Harry George Barnes Jr. (June 5, 1926 – August 9, 2012) was an American diplomat, known for his role in ending the government of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. A former Foreign Service Officer who served as US ambassador to Romania, India, and Chile, Barnes also occupied the post of Director General of the Foreign Service at the

Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

between December 22, 1977, and February 8, 1981. Elliott Abrams, the United States assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs, once called Barnes "a world-class ambassador."

Early life

Harry George Barnes, Jr. was born in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

, on June 5, 1926. He graduated from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

, earned a Master's Degree in history from Columbia University, and served in the U.S. Army from 1944–46. Barnes entered the United States Foreign Service as consular officer in Bombay in 1951, and was head of the consular section in Prague in 1953–55. He was publications procurement officer in Moscow in 1957–59, leaving to become political officer in the Office of Soviet Affairs in the Department of State from 1959–62. He attended the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

in 1962–63. In 1963–67, he was Deputy Chief of Mission in Kathmandu.

Diplomatic career

Barnes served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Bucharest in 1968–71, during which time he became the first American diplomat to address the Romanian nation on television. After returning to Washington he served as supervisory personnel officer (1971–72) and deputy executive secretary (1972–74) before being named Ambassador to Romania by Richard Nixon. During this time, Barnes' wife Elizabeth embarked on an affair with a Romanian embassy chauffeur. No security breach was detected and details of the affair were ordered classified by Secretary of State

Cyrus R. Vance Cyrus Roberts Vance Sr. (March 27, 1917January 12, 2002) was an American lawyer and United States Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1980. Prior to serving in that position, he was the United States Deputy Secretary of ...

, leaking only in 1987 during Barnes' tenure in Chile. Although the American government, in particular Henry Kissinger, had supported the rise of dictator Augusto Pinochet, by 1985 the Chilean opposition started to campaign against extending his rule. Barnes supported the ultimately successful effort, angering Pinochet, who called him "Dirty Harry". He advised the dictator that ills of democracy can be cured only with more democracy." In addition to agitating for democratic reform, Barnes contributed oversight to the

1988 Chilean national plebiscite The 1988 Chilean national plebiscite was a national referendum held on 5 October 1988 to determine whether Chile's ''de facto'' leader, Augusto Pinochet, should extend his rule for another eight years through 1996. The "No" side won with nearly ...

against extending Pinochet's rule, funding a parallel vote tally and advertising for the anti-Pinochet campaign.

Retirement

Barnes retired from government service in 1988. Between 1994 and 2000, he served as the director of the Carter Center's Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Programs from 1994–2000. During this time, he traveled to North Korea and worked on Carter Center initiatives in this area.National Committee on North Korea, http://www.ncnk.org/member-directory/ambassador-harry-barnes He also taught at several universities. Barnes died on August 9, 2012, in Lebanon, New Hampshire. The cause of death was an infection.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Harry G. Jr. 1926 births 2012 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Romania Ambassadors of the United States to India Ambassadors of the United States to Chile People from Saint Paul, Minnesota Amherst College alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Directors general of the United States Foreign Service