Berndt von Staden
Encyclopedia
Berndt Robert Alexander Michael von Staden (born 24 June 1919 Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...

) was a German diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...

, and was German Ambassador to the United States
German Ambassador to the United States
The United States has had diplomatic relations with the nation of Germany and its predecessor nation, the Kingdom of Prussia, since 1835. These relations were broken twice while Germany and the United States were at war....

 from 1973 to 1979.

Life

He grew up as a Baltic German in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...

, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

. He studyied law in Bonn and Hamburg. In 1951, he joined the Foreign Office.

He was head of the Consular Section of the German Embassy in Brussels, from 1953 to 1955. In 1958, he was posted to the Commission of the European Economic Community
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...

. In 1961, he married Wendelgard, Freiin von Neurath (born 1926). In 1963, he was Counsellor at the German Embassy in Washington. Then he was Head of Political Department of the Foreign Office in Bonn.

In his memoir, he describes the beginning of the turn from confrontation to détente, which he observed as ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

. In the governments of Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt, born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm , was a German politician, Mayor of West Berlin 1957–1966, Chancellor of West Germany 1969–1974, and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany 1964–1987....

 and Helmut Schmidt
Helmut Schmidt
Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt is a German Social Democratic politician who served as Chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. Prior to becoming chancellor, he had served as Minister of Defence and Minister of Finance. He had also served briefly as Minister of Economics and as acting...

, he was as Head of Foreign Relations and Security in the Federal Chancellery in shaping the policy of détente.

In 1970, he met with Étienne Davignon
Étienne Davignon
Étienne Francois Jacques Davignon, Viscount Davignon is a Belgian politician, businessman, and former vice-president of the European Commission.-Career:...

.
He was awarded the 1979 Trainor Award.

Works

  • Zwischen Eiszeit und Tauwetter, Diplomatie in einer Epoche des Umbruchs. Erinnerungen, wjs, Berlin 2005, ISBN 9783937989051
  • Erinnerungen aus der Vorzeit: Eine Jugend im Baltikum 1919–1939, Siedler, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3886806707
  • Ende und Anfang, Erinnerungen 1939–1963, iPa, Vaihingen/Enz 2001, ISBN 3933486289

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK