(CNN) Just after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's sudden firing Tuesday morning, American diplomats at posts spanning the globe were then increasingly surprised -- and in some cases disturbed -- to receive guidance from Washington telling them not to post or retweet the statement from Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein on how Tillerson was fired by President Donald Trump, according to multiple diplomats who spoke to CNN about the guidance.

Goldstein, part of Tillerson's tight inner circle of aides, had released a statement to the press and then tweeted words that he says came from Tillerson himself on his firing: "The secretary did not speak to the President this morning and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling and not to be regretted."

Goldstein said Tillerson found out he was fired that morning in a tweet from the President; Goldstein himself was then fired after that statement conflicted with the White House's official line that Tillerson was notified by White House chief of staff John Kelly three days earlier in a late-night phone call.

Multiple diplomats tell CNN it was highly unusual to receive guidance from home to avoid retweeting or repeating the official words of their own undersecretary. The State Department declined to comment on the record, but a senior State official who shared the guidance email with CNN said it instructed them to "freeze further amplification of content that features (Secretary Tillerson)" until Tillerson himself delivered remarks later in the day.

Read More