Jump to content

Consulate General of the United States, Thessaloniki: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 40°38′01″N 22°56′33″E / 40.63369°N 22.94246°E / 40.63369; 22.94246
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
GreenC bot (talk | contribs)
Bots
2,342,773 edits
Remove errant Infobox image URL(s) per discussion here
(156 intermediate revisions by 62 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|US consulate for Northern Greece}}
[[image:Seal_front.gif|thumb|US Seal]]
{{Infobox Political post
|post = Consulate General
|body = the United States to Thessaloniki (Greece)
|insignia = U.S. Department of State official seal.svg
|insigniasize = 120
|insigniacaption = Seal of the United States Department of State
|department =
|image =
|caption =
|alt =
|incumbent = Jerrier (Jerry) Ismail
|incumbentsince = August 2023
|style =
|residence =
|appointer =
|appointerpost =
|termlength =
|inaugural = Pericles Hadji Lazzaro
|formation = 1870
|last =
|abolished =
|succession =
|deputy =
|salary =
|website = {{url|https://gr.usembassy.gov}}
}}
The '''Consulate General of the United States in Thessaloniki''' is the focal point for events relating to the United States in northern Greece. The consulate is situated on the 7th floor of a new commercial office building at 43 Tsimiski Street in the city center. The consulate is headed by the Principal Officer and employs local hire individuals.


== Overview ==
== History ==
'''The Consulate General of the United States in [[Thessaloniki]]''', [[Greece]] is the focal point for events relating to the United States in northern [[Greece]]. The Consulate is situated on the 7th floor of a new commercial office building at 43 Tsmiksi Street in the center of town. The Consulate is delegated by the Consul General, an American deputy political officer, along with an American administrative assistant. The consulate employs fifteen local hire employees whose expertise has a broad range: administration, diplomacy, IT systems, political affairs, maintenance, security, and public affairs. Hoyt Brian Yee is the 19th Consul General as of August 2006.


=== Before World War I ===
__TOC__
{{unreferencedsect|date=December 2023}}
Though the exact details concerning the establishment of a consulate in Thessaloniki are sparse, it is a fact that a consular agency was initially established in [[Thessaloniki]] during the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] era, as early as the 1830s, to represent American shipping interests in the northern [[Aegean Sea]]. A Thessalonian named Pericles Hadji Lazzaro later became the first honorary American consular agent in 1870. On June 10, 1908 the agency was upgraded to a [[Consul (representative)|''Consulate'']] status, at which time Evan E. Young was appointed as the first American Consul. Between 1910 and 1911, [[George Horton]] represented the US Consul at [[Salonika]]. During the period of time leading up to [[World War I]], the consulate played a mostly commercial and representational role in Thessaloniki due to the lack of visa requirements for U.S. travel and due to the small number of Americans both living in and passing through the city. Dr. Henry House was one of the few prominent Americans living in Thessaloniki during this period. Dr. House established the American Farm School, which is still in operation today.


=== Impact of the World Wars ===
== History ==
During the 1920s, due to new visa requirements and the restructuring of the city following the [[Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917]], the consulate was characterized by significant growth. Consul James H. Keeley, whose son [[Robert V. Keeley]] would later serve as Ambassador to Greece from 1985 to 1989, was appointed as principal officer of the consulate from 1936 until the outbreak of [[World War II]] in 1939. [[Image:Jewish Roundup2.jpg|thumb|The adult Jewish male population of Thessaloniki being rounded up at Platia Eleftherias by German soldiers]]
The Consular Agency was initially established during the age of the [[Ottoman Empire]] in the early 1830s to represent American shipping interests in the northern [[Aegean Sea]]. In the early 1870s, Pericles Hadji Lazzaro, a Thessalonian, became the first honorary American consular agent. On June 10, 1908 the Agency was upgraded to a “Consulate” status, in which Evan E. Young delegated authority as first American Consul. During the period of time leading up to [[World War I]], the Consulate played a minimal role in [[Thessaloniki]] due to the lack of visa requirements for U.S. travel and due to the fact that there were few Americans passing through the city.

