José Arce Larco

José Arce Larco was born in Salaverry in 1917 and graduated from Peru’s Naval School in December 1939 with his class’s sword of honour. Qualified in submarines and communications, he commanded vessels including the cruiser Almirante Grau and served in naval communications, intelligence, the Amazon river force, and the general staff. His professional education also included the Diplomatic Academy. ¹

Before becoming ambassador, Arce had substantial Washington experience as naval attaché, naval commissioner, representative to the Inter-American Defense Board, and attaché to Peru’s OAS mission. In May 1974 he became navy minister and commander-general of the navy. He subsequently returned to Washington as ambassador, presenting credentials to Gerald Ford on 29 April 1975. ^{1, 2}

His later experience placed him on the receiving end of political repression. In May 1978 he was among thirteen Peruvian opponents of the military government forcibly transferred to Argentina and held at a military facility in Jujuy. A 2012 report preserved by Rosario’s Museo de la Memoria identifies him among the victims in the judicial investigation of that operation. ³