatic mission, who serves either as a diplomat or as a member of the support staff. He monitors various issues related to areas of intervention. To this end, he undertakes the planning for decisions which will be taken and makes all necessary arrangements, manages the agenda, conducts research for the study of particular matters, and acts as representative when necessary.
Sometimes an attaché has special responsibilities or expertise, often specified by that field. Examples include a cultural attaché, labor attaché, legal attaché, military/defense attaché (or more specifically, naval attaché, air attaché), press attaché, agricultural attaché, commercial attaché, and science attaché.
A related use for the term is in the phrase attaché case, similar to a briefcase.
