John Gordon Mein (September 10, 1913 – August 28, 1968) was an American diplomat who served as the United States ambassador to Guatemala. He was the first United States ambassador to be

assassinated Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

while serving in office.

Early career

John Gordon Mein was born on September 10, 1913, in

Cadiz, Kentucky Cadiz ( ) is a home rule-class city and the county seat of Trigg County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,540 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Clarksville metropolitan area. Cadiz is a historic town located close to Lake Ba ...

. He graduated from Georgetown College in Kentucky, and later went on to earn his LL.B. from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

and some graduate work at

American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...

. Mein joined the

Foreign Service Foreign Service may refer to: * Diplomatic service, the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country * United States Foreign Service, the diplomatic service of the United States government **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 In the United States, the National War College (NWC) is a school within the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National ...

. On January 20, 1963, Mein was assigned as

Deputy Chief of Mission A deputy chief of mission (DCM, in Europe the term deputy head of mission – DHoM or DHM is used instead) is the number-two diplomat assigned to an embassy or other diplomatic mission. The deputy chief of mission is usually considered the second ...

in Rio de Janeiro. In 1959, Mein was presented with the

Meritorious Honor Award The Meritorious Honor Award is an award of the United States Department of State. Similar versions of the same award exist for the former U.S. Information Agency, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and USAID. It is presented to groups or indi ...

Ambassadorship and assassination

Mein served as the United States Ambassador to Guatemala during the

Guatemalan Civil War The Guatemalan Civil War was fought from 1960 to 1996 between the government of Guatemala and various Left-wing politics, leftist rebel groups. The Guatemalan government forces committed Guatemalan genocide, genocide against the Maya population o ...

. It was during his tenure that alleged U.S.-backed state terrorism which started after the

1954 Guatemalan coup d'état The 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état () deposed the democratically elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz and marked the end of the Guatemalan Revolution. The coup installed the military dictatorship of Carlos Castillo Armas, the first in ...

greatly accelerated with

forced disappearances An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person with the support or acquiescence of a State (polity), state followed by a refusal to acknowledge the person's fate or whereabouts with the i ...

and massacres. 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 Guatemala City (, also known colloquially by the nickname Guate), is the Capital city, national capital and largest city of the Guatemala, Republic of Guatemala. It is also the Municipalities of Guatemala, municipal capital of the Guatemala Depa ...

on August 28, 1968. U.S. officials believed that FAR intended to kidnap him in order to negotiate an

exchange Exchange or exchanged may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Exchange (film), or ''Deep Trap'', 2015 South Korean psychological thriller * Exchanged (film), 2019 Peruvian fantasy comedy * Exchange (TV program), 2021 Sou ...

, but instead they shot him when he attempted to escape. The rebels had killed two U.S. military aides prior to the assassination of Mein.

Emilio Arenales Catalán Emilio Arenales Catalán (May 10, 1922 – April 17, 1969) was the foreign minister of Guatemala from 1966 to 1969 and the president of the United Nations Twenty-Third General Assembly from 1968 to 1969. He was born and died in Guatemala City. Bi ...

, 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." Mein is buried at

Rock Creek Cemetery Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth (Washington, D.C.), Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across ...

, in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The cover of the September 1968 edition of the State Department Newsletter is dedicated to commemorating him. Mein was also memorialized in the Department's Diplomatic Lobby along with other Foreign Service personnel that have died in the line of duty.

References

External links

Foreign Service Life
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mein, John Gordon 1913 births 1968 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Guatemala Terrorism deaths in Guatemala Assassinated American diplomats American terrorism victims American people murdered abroad People murdered in Guatemala Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery Deaths by firearm in Guatemala Assassinated ambassadors Politicians killed in wars

Early career

Ambassadorship and assassination

See also

References

External links