Lee's first teaching job was at American University in Washington, D.C. His students included Tom Shales, who later won a Pulitzer for his TV criticism, and Rona Cherry, who became Executive Editor of Glamour Magazine. During his two years at American University, Lee also became the assistant director of the Washington Journalism Center, working with Director Ray Hiebert to launch a new Kiplinger seminar program for American journalists. He also wrote his first successful novel, Caught in the Act, about an American journalist forced to run for his life in Spain, and edited a non-fiction book, Diplomatic Persuaders, a collection of essays on international information agencies. John also worked as a photographer for the Denver Post (years unknown) but prior to teaching at WVU. He taught Photojournalism at West Virginia University in 1964 and 1965 and possibly 1966.