The Germans occupied [[Thessaloniki]] from April 1941 until October 1944 and closed the consulate on July 11, 1941. During this occupation, three of the consulate's Greek employees- David Tiano, Emmanuel Karasso, and John Vafiades – (the two former being of [[Jew]]ish extraction) were all sent to an [[internment|internment camp]] in Thessaloniki. Tiano was executed, while Karasso and Vafiades survived. Following the war, they resumed work at the consulate at its re-opening in 1944. The reception room in the consulate, otherwise known as the David Tiano room, is dedicated to his memory, and the consulate acknowledges his service and sacrifice with an annual David Tiano Lecture.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov/tiano.html |title=First Annual Commemoration Event for David Tiano |website=thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527111151/http://thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov/tiano.html |archive-date=27 May 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov/tiano_2008.html |website=thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov |access-date=12 January 2022 }}</ref>

=== Post World War II years ===
In 1944, following the departure of the German forces, William M. Gwynn assumed the role as Consul and relocated the consulate to 59 Nikis Avenue, where it remained until its most recent move in 1999.

[[Image:MarshallDonkey.jpg|thumb|A donkey carrying U.S.-funded supplies in Greece as part of the Truman Doctrine]]
During the post [[World War II]] years the consulate transformed its role in [[Thessaloniki]], reflecting the evolving relationship between America and Greece. The consulate supported the restoration efforts of the [[American Farm School]] and [[Anatolia College]], both of which had been used as headquarters of the German forces. At this time, Greece was recovering from the devastation of the Second World War and, as the British were not in a position to help, the U.S. filled the void through both the [[Truman Doctrine]] and the closely related [[Marshall Plan]], supporting Greece with roughly $300 million in military and economic aid.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov/marshall_plan.html |title=U.S. Consulate Documentary Commemorating 60 years of Marshall Plan |website=thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527112052/http://thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov/marshall_plan.html |archive-date=27 May 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1952, the consulate was elevated to the rank of [[Consulate General]] and, over the next decade, a strong relationship developed between Thessalonians and the consulate. During the 1960s, the consulate began working with an increasing American business presence in the city which accompanied the [[Greek Economic Miracle]]. The consulate also engaged in sensitive border issues involving Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Albania.

The 1967 [[Greek military junta]] coup and the [[Turkish invasion of Cyprus|Cyprus Crisis]] damaged the American image across Greece. Thus, during the 1970s, the consulate began to focus more on improving public relations through an active outreach program to neighboring provincial cities in northern Greece. This decade was a hectic one for the consulate General as it dealt with several [[drug trafficking]] cases originating in the Middle East and Africa. The former [[U.S. Deputy Secretary of State]], [[John Dimitri Negroponte]], served at the post from 1975 to 1977.

1999 marked a final move to the consulate's present location in a suite on the seventh floor of 43 Tsimiski. At present, the United States has had an official presence in [[Thessaloniki]] for nearly 177 years. There have been 19 Consuls General and 16 Consuls.

=== Principal officers ===
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! Name
! Date
|-
| Consular Agent Pericles Hadji Lazzaro
| 1870 - 1906

|-
| Consul Russel
| 1906 - 1908

|-
| Consul Evan E. Young
| Nov. 1, 1908 - Jan. 29, 1910

|-
| Consul George Horton
| Jan. 30, 1910 - Aug. 5, 1911

|-
| Consul John E. Kehl
| Dec. 12, 1911 - late 1915

|-
| Consul [[Leland B. Morris]]
| late 1915 - 1921

|-
| Consul Fernald
| 1927

|-
| Consul Charles J. Pisar
| 1927 - May 1932

|-
| Consul Paul Bowerman
| June 1932 - 1933 (8 months)

|-
| Consul Harry L. Troutman
| 1933 - 1936

|-
| Consul Hanson
| 1936 (a few months only)

|-
| Consul James H. Keeley
| 1936 - Aug. 1939

|-
| Consul John D. Johnson
| fall 1939 - July 11, 1941
|}
'''Consulate closed by order of German Reich on July 11, 1941'''
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
| Consul William M. Gwynn
| Dec. 14, 1944 - Jan. 30, 1947

|-
| Consul Raleigh A. Gibson
| Jan. 31, 1947 - Oct. 5, 1949

|-
| Consul Glenn A. Abbey
| Feb. 5, 1950 - Sept. 20, 1951

|-
| Consul General John B. Holt
| Sept. 21, 1951 - Jul. 19, 1954
|}
'''In 1952 the consulate was elevated to the rank of Consulate General'''
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
| Consul General [[Murat W. Williams]]
| July 30, 1954 - June 1, 1955

