# George V. Allen

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This article is about the American diplomat George Venable Allen. For the British vice-chancellor, see [George Vance Allen](/source/George_Vance_Allen).

American diplomat (1903–1970)

George V. Allen 1924 Duke University Senior Yearbook Photo United States Ambassador to Iran In office April 23, 1946 – February 17, 1948 President Harry S. Truman Preceded by Wallace Murray Succeeded by John C. Wiley United States Ambassador to Yugoslavia In office October 27, 1949 – March 11, 1953 President Harry S. Truman Preceded by Cavendish W. Cannon Succeeded by James Williams Riddleberger United States Ambassador to India In office March 11, 1953 – November 30, 1954 President Dwight D. Eisenhower Preceded by Chester Bowles Succeeded by John Sherman Cooper United States Ambassador to Nepal In office March 11, 1953 – November 30, 1954 President Dwight D. Eisenhower Preceded by Chester Bowles Succeeded by John Cooper United States Ambassador to Greece In office July 26, 1956 – November 13, 1957 President Dwight D. Eisenhower Preceded by Cavendish W. Cannon Succeeded by James Williams Riddleberger 3rd Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs In office January 26, 1955 – August 27, 1956 Preceded by Henry A. Byroade Succeeded by William M. Rountree 3rd Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs In office March 31, 1948 – November 28, 1949 Preceded by William Benton Succeeded by Edward W. Barrett Personal details Born (1903-11-03)November 3, 1903 Durham, North Carolina, U.S. Died July 11, 1970(1970-07-11) (aged 66) Bahama, North Carolina, U.S. Resting place Rock Creek Cemetery Alma mater Duke University

**George Venable Allen** (November 3, 1903 – July 11, 1970) was a United States [diplomat](/source/Diplomat). He served as [ambassador to Iran](/source/List_of_ambassadors_of_the_United_States_to_Iran) during the crisis of 1946 and was involved in managing American relations amid the [Cold War](/source/Cold_War) with the [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union). He was involved in expanding activities of the [Voice of America](/source/Voice_of_America), exporting culture, and increasing U.S. participation in [UNESCO](/source/UNESCO).

## Early life and career

Born in [Durham, North Carolina](/source/Durham%2C_North_Carolina), son of merchant Thomas Ellis Allen and Harriet Moore, he attended [Duke University](/source/Duke_University)—then known as Trinity College—graduating in 1924[1] and from [Harvard University](/source/Harvard_University) in 1929.[2] He worked briefly as a high school teacher between 1924 and 1928 and as a newspaper reporter for the *Asheville Times* and *Durham Herald*.

He joined the [Foreign Service](/source/United_States_Foreign_Service) in 1930, working first as vice consul in [Kingston, Jamaica](/source/Kingston%2C_Jamaica) and later in [Shanghai, China](/source/Shanghai); [Patras, Greece](/source/Patras); and [Cairo, Egypt](/source/Cairo). He served as [U.S. Ambassador to Iran](/source/List_of_ambassadors_of_the_United_States_to_Iran) from 1946 to 1948. During this period he worked on preventing a [Soviet](/source/Soviet_Union)-[Iran](/source/Iran) oil agreement and led to the Iranian prime minister [Ahmad Qavam](/source/Ahmad_Qavam) dropping communist cabinet members. He also helped build ties with Shah [Mohammed Reza Pahlavi](/source/Mohammad_Reza_Pahlavi), playing weekly tennis matches with the monarch. He served as [Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs](/source/Assistant_Secretary_of_State_for_Public_Affairs) from 1948 to 1949, [U.S. Ambassador to Yugoslavia](/source/List_of_ambassadors_of_the_United_States_to_Yugoslavia) from 1949 to 1953, and [United States Ambassador to India](/source/United_States_Ambassador_to_India) and [Nepal](/source/List_of_ambassadors_of_the_United_States_to_Nepal) from 1953 to 1954. While in [India](/source/India) he, along with [Dwight D. Eisenhower](/source/Dwight_D._Eisenhower), supported India's rival, [Pakistan](/source/Pakistan), with military support as a deterrent against Soviet relations with India. He then served as Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs from 1953 to 1954, [U.S. Ambassador to Greece](/source/List_of_ambassadors_of_the_United_States_to_Greece) from 1956 to 1957, and Director of the [U.S. Information Agency](/source/U.S._Information_Agency) from 1957 to 1960.[3] In 1960, Allen was named [Career Ambassador](/source/Career_Ambassador).[4]

Allen was president of the [Tobacco Institute](/source/Tobacco_Institute) from 1960 to 1966.[5][6][7] He defended the tobacco industry as early reports of links between cigarette smoking and cancer began to emerge.[8]

In 1966, Allen returned to the [State Department](/source/United_States_Department_of_State) as the Director of the [Foreign Service Institute](/source/Foreign_Service_Institute). He retired in 1968.

## Personal life

Despite working in the private sector from 1960 to 1966, Allen remained involved in foreign affairs. From 1961 to 1962, Allen was on the [Committee on Foreign Affairs Personnel](/source/Herter_Committee), which was involved in [Cold War anticommunism](/source/Anti-communism). He was also sworn in as President of [Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired (DACOR)](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diplomatic_and_Consular_Officers,_Retired_(DACOR)&action=edit&redlink=1) in April of 1964.[9]

Allen appeared as himself, while serving as the Director of the Foreign Service Institute, on the February 6, 1967 episode of the game show *[To Tell the Truth](/source/To_Tell_the_Truth)*. He deceived none, receiving all four votes from the panel.[10]

He married Katharine Martin in 1934, author of a self-published book on their lives overseas, *Foreign Service Diary.*[11] They had three children, George V. Allen, Jr., John M. Allen and Richard A. Allen, all lawyers in Washington, D.C. He died at [Bahama, North Carolina](/source/Bahama%2C_North_Carolina) and is interred in [Rock Creek Cemetery](/source/Rock_Creek_Cemetery) in [Washington D.C.](/source/Washington%2C_D.C.)[12]

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-archive_1-0)** ["The Chanticleer \[serial\]"](https://archive.org/stream/chanticleerseria1924duke#page/34/mode/2up). Retrieved October 18, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-nndb_2-0)** ["George V. Allen"](https://www.nndb.com/people/614/000121251/). nndb.com. Retrieved October 18, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Merrill, D. (2000). "Allen, George Venable (1903-1970), diplomat". *American National Biography*. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0700005](https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fanb%2F9780198606697.article.0700005).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["George Venable Allen"](https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/allen-george-venable). *Office of the Historian*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["George V. Allen, U.S.I.A Director, Named Tobacco Institute President"](http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/zfa70a00) (Press release). Hill and Knowlton. November 11, 1960. Retrieved August 2, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Former Senator Earle C. Clements Named Tobacco Institute President"](http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/ctl21c00) (Press release). Tobacco Institute. February 23, 1966. Retrieved August 2, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. ["UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff, v. PHILIP MORRIS USA INC., f/k/a PHILIP MORRIS INC., et al., Defendants"](https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/civil/legacy/2014/09/11/20040816%20US%20FACTUAL%20MEMO%20w%20BkMks_0.pdf) (PDF). *justice.gov*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["George V. Allen Is Dead at 66; One of 16 Career Ambassadors"](https://www.nytimes.com/1970/07/12/archives/george-v-allen-is-dead-at-66-one-of-16-career-ambassadors.html). *The New York Times*. July 12, 1970. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0362-4331](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved November 2, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["George Allen Sworn As Head of Foreign Service Institute"](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112108168821&seq=187). *State Department Newsletter*: 19. March 1966 – via Hathitrust.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["To Tell the Truth"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-6hi4OZClA). *[CBS](/source/CBS)*. [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/N-6hi4OZClA) from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Latimer, Rebecca H. (April 1968). ["No Red Carpet"](https://afsa.org/foreign-service-journal-april-1968). *The Foreign Service Journal*: 41.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["George V. Allen"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-sun-george-v-allen-13-jul-1/194920252/). *The Herald-Sun*. July 13, 1970. p. 14. Retrieved April 5, 2026 – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com).

## External links

- [George V. Allen Papers](http://www.trumanlibrary.org/hstpaper/allengv.htm)

Diplomatic posts Preceded by Wallace Murray U.S. Ambassador to Iran 1946–1948 Succeeded by John C. Wiley Preceded by Cavendish W. Cannon U.S. Ambassador to Yugoslavia 1949–1953 Succeeded by James Williams Riddleberger Preceded by Chester Bowles U.S. Ambassador to India Also accredited to Nepal 1953–1954 Succeeded by John Sherman Cooper Preceded by Cavendish W. Cannon U.S. Ambassador to Greece 1956–1957 Succeeded by James Williams Riddleberger Government offices Preceded by William Benton Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs March 31, 1948 – November 28, 1949 Succeeded by Edward W. Barrett Preceded by Henry A. Byroade Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs January 26, 1955 – August 27, 1956 Succeeded by William M. Rountree

v t e United States ambassadors to Iran Minister Resident Benjamin Winston Pratt Beale Sperry McDonald Hardy Bowen Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Griscom Pearson Jackson Russell Caldwell Kornfeld Philip Hart Hornibrook Merriam (chargé d'affaires) Engert (chargé d'affaires) Dreyfus Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Morris Murray Allen Wiley Grady Henderson Chapin Wailes Holmes Meyer MacArthur Farland Helms Sullivan Laingen (chargé d'affaires) Diplomatic relations suspended since 1979 (See: Iran hostage crisis)

v t e United States ambassadors to Greece Kingdom of Greece (1868–1924) Tuckerman J. Francis Read Schuyler Fearn Snowden Beale Alexander Rockhill Hardy C. Francis Jackson Pearson Moses Schurman Williams Droppers Capps Second Hellenic Republic Laughlin Skinner MacVeagh Kingdom of Greece (1935–1973) Military junta (1967–1974) MacVeagh Biddle Kirk MacVeagh Grady Peurifoy Cannon Allen Riddleberger Briggs Labouisse Talbot Tasca Junta-declared Republic (1973–1974) Third Hellenic Republic (1974–present) Tasca Kubisch McCloskey Stearns Keeley Sotirhos Niles Burns Miller Ries Speckhard Smith Pearce Pyatt Tsunis Guilfoyle

v t e United States ambassadors to India Grady Henderson Bowles Allen Cooper Bunker Galbraith Bowles Keating Moynihan Saxbe Goheen Barnes Dean Hubbard Clark Pickering Wisner Celeste Blackwill Mulford Roemer Powell Verma Juster Garcetti Gor

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States People Deutsche Biographie Other IdRef NARA SNAC

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [George V. Allen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_V._Allen) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_V._Allen?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.