The meaning of ambassadorship for scholars lies at the heart of the Fulbright program. As participants in a scheme that straddled the worlds of education and diplomacy, scholars were expected to act as unofficial ambassadors for their education systems, the program itself, and their country of origin. Yet the requirements and boundaries of this role were not always clear-cut. Unlike government representatives on foreign soil, who had strict protocols to guide their behavior in a range of social and political contexts, Fulbright scholars had to work things out for themselves, in both casual social situations and formal, public fora. In the early years, the scheme's reputation rested on the success (or otherwise) of the participating scholars. Initial impressions were crucial at a time when there was growing suspicion around the world of the true motives of the United States in promoting educational exchange. Australia's experience as one of the first countries to participate in the global Fulbright program reveals the often fraught and haphazard nature of those early years for Fulbright scholars and program administrators. The meaning of ambassadorship for academics emerged gradually as the scheme became established. Here, we show how the political context, new understandings about gender and race, and the experiences of the scholars themselves together recast the program's ambassadorial dimension in