|-
| Consul General [[Philip W. Ireland]]
| Sept. 13, 1955 - Oct. 21, 1958

|-
| Consul General Robert S. Folsom
| Oct. 21, 1958 - Aug. 19, 1964

|-
| Consul General William L. Hamilton
| Oct. 21, 1964 - March 5, 1970

|-
| Consul General A. David Fritzlan
| Mar. 15, 1970 - June 22, 1971

|-
| Consul General Edward T. Brennan
| July 29, 1971 - Oct. 31, 1975

|-
| Consul General John D. Negroponte
| Oct. 28, 1975 - June 30, 1977

|-
| Consul General Dan A. Zachary
| July 13, 1977 - Sept. 15, 1981

|-
| Consul General Michael D. Sternberg
| Sept. 3, 1981 - June 21, 1985

|-
| Consul General A. Donald Bramante
| Aug. 22, 1985 - Aug. 15, 1989

|-
| Consul General Larry C. Thompson
| Aug. 11, 1989 - June 8, 1991

|-
| Consul General James E. Blanford
| July 3, 1991 - May 4, 1994

|-
| Consul General [[Miriam K. Hughes]]
| July 17, 1994 - July 14, 1997

|-
| Consul General Paul D. Stephenson
| July 22, 1997 - June 13, 2000

|-
| Consul General [[John M. Koenig]]
| June 27, 2000 - June 30, 2003

|-
| Consul General Alec L. Mally
| July 2003 - March 2004

|-
| Consul General Demitra M. Pappas
| April 2004 - June 2006

|-
| Consul General Hoyt B. Yee
| August 2006 - July 2009


|-
The period leading up to [[World War II]] was characterized by a growing and better staffed Consulate due to visa requirements, the restructuring of the city following the devastating fire of 1917, and a move to 9 Straitgou Kalari Street provoked by an earthquake in 1932. Consul James H. Keeley served as principal officer at the Consulate until the outbreak of [[World War I]] in 1939.
| Consul General Catherine E. Kay
| August 2009 - June 2012


|-
The Germans occupied [[Thessaloniki]] for nearly four years until October 1944, and closed the Consulate closed on July 11, 1941. Three of the Consulate’s Greek employees of Jewish extraction - David Tiano, Emmanuel Karraso, and John Vafiades - were all sent to concentration camps in [[Thessaloniki]]. Tiano was killed, while Karraaso and Vafiades survived, resuming work at the Consulate at its re-opening in 1944. The reception room in the Consulate, otherwise known as the David Tiano room, is dedicated to his memory, and the present Consulate acknowledges his passing on an annual basis.
| Consul Robert P. Sanders
| September 2012 - July 2015


|-
The period surrounding the two World Wars dramatically changed the face of not only the Consulate, but more significantly the city itself. [[Thessaloniki]] had previously been a melting pot of Muslims, Jews, and Greek orthodox; yet now with the permanent departure of the [[Ottoman Empire]], forced emigration of the city's Muslims and arrival of the minority Orthodox Turks via the 1923 Greek-Turkish population exchanges, and the eradication of 95% of the Thessalonian Jews, Thessaloniki became a majority Greek Orthodox modern metropolis.
| Consul Rebecca A. Fong
| August 2015 - July 2018


|-
In 1944, following the departure of the German forces, William M. Gwynn resumed his position as Consul, and relocated the Consulate to 59 Nikis Avenue where it remained until its final move in 1999.
| Consul Gregory W. Pfleger, Jr.
| August 2018 - July 2020


|-
During the post [[World War II]] years, the Consulate transformed its role in [[Thessaloniki]], reflecting the evolving relationship between America and [[Greece]]. The Consulate supported the restoration efforts of the [[American Farm School]] and [[Anatolia College]], which had both been used as headquarters of German occupation forces during [[World War II]]. At this time, [[Greece]] was recovering from the devastation of the Second World War, and as the British were not in a position to help, the U.S. filled the void through aid entitled in the [[Truman Doctrine]]. Organizations such as [[American Mission for Aid to Greece]] also reflected the growing American presence in the late 1940s. The Consulate provided services for mariners and analyzed the [[Ministry of War Finance Act]], which allowed American servicemen and World War II veterans to bring in fiancees of other nationalities without references to specific quotas.
| Consul Elizabeth K. Lee
| August 2020 -


