Kurt Waldheim

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Kurt Waldheim
Waldheim in 1981
4th Secretary-General of the United Nations
In office 1 January 1972 – 31 December 1981
Preceded by	Thant
Succeeded by	Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
President of Austria
In office 8 July 1986 – 8 July 1992
Chancellor	Franz Vranitzky
Preceded by	Rudolf Kirchschläger
Succeeded by	Thomas Klestil
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 19 January 1968 – 21 April 1970
Chancellor	Josef Klaus
Preceded by	Lujo Tončić-Sorinj
Succeeded by	Rudolf Kirchschläger
Personal details
Born	(1918-12-21)21 December 1918 Sankt Andrä-Wördern, Lower Austria, Republic of German-Austria
Died	14 June 2007(2007-06-14) (aged 88) Vienna, Austria
Political party	ÖVP
Spouse	Elisabeth Ritschel ​ (m. 1944)​
Children	3
Alma mater	Vienna Consular Academy University of Vienna
Profession	Lawyer diplomat
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Federal State of Austria (1936–1937) Nazi Germany (1941–1945)
Branch/service	Austrian Armed Forces German Army
Rank	Oberleutnant
Unit	5 Alpine Division Pusteria Kampfgruppe West 9th Army 11th Italian Army Army Group E
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Iron Cross 2nd Class Medal of the Crown of King Zvonimir
Kurt Waldheim's voice Waldheim's recorded greeting for the Voyager Golden Records Recorded 1977

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Kurt Josef Waldheim (German: [ˈkʰʊɐ̯t ˈvalthaɪm] ^ⓘ; 21 December 1918 – 14 June 2007) was an Austrian politician and diplomat. Waldheim was the secretary-general of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981 and president of Austria from 1986 to 1992. 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,^[1] raised international controversy.^[2]