Leif Leifland

Leif Leifland (30 December 1925 – 3 April 2015) was a Swedish diplomat who served as State Secretary for Foreign Affairs from 1977 to 1982 and as Ambassador of Sweden to the United Kingdom from 1982 to 1991. Leifland joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1951 and began his diplomatic career in 1952 as an attaché in Casablanca. He went on to serve in various roles, including attaché in Athens, Bonn, and as Second Secretary in Stockholm, and worked as Assistant Secretary of the Committee on Foreign Affairs from 1958 to 1970.

He was appointed Minister at the Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C. in 1970, where he navigated a challenging period of strained relations between Sweden and the U.S. due to the Vietnam War and Prime Minister Olof Palme's criticism of U.S. bombing campaigns. Returning to Sweden in 1974, he became head of the Political Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, later serving as State Secretary for Foreign Affairs. He managed several crises, including the Soviet submarine incident in 1981. In 1982, he was appointed Ambassador to London, where he served until his retirement in 1991. After retiring, he chaired the Swedish Institute of International Affairs and the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education. Provided by Wikipedia