|}
In 1952, the Consulate was elevated to rank of [[Consulate General]] and over the next decade, a strong relationship developed between Thessalonians and the Consulate where Americans were well recieved and political issues such as the [[Macedonian Question]] had not yet surfaced. During the 1960s, the Consulate began working with an increasing American business presence in the city which accompanied the [[Greek Economic Miracle]]. The Consulate also engaged in sensitive border issues involving [[Bulgaria]], [[Yugoslavia]], and [[Albania]].


== Other noteworthy events and news ==
During the 1970s, the Consulate began to focus more on improving public relations after the 1967 [[Greek military junta]] coup and the Cyprus crisis damaged the American image across [[Greece]] through an active outreach program to neighboring provincial cities in northern [[Greece]]. This decade was was a hectic one for the Consulate General as it dealt with several [[drug trafficking]] cases originating in the [[Middle East]] and [[Africa]].
*The consulate has played a significant role in many high-profile cases such as the [[George Polk]] investigation of 1948. The mysterious death of American journalist George Polk has long bewildered Americans and Greeks alike. Polk, who arrived in Thessaloniki in the spring of 1948, had attempted to contact the leader of the [[Andartes]] resistance group, only to disappear. Polk's body was found having been murdered, execution-style, and speculation and accusations were rampant as to who was responsible for his assassination. The Consul General at the time, Raleigh A. Gibson, invested a considerable amount of time on the case. ''The Salonika Bay Murder: Cold War Politics and the Polk Affair'', a book written by [[Edmund Keeley]], brother to aforementioned [[Robert V. Keeley|Robert Keeley]], critically analyzes the case.
*The consulate has its own competitive [[Association football|football]] team, The Eagles, who claim to be undefeated in official matches.
*In the book ''[[Midnight Express (film)|Midnight Express]]'', based on actual events, [[Billy Hayes (writer)|Billy Hayes]] found asylum at the Consulate General in Thessaloniki following an escape from a prison in [[Istanbul]] in which he had spent almost five years.
*The consulate has received a number of prominent celebrities. Most recently, former [[Massachusetts]] Governor [[Michael Dukakis]] visited the consulate and gave a lecture in 2007; other visitors have included [[Nobel Laureate]] and [[Holocaust]] survivor [[Elie Wiesel]], actress [[Faye Dunaway]], five-time [[Academy Award]] winning [[film director]] [[Francis Ford Coppola]], film director [[Sofia Coppola]], [[production designer]] [[Dean Tavoularis]], former U.S. Secretaries of Defense [[William Cohen]] and [[Donald Rumsfeld]], [[Tipper Gore]], and actress and singer [[Juliette Lewis]].


==References==
1999 marked a final move to its present location in the suite on the seventh floor of 43 Tsimiski.
{{reflist}}


== External links ==
At present, the United States has had an official presence in Thessaloniki for nearly 177 years. There have been 19 Consul Generals and 16 Consuls.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080517060136/http://thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov/ The Consulate General of the United States in Thessaloniki Official Website]
* [http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/04/08/travel/08next.html?ref=travel ''Greek Youth Remake 'Seattle of the Balkans'''. New York Times.]
* [http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/thessaloniki.usconsulate?ref=ts The Consulate General of the United States in Thessaloniki on Facebook]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121111055342/http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=101908705040577243457.00045361cecd6d2add332&ll=40.634318,22.942286&spn=0.003933,0.006866&z=17 Map to the consulate]


{{US diplomatic missions}}
__TOC__


{{coord|40.63369|N|22.94246|E|source:placeopedia|display=title}}
== Official Link ==
http://www.usconsulate.gr


[[Category: Diplomatic missions of the United States]]
[[Category:Diplomatic missions of the United States|Thessaloniki]]
[[Category:Greece–United States relations]]
[[Category:Diplomatic missions in Thessaloniki|United States]]

Revision as of 22:13, 8 August 2024

Consulate General of the United States to Thessaloniki (Greece)
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Jerrier (Jerry) Ismail
since August 2023
Inaugural holderPericles Hadji Lazzaro
Formation1870
Websitegr.usembassy.gov

The Consulate General of the United States in Thessaloniki is the focal point for events relating to the United States in northern Greece. The consulate is situated on the 7th floor of a new commercial office building at 43 Tsimiski Street in the city center. The consulate is headed by the Principal Officer and employs local hire individuals.

