Kurt Waldheim was an Austrian diplomat and politician who served as the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981 and later as President of Austria from 1986 to 1992. His election as Austrian president was overshadowed by revelations that he had concealed his wartime service as a German army intelligence officer in the Balkans, a controversy that led the United States to place him on a watchlist barring his entry.
Facts
Classification
Political RoleSecretary-General of the United Nations 1 Sources
1. Kurt Waldheim (Wikipedia)
Introduction, opening sentence
Waldheim was the secretary-general of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981 and the president of Austria from 1986 to 1992.
Introduction, World War II controversy paragraph
While he was running for the latter office in the 1986 election, the revelation of his service in Greece and Yugoslavia during World War II, and of his knowledge of Nazi atrocities as an intelligence officer in Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht, raised international controversy.
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.