Ira Zartman, the scholar who bridged Morocco and the United States

In Morocco, American scholar Ira William Zartman is renowned for his pivotal role in strengthening ties between Rabat and Washington. As head of the American Legation in Tangier for over 25 years, he began fostering connections with the kingdom as early as the 1950s. Today, the Tangier citadel, the oldest American building outside the United States, stands as a lasting tribute to a professor who turned academic research into a bridge for cultural and historical exchange across the Atlantic.

Morocco's American Legation among America's most endangered historic places

American Civil War : When Morocco violated its neutrality arresting two Confederate diplomats

The Moroccan authorities arrested, in 1862, two Confederate diplomats who visited Tangier. The arrest was ordered by the U.S. Consul James DeLong who held the two men in prison and sent them to Boston, in a move that violated Morocco's neutrality.