History

Before World War I

Though the exact details concerning the establishment of a consulate in Thessaloniki are sparse, it is a fact that a consular agency was initially established in Thessaloniki during the Ottoman era, as early as the 1830s, to represent American shipping interests in the northern Aegean Sea. A Thessalonian named Pericles Hadji Lazzaro later became the first honorary American consular agent in 1870. On June 10, 1908 the agency was upgraded to a Consulate status, at which time Evan E. Young was appointed as the first American Consul. Between 1910 and 1911, George Horton represented the US Consul at Salonika. During the period of time leading up to World War I, the consulate played a mostly commercial and representational role in Thessaloniki due to the lack of visa requirements for U.S. travel and due to the small number of Americans both living in and passing through the city. Dr. Henry House was one of the few prominent Americans living in Thessaloniki during this period. Dr. House established the American Farm School, which is still in operation today.

Impact of the World Wars

During the 1920s, due to new visa requirements and the restructuring of the city following the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917, the consulate was characterized by significant growth. Consul James H. Keeley, whose son Robert V. Keeley would later serve as Ambassador to Greece from 1985 to 1989, was appointed as principal officer of the consulate from 1936 until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.

The adult Jewish male population of Thessaloniki being rounded up at Platia Eleftherias by German soldiers

The Germans occupied Thessaloniki from April 1941 until October 1944 and closed the consulate on July 11, 1941. During this occupation, three of the consulate's Greek employees- David Tiano, Emmanuel Karasso, and John Vafiades – (the two former being of Jewish extraction) were all sent to an internment camp in Thessaloniki. Tiano was executed, while Karasso and Vafiades survived. Following the war, they resumed work at the consulate at its re-opening in 1944. The reception room in the consulate, otherwise known as the David Tiano room, is dedicated to his memory, and the consulate acknowledges his service and sacrifice with an annual David Tiano Lecture.[1][2]

Post World War II years

In 1944, following the departure of the German forces, William M. Gwynn assumed the role as Consul and relocated the consulate to 59 Nikis Avenue, where it remained until its most recent move in 1999.

A donkey carrying U.S.-funded supplies in Greece as part of the Truman Doctrine

During the post World War II years the consulate transformed its role in Thessaloniki, reflecting the evolving relationship between America and Greece. The consulate supported the restoration efforts of the American Farm School and Anatolia College, both of which had been used as headquarters of the German forces. At this time, Greece was recovering from the devastation of the Second World War and, as the British were not in a position to help, the U.S. filled the void through both the Truman Doctrine and the closely related Marshall Plan, supporting Greece with roughly $300 million in military and economic aid.[3]

In 1952, the consulate was elevated to the rank of Consulate General and, over the next decade, a strong relationship developed between Thessalonians and the consulate. During the 1960s, the consulate began working with an increasing American business presence in the city which accompanied the Greek Economic Miracle. The consulate also engaged in sensitive border issues involving Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Albania.

The 1967 Greek military junta coup and the Cyprus Crisis damaged the American image across Greece. Thus, during the 1970s, the consulate began to focus more on improving public relations through an active outreach program to neighboring provincial cities in northern Greece. This decade was a hectic one for the consulate General as it dealt with several drug trafficking cases originating in the Middle East and Africa. The former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, John Dimitri Negroponte, served at the post from 1975 to 1977.

1999 marked a final move to the consulate's present location in a suite on the seventh floor of 43 Tsimiski. At present, the United States has had an official presence in Thessaloniki for nearly 177 years. There have been 19 Consuls General and 16 Consuls.

Principal officers

Name Date
Consular Agent Pericles Hadji Lazzaro 1870 - 1906
Consul Russel 1906 - 1908
Consul Evan E. Young Nov. 1, 1908 - Jan. 29, 1910
Consul George Horton Jan. 30, 1910 - Aug. 5, 1911
Consul John E. Kehl Dec. 12, 1911 - late 1915
Consul Leland B. Morris late 1915 - 1921
Consul Fernald 1927
Consul Charles J. Pisar 1927 - May 1932
Consul Paul Bowerman June 1932 - 1933 (8 months)
Consul Harry L. Troutman 1933 - 1936
Consul Hanson 1936 (a few months only)
Consul James H. Keeley 1936 - Aug. 1939
Consul John D. Johnson fall 1939 - July 11, 1941

Consulate closed by order of German Reich on July 11, 1941

Consul William M. Gwynn Dec. 14, 1944 - Jan. 30, 1947
Consul Raleigh A. Gibson Jan. 31, 1947 - Oct. 5, 1949
Consul Glenn A. Abbey Feb. 5, 1950 - Sept. 20, 1951
Consul General John B. Holt Sept. 21, 1951 - Jul. 19, 1954

In 1952 the consulate was elevated to the rank of Consulate General

Consul General Murat W. Williams July 30, 1954 - June 1, 1955
Consul General Philip W. Ireland Sept. 13, 1955 - Oct. 21, 1958
Consul General Robert S. Folsom Oct. 21, 1958 - Aug. 19, 1964
Consul General William L. Hamilton Oct. 21, 1964 - March 5, 1970
Consul General A. David Fritzlan Mar. 15, 1970 - June 22, 1971
Consul General Edward T. Brennan July 29, 1971 - Oct. 31, 1975
Consul General John D. Negroponte Oct. 28, 1975 - June 30, 1977
Consul General Dan A. Zachary July 13, 1977 - Sept. 15, 1981
Consul General Michael D. Sternberg Sept. 3, 1981 - June 21, 1985
Consul General A. Donald Bramante Aug. 22, 1985 - Aug. 15, 1989
Consul General Larry C. Thompson Aug. 11, 1989 - June 8, 1991
Consul General James E. Blanford July 3, 1991 - May 4, 1994
Consul General Miriam K. Hughes July 17, 1994 - July 14, 1997
Consul General Paul D. Stephenson July 22, 1997 - June 13, 2000
Consul General John M. Koenig June 27, 2000 - June 30, 2003
Consul General Alec L. Mally July 2003 - March 2004
Consul General Demitra M. Pappas April 2004 - June 2006
Consul General Hoyt B. Yee August 2006 - July 2009
Consul General Catherine E. Kay August 2009 - June 2012
Consul Robert P. Sanders September 2012 - July 2015
Consul Rebecca A. Fong August 2015 - July 2018
Consul Gregory W. Pfleger, Jr. August 2018 - July 2020
Consul Elizabeth K. Lee August 2020 -

Other noteworthy events and news

  • The consulate has played a significant role in many high-profile cases such as the George Polk investigation of 1948. The mysterious death of American journalist George Polk has long bewildered Americans and Greeks alike. Polk, who arrived in Thessaloniki in the spring of 1948, had attempted to contact the leader of the Andartes resistance group, only to disappear. Polk's body was found having been murdered, execution-style, and speculation and accusations were rampant as to who was responsible for his assassination. The Consul General at the time, Raleigh A. Gibson, invested a considerable amount of time on the case. The Salonika Bay Murder: Cold War Politics and the Polk Affair, a book written by Edmund Keeley, brother to aforementioned Robert Keeley, critically analyzes the case.
  • The consulate has its own competitive football team, The Eagles, who claim to be undefeated in official matches.
  • In the book Midnight Express, based on actual events, Billy Hayes found asylum at the Consulate General in Thessaloniki following an escape from a prison in Istanbul in which he had spent almost five years.
  • The consulate has received a number of prominent celebrities. Most recently, former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis visited the consulate and gave a lecture in 2007; other visitors have included Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, actress Faye Dunaway, five-time Academy Award winning film director Francis Ford Coppola, film director Sofia Coppola, production designer Dean Tavoularis, former U.S. Secretaries of Defense William Cohen and Donald Rumsfeld, Tipper Gore, and actress and singer Juliette Lewis.

References

  1. ^ "First Annual Commemoration Event for David Tiano". thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  2. ^ thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov http://thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov/tiano_2008.html. Retrieved 12 January 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ "U.S. Consulate Documentary Commemorating 60 years of Marshall Plan". thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2022.

40°38′01″N 22°56′33″E / 40.63369°N 22.94246°E / 40.63369; 22.94246

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Consulate_General_of_the_United_States,_Thessaloniki&oldid=1239371682"