Henry J. Tasca
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Henry Joseph Tasca (August 23, 1912 – August 22, 1979) was an American diplomat during the 1960s and 1970s as well as an author.


Early life

Tasca was born in
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
, Rhode Island. He would get an undergraduate degree from Temple University and later receive both master's and
doctoral A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, although he did spend some time studying at the London School of Economics. He would also serve as an officer during World War II, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander.


Political career

Tasca began his career at the
State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
in 1937 as an economic analyst. He went on to serve as the Treasury Department's representative to the U.S. embassy in Rome from 1945 to 1948, and later took on a roll as adviser to Ambassador
W. Averell Harriman William Averell Harriman (November 15, 1891July 26, 1986), better known as Averell Harriman, was an American Democratic politician, businessman, and diplomat. The son of railroad baron E. H. Harriman, he served as Secretary of Commerce un ...
. He would then be assigned to South Korea in 1953, before ultimately returning to Europe. Tasca served as the United States Ambassador to Morocco from 1965 to 1969 and to Greece from 1969 to 1974. During his time as ambassador to the
Greek junta The Greek junta or Regime of the Colonels, . Also known within Greece as just the Junta ( el, η Χούντα, i Choúnta, links=no, ), the Dictatorship ( el, η Δικτατορία, i Diktatoría, links=no, ) or the Seven Years ( el, η Ε ...
, he would find difficulty contacting Dimitrios Ioannidis, known then as 'The Invisible Dictator' of the country. At first Tasca was uncertain if the Greek government held true authority, but after meeting Ionnidis, Tasca reported back to the U.S. and shared with the British counterparts that he found the Greek leader hawkish and recommended using access to military aid as a means to manage the state. Tasca reportedly opposed Henry Kissinger on the issue of overthrowing
Makarios III Makarios III ( el, Μακάριος Γ΄; born Michael Christodoulou Mouskos) (Greek: Μιχαήλ Χριστοδούλου Μούσκος) (13 August 1913 – 3 August 1977) was a Cypriot politician, archbishop and primate who served as ...
during the
1974 Cypriot coup d'état The 1974 Cypriot coup d'état was a military coup d'état sponsored by the Greek Army in Cyprus, the Cypriot National Guard and the Greek junta, Greek military junta. On 15 July 1974 the coup plotters removed the sitting President of Cyprus, Arch ...
and suggested that the
Sixth Fleet The Sixth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy operating as part of United States Naval Forces Europe. The Sixth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. The officially stated mission of the Sixth Fleet in ...
intervene to prevent the subsequent Turkish invasion of Cyprus. He would resign that same year from the State Department while expressing a desire to publish a book naming the agents of the
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
who had urged Ioannidis to overthrow Georgios Papadopoulos. Tasca's reappointment as ambassador to Greece by Nixon was secured by the March 1973 pledging of hush money for Watergate defendants by Tasca friend Thomas Pappas, an American oil executive. In 1976 Tasca would be called before the
House intelligence committee The United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), also known as the House Intelligence Committee, is a committee of the United States House of Representatives, currently chaired by Adam Schiff. It is the primary committ ...
to provide off the record testimony during which he confirmed that the Greek Junta had made campaign contributions to the Nixon- Agnew election fund.


Death

Tasca died in an automobile accident near Lausanne,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
in August 1979, another vehicle having collided into him at an intersection, while driving with his, then 15-year-old, son John. He was survived by his wife and five children, although one daughter had died before him. Tasca was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Eight years following his death, Tasca's son would accuse
Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presiden ...
of Tasca's death.


Publications

* ''The Reciprocal Trade Policy of the United States : A Study in Trade Philosophy'' (Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania, 1938) * ''World Trading Systems : A Study of American and British Commercial Policies'' (Paris : League of Nations, 1939)


References

1912 births 1979 deaths Temple University alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II 20th-century American diplomats Politicians from Providence, Rhode Island {{US-diplomat-stub Ambassadors of the United States to Morocco Ambassadors of the United States to Greece Burials at Arlington National Cemetery 20th-century American writers Writers from Providence, Rhode Island United States Navy officers 20th-century American male writers Road incident deaths in Switzerland