“What we’re seeing in the diplomatic corps right now is fear,” John Dinkelman, president of the American Foreign Service Association, told NBC News.

Late last month, an alarming email landed in the inboxes of American diplomats stationed around the world.

“We are operating in uncharted territory,” it began. “The environment facing the Foreign Service today is unlike anything we’ve seen.”

The message was sent by the union that represents the State Department’s workforce, and it warned of the risks of offering candid advice or objective assessments in the second Trump era.

Diplomats posted at embassies abroad are being called back from their assignments “after providing less-than-positive analysis or unwelcome recommendations to leadership,” according to the Aug. 28 email, which has not been previously reported.