John Gordon Mein (September 10, 1913 – August 28, 1968) was the first United States ambassador to be

assassinated Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

while serving in office. Mein served as the

United States Ambassador to Guatemala The following is a list of ambassadors of the United States, or other chiefs of mission, to Guatemala. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently ''Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.'' See ...

during the

Guatemalan Civil War The Guatemalan Civil War was a civil war in Guatemala fought from 1960 to 1996 between the government of Guatemala and various leftist rebel groups. The government forces have been condemned for committing genocide against the Maya population of ...

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

1954 Guatemalan coup d'état The 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état was the result of a CIA covert operation code-named PBSuccess. It deposed the democratically elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz and ended the Guatemalan Revolution of 1944–1954. It installed the mi ...

greatly accelerated with forced disappearances and massacres. He was shot by rebels belonging to the

Rebel Armed Forces The Rebel Armed Forces ( es, Fuerzas Armadas Rebeldes, FAR) was a Guatemalan guerrilla organization established in 1961 and lasting until the peace agreements in 1996. In the late 1960s, the Guatemalan government began a United States-backed cou ...

(FAR) one block from the U.S. consulate on

Avenida Reforma Avenida Reforma ("Reform Avenue") is a main boulevard in the east-center part of Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala. It is considered one of the main thoroughfares of Guatemala City. It is in length, and has an average width of from sidewa ...

Guatemala City Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, ne ...

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. The rebels had killed two U.S. military aides prior to the assassination of Mein. He 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 neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. It is across the stre ...

, in Washington, D.C.

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Foreign Service Life
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 {{US-diplomat-stub

See also

References

External links