Embassy of the United States, Dhaka


The Embassy of the United States of America in Dhaka is the diplomatic mission of the United States in Bangladesh. The embassy has 400 staff led by the US Ambassador to Bangladesh.

History

The United States established its consulate-general in Dacca in 1949, when the city was the capital of East Bengal in the Dominion of Pakistan.
During the independence of Bangladesh, it was the site of the famous Blood Telegram sent by then-Consul-general Archer Blood detailing atrocities committed by the Pakistani Army during Operation Searchlight.
The United States recognized the independence of Bangladesh on 4 April 1972. Herbert D. Spivack was the principal American diplomatic officer in Dhaka at the time. Four days later, the United States and Bangladesh agreed to establish diplomatic relations at the embassy level. The consulate-general was officially upgraded to an embassy on 18 May 1972.
The present embassy buildings opened in 1989.

Architecture

The US Embassy complex is inspired by Mughal Bengali architecture. The exterior surface walls are composed of terracotta brick tiles. A lawn filled with palm trees and a moat surrounds the main building. The complex is sometimes nicknamed as the "Red Fort". It was designed by the Boston architectural firm of Kallmann, McKinnell and Wood.

Branches