Deputy Secretary Verma’s Participation in Ceremony to Announce the American Legation in Tangier, Morocco, as One of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places

Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma spoke today at a ceremony highlighting the National Trust for Historic Preservation's selection of the American Legation in Tangier, Morocco as one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2024. During the ceremony at the National Museum of American Diplomacy in Washington, D.C., Deputy Secretary Verma underscored that the building, gifted from Morocco to the United States in 1821, remains a symbol of the friendship between America and Morocco over 200 years later. The Legation served for 140 years as a U.S. diplomatic post and is now home to the private, non-profit Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies, housing a museum, research library, and cultural center. This designation underscores the need for continued investment to maintain the building's structural integrity and to provide it with a maintenance and operating endowment. As the Legation is no longer an active diplomatic facility, it is not able to receive public funds. Therefore, the Fund to Conserve United States Diplomatic Treasures Abroad has announced the aim to establish a $10 million preservation endowment to support these efforts. As America's first property abroad, the Legation is a symbol of our longest formal diplomatic relationship and a testament to the United States' commitment to working with our partners toward greater peace and prosperity around the world.