John Gordon Mein

American diplomat (1913–1968)
John Gordon Mein
United States Ambassador to Guatemala
In office
September 22, 1965 – August 28, 1968
PresidentLyndon B. Johnson
Preceded byJohn O. Bell
Succeeded byNathaniel Davis
Personal details
BornSeptember 10, 1913
DiedAugust 28, 1968(1968-08-28) (aged 54)
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Resting placeRock Creek Cemetery
Washington, D.C., U.S.
ProfessionDiplomat

John Gordon Mein (September 10, 1913 – August 28, 1968) was the first United States ambassador to be assassinated while serving in office.[1]

Early career

John Gordon Mein was born on September 10, 1913 in Cadiz, Kentucky. He graduated from Georgetown College in Kentucky, and later went on to earn his LL.B. from George Washington University and some graduate work at American University.[2] Mein joined the Foreign Service in 1942. He worked in Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Oslo, Jakarta, and Manila. In Manila, Mein was a counselor at the US Embassy, with the personal rank of Minister. He was also the one-time director of the Office of Southwest Pacific Affairs. From 1953 to 1954, Mein attended the National War College. On January 20, 1963, Mein was assigned as Deputy Chief of Mission in Rio de Janeiro.[2]

In 1959, Mein was presented with the Meritorious Honor Award.[2]

Ambassadorship and assassination

Mein served as the United States Ambassador to Guatemala during the Guatemalan Civil War. It was during his tenure that alleged U.S.-backed state terrorism which started after the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état greatly accelerated with forced disappearances and massacres.[3] He was shot by rebels belonging to the Rebel Armed Forces (FAR) one block from the U.S. consulate on Avenida Reforma in Guatemala City on August 28, 1968. U.S. officials believed that FAR intended to kidnap him in order to negotiate an exchange, but instead they shot him when he attempted to escape.[4] The rebels had killed two U.S. military aides prior to the assassination of Mein.[5]

Emilio Arenales Catalán, Guatemala's Foreign Minister, eulogized Mein as having "extraordinary qualities as a diplomat who always respected the rights of others, for being a sincere friend of Guatemala and for the interest that he always demonstrated in the democracy, stability and progress of Guatemala and its people."[2]

Mein is buried at Rock Creek Cemetery, in Washington, D.C. The cover of the September 1968 edition of the State Department Newsletter is dedicated to commemorating him.[6] Mein was also memorialized in the Department's Diplomatic Lobby along with other Foreign Service personnel that have died in the line of duty.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Eight Bullets in Guatemala". Life. September 6, 1968. p. 52A.
  2. ^ a b c d "Ambassador Mein Assassinated in Guatemala". Department of State Newsletter (89): 2–4. September 1968 – via Hathitrust.
  3. ^ Bevins, Vincent (2020). The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World. PublicAffairs. pp. 217–218. ISBN 978-1541742406.
  4. ^ "Information Memorandum From the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Vaky) to Secretary of State Rusk". Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968. XXXI, South and Central America. U.S. Dept. of State, Office of the Historian. August 29, 1968.
  5. ^ "The Assassination of Ambassador John Gordon Mein, Guatemala, 1968". Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. 2013-08-26. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  6. ^ "Department of State Newsletter". Department of State Newsletter (89). September 1968 – via Hathitrust.
  7. ^ "Mein's Name To Be Added to Memorial". Department of State Newsletter: 27. November 1968 – via Hathitrust.
  • Foreign Service Life
  • The Political Graveyard
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Guatemala
September 22, 1965 – August 28, 1968 		Succeeded by