On March 20, Tunisia gains independence from France. Fewer than three months after independence, the U.S. Consulate General was raised to the status of U.S. Embassy and relocated to Avenue de la Liberté.
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Chapter · Chapitre · الفصل
IV
1956 — 1980s
Independence and Cold War Alignment
Indépendance et alignement pendant la guerre froideالاستقلال والتحالف خلال الحرب الباردة
When Tunisia gained independence in 1956, the United States moved swiftly to recognize the new state, signaling Washington’s confidence in Habib Bourguiba and his vision for a stable, modernizing Tunisia. President Bourguiba’s pro-Western yet non-aligned foreign policy made Tunisia a valued Cold War partner, and cooperation expanded rapidly across multiple fronts. In 1957, the United States launched what would become a sustained, 35-year commitment to Tunisian development. In 1961, Bourguiba gave that partnership a personal and symbolic dimension when he made his first State Visit to the United States. That same year, Tunisia became the first Arab country to welcome U.S. Peace Corps volunteers. Cultural ties deepened alongside the diplomatic ones: in 1967, jazz legend Louis Armstrong performed at the 4th International Festival of Carthage, and in 1969 Bourguiba met with President Richard Nixon, further cementing the two nations’ alignment. The early 1970s brought further milestones — Apollo 12 astronauts visited Tunisia in 1970, and in 1972 the new Carthage International Airport terminal opened with significant American investment. In 1976, film crews for Star Wars arrived in Tunisia launching a long and fruitful relationship between Tunisia and the American film industry.
Milestones · Jalons · محطات
In March, the first U.S.-Tunisia bilateral economic and technical aid agreement is signed in Tunis. Over the next 35 years, U.S. assistance programs, administered by USAID from 1961, provided more than US$1.4 billion in assistance, with a focus on major infrastructure projects.
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In May, President Habib Bourguiba makes an official State Visit to the United States. In addition to meetings with President John F. Kennedy, Bourguiba addressed the U.S. Congress and was honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York City.
Open this milestoneIn 1961, Tunisia becomes the first Arab country to welcome U.S. Peace Corps volunteers. Over the next 35 years, more than 2,000 American volunteers worked on local community development, education, and agriculture.
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On July 31, U.S. jazz icon Louis ‘Satchmo’ Armstrong plays at the 4th International Festival of Carthage. Armstrong was one of many American artists to have participated in this internationally celebrated venue held in the Roman Theater of Carthage.
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On April 1, the day after attending former President Eisenhower’s funeral, President Bourguiba meets President Richard Nixon in the Oval Office.
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U.S. astronauts Charles ‘Pete’ Conrad, Richard Gordon, and Alan Bean from the Apollo 12 mission visit Tunisia as part of a world tour. During the visit, Conrad presented President Bourguiba with a flag flown on the mission. An estimated 300,000 Tunisians lined Avenue Bourguiba for the parade.
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On August 1, President Bourguiba inaugurates the new terminal at Carthage International Airport. During his speech, Bourguiba thanked the United States for assisting in the project with a US$6.2 million USAID grant.
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U.S. Film Director George Lucas begins filming scenes for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope in Tozeur, Nabeul, Matmata, and Djerba. The film was released in 1977. The positive experience made Tunisia a major location for the U.S. film industry. Noteworthy U.S. motion pictures filmed in Tunisia include Raiders of the Lost Ark, The English Patient, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
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