Rolf Friedemann Pauls (26 August 1915 – 4 May 2002) was a German

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

. He was the first ambassador of the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...

to Israel, from 1965 to 1968, and was

German Ambassador to the United States German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ger ...

from 1968 to 1973.

Life

Rolf Friedemann Pauls was born in 1915 in Eckartsberga the son of a Protestant clergyman. He graduated from the Naumburg Domgymnasium in 1934. He was a career officer in the infantry of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

. Due to a serious injury, suffered as a company commander in Russia, he lost his left arm. Before he received a General Staff Officer Course, in 1942, he was the military attaché in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

, Turkey. In 1944, he was on the staff of the

363rd Volksgrenadier Division The 363rd Volksgrenadier Division () was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. The division was formed in September 1944 to replace the 363rd Infantry Division which was annihilated i ...

. In December 1944, Paul was awarded the

Knight's Cross Knight's Cross (German language ''Ritterkreuz'') refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that often denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield. Most frequently the term Knight's Cross is used to refer to the Knight's Cro ...

. According to a later report of General

Hans Speidel Hans Speidel (28 October 1897 – 28 November 1984) was a German military officer who successively served in the armies of the German Empire, Nazi Germany and West Germany. The first general officer of the '' Bundeswehr'', he was a key player in ...

, Rolf Friedemann Pauls was in the plans to assassinate Hitler on 20 July 1944, and was only on the basis of silence by others that he escaped arrest. After the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in 1946, he studied law, graduating with a doctorate on the political system of the Bonn Basic Law in 1949. Before Pauls began to act as a diplomat in the Foreign Service, he worked at the Federal Chancellery, at the junction of the

Allied High Commission The Allied High Commission (also known as the High Commission for Occupied Germany, HICOG; in German ''Alliierte Hohe Kommission'', ''AHK'') was established by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France after the 1948 breakdown of the Alli ...

as a personal assistant to

Walter Hallstein Walter Hallstein (17 November 1901 – 29 March 1982) was a German academic, diplomat and statesman who was the first President of the European Commission, president of the European Commission, Commission of the European Economic Community ...

, State Secretary and Vice Consul in Luxembourg. He was married twice and had two sons.

Ambassador

In establishing diplomatic relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and the State of Israel (only about 20 years after the

Shoah The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

) of parts of Israeli society, and his inauguration on 19 August 1965, was accompanied by violent counter-demonstrations. In addition to that of Pauls because of his past as an officer of the armed forces of Nazi Germany in World War II, where he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

, and as deputy military attaché at the German Embassy in Turkey, also during the period of National Socialism of the Israeli public appeared inappropriate for this office. But his three-year tenure as the first Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Israel was generally judged as successful. Pauls was also Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States from 1968 to 1973, the People's Republic of China from 1973 to 1976, and to NATO from 1976 to 1980. From 1956 to 1960 he served as Counsellor in the United States, and from 1960 to 1963 he was Deputy Head of Mission in Greece. From 1963 to 1965, he was a department manager at the headquarters in Bonn.

Works

*''Die atlantische Allianz: Zukunftsaufgaben, Möglichkeiten, Gefährdungen,'' J. P. Bachem, 1982, *''Rettet uns die Rüstungspolitik?'' Edition Interfrom, 1982, *''Deutschlands Standort in der Welt: Beobachtungen eines Botschafters'', Seewald Verlag, 1984,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pauls, Rolf Friedemann 1915 births 2002 deaths People from Eckartsberga People from the Province of Saxony Ambassadors of