page_title: Consulate General of the United States, Thessaloniki
section_title: Post World War II years
hierarchical_section_title: Consulate General of the United States, Thessaloniki / Consulate History / Post World War II years
caption_attribution_description: English: Donkey carrying U.S. funded supplies to Greece as part of the Truman Doctrine of the Marshall Plan
context_page_description: 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. Rebecca A. Fong is the 22nd Principal Officer as of August 2015.
context_section_description: 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.
  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.
  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 1975-1977.
  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 Consul Generals and 16 Consuls.  For a map to the Consulate, click here.
caption: A donkey carrying U.S.-funded supplies in Greece as part of the Truman Doctrine
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