Esteban Arpad Takacs

Esteban Arpad Takacs (1928–2005) entered diplomacy after a career in agronomy and forestry. A University of Buenos Aires graduate, he advised farmers on soils and pastures and worked on stabilizing coastal dunes. At INTA from 1960, he organized a laboratory producing mycorrhizal inoculants for experimental pine and eucalyptus cultivation. He subsequently administered the national forests, held senior agricultural posts, and presided over the FAO's Seventh World Forestry Congress in Buenos Aires in 1972. ¹

After serving as ambassador to Canada, Takacs represented Argentina in Washington during the 1982 Falklands/Malvinas crisis. On the evening of April 1, Secretary of State Alexander Haig summoned him and warned that an Argentine use of force would bring a British military response and damage relations with the United States. Takacs asked whether that warning had reached President Leopoldo Galtieri and explained the political pressure surrounding Argentina's claim. He promised to inform his government immediately. ²

During the fighting, Takacs remained a channel for discussing possible settlements. In a May 18 conversation with U.S. OAS ambassador J. William Middendorf, he described the UN secretary-general's ceasefire effort, the sequencing of withdrawals, and the dispute over islander representation in an interim administration. He argued that the remaining issues could be resolved and that Argentina was not receiving credit for its concessions. ³

After returning from the United States, Takacs advised forestry companies and investors. In 1984 he established the Centro de Investigaciones Forestales, financed by forest producers and wood processing businesses, to improve commercially grown eucalyptus, pine, willow, and poplar varieties. He remained its president until his death and joined the National Academy of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine in 1991. ¹