Duca, George I., 1905-....

Romanian diplomat; chief of mission to Sweden, 1944-1947.

From the description of George I. Duca papers, 1819-1985. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 754870666

Biographical Note

• 1905: Born
• 1928 - 1947 : Romanian diplomat; held various diplomatic posts, including in Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and Washington, D.C.
• 1939 - 1942 : Recalled to Bucharest, he was appointed Assistant Chief of the Political Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• 1942 November: While chargé d'affaires in Finland, Duca met informally with some close American friends who worked at the U.S. embassy in Stockholm. During their discussions, Duca informed them of Romania's willingness to break its alliance with the Nazis. He then reported these discussions to King Michael and to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• 1943 August - 1947 : While assigned to the Romanian legation in Sweden, he was asked by the leaders of the democratic opposition parties and King Michael to secretly contact the U.S. embassy and let it know of their plans to overthrow Romania's fascist government, led by Ion Antonescu
• 1944: Duca carried out negotiations with both the American and Soviet embassies until the coup on August 23, when King Michael proclaimed that Romania was joining the allied forces
• 1947: Moved to the United States Got involved in the relief movement for new Romanian refugees
• 1954: Became an American citizen Active with relief work as Secretary of the Romanian Welfare in New York
• 1958 - 1967 : Lecturer as a member of the International PEN Club, whose cover he used for his work for the Free Europe Committee and for the Assembly of Captive European Nations (which he represented in Japan)
• 1961 - 1975 : Executive Director of Alliances Françaises, United States
• 1975 - 1985 : Part-time lecturer and student advisor at Stanford University Helped build the Romanian collections of the Hoover Institution Archives on the Stanford campus
• 1982 - 1985 : Contributor, Radio Free Europe
• 1985 November 17: Died

From the guide to the George I. Duca papers, 1819-1985, (Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace)