George Curtis Moore (September 7, 1925 – March 2, 1973) was an American diplomat who was assassinated during a

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

attack on the Saudi embassy in

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

Diplomatic career in Sudan

Moore was the principal foreign service officer in the United States Interest Section in Khartoum. The U.S. Embassy closed in 1967 during the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...

. A U.S. Interest Section was established in the Netherlands embassy. Moore, a career foreign service officer, was assigned to the U.S. Interest Section as Principal Officer in July, 1969. He was an Arabist by training. Upon the re-opening of the U.S. Embassy on July 25, 1972, Moore became Chargé d'Affaires ad interim, which is the title given to the person acting as interim ambassador.

Assassination

On March 1, 1973,

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

terrorists with

Black September Black September ( ar, أيلول الأسود; ''Aylūl Al-Aswad''), also known as the Jordanian Civil War, was a conflict fought in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan between the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF), under the leadership of King Hussein ...

stormed the Saudi Embassy during a farewell reception for Moore. Several ambassadors, including the Soviet, British, and French ambassadors and the

Papal Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international org ...

, escaped. The French ambassador escaped by climbing the embassy walls. The next day, Moore was shot to death. Newly arrived U.S. Ambassador

Cleo A. Noel, Jr. Cleo Allen Noel Jr. (August 6, 1918 – March 2, 1973) was a United States ambassador to Sudan who was murdered by the Black September (group), Black September Palestinian terrorist organization in the 1973 attack on the Saudi embassy in Khar ...

and Belgian Chargé d'Affaires Guy Eid were also murdered. The terrorists surrendered and were sentenced to jail. They were deported prior to serving their sentences. Moore is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

References

1925 births Assassinated American diplomats Kidnapped diplomats Kidnapped American people Terrorism deaths in Sudan American terrorism victims American people murdered abroad 1973 deaths People murdered in Sudan Deaths by firearm in Sudan Victims of the Black September Organization African-American diplomats American diplomats Burials at Arlington National Cemetery 1973 murders in Sudan Terrorist incidents in Sudan in the 1970s American expatriates in Sudan 20th-century African-American people {{US-diplomat-stub

Diplomatic career in Sudan

Assassination

See also

References