| Henry J. Tasca | |
| Birth Place: | Providence, Rhode Island |
| Birth Date: | 23 August 1912 |
| Resting Place: | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Successor2: | Stuart W. Rockwell |
| Predecessor2: | John H. Ferguson |
| Successor1: | Jack B. Kubisch |
| Predecessor1: | Phillips Talbot |
| Death Place: | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Ambassador From1: | United States |
| Termend2: | 1969 |
| Termstart2: | 1965 |
| Termstart1: | 1969 |
| Termend1: | 1974 |
| Country2: | Morocco |
| Country1: | Greece |
| Ambassador From2: | United States |
| Nationality: | American |
| Rank: | Lieutenant Commander |
| Branch: | United States Navy |
| Battles: | World War II |
| Birth Name: | Henry Joseph Tasca |
| Honorific Prefix: | Ambassador |
| Alma Mater: |
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Henry Joseph Tasca (August 23, 1912 – August 22, 1979)[1] [2] was an American diplomat during the 1960s and 1970s, as well as an author.
Tasca was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He would get an undergraduate degree from Temple University and later receive both master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, although he did spend some time studying at the London School of Economics.[3]
He would also serve as an officer during World War II, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander.[4] [5]
Tasca began his career at the State Department 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. 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, he would find difficulty contacting Dimitrios Ioannidis, known then as 'The Invisible Dictator' of the country.[6] 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.[7]
Tasca reportedly opposed Henry Kissinger on the issue of overthrowing Makarios III during the 1974 Cypriot coup d'état and suggested that the Sixth Fleet 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 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.[8] In 1976 Tasca would be called before the House intelligence committee to provide off the record testimony during which he confirmed that the Greek Junta had made campaign contributions to the Nixon-Agnew election fund.[9]
Tasca died in an automobile accident near Lausanne, Switzerland in August 1979, another vehicle having collided into him at an intersection, while driving with his, then 15-year-old, son John.[10] 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 of Tasca's death.