Atcheson, George, 1896-1947

Denver-born George Atcheson, Jr. entered the State Department as a student interpreter at the Peiping Legation and specialized in Far Eastern affairs. As second secretary of the Nanking Embassy, he was aboard the gunboat Panay when it was bombed and sunk by the Japanese in 1937. Two years later he was recalled to Washington for a stint on State's Far Eastern desk and returned to China as embassy counselor in Chungking in 1943. A career diplomat, he served in a variety of capacities before and after the Allied occupation of Japan including being the political advisor to General Douglas MacArthur, the President of the Allied Council for Japan, and United States minister to Siam. On June 8, 1946 he was given the personal rank of ambassador by President Harry S. Truman. He died in a plane crash off Hawaii on August 17, 1947 while on a trip to Washington, D.C to confer with State Department officials.

From the description of George Atcheson papers, 1917-2004 (bulk 1937-1948). (University of California, Berkeley). WorldCat record id: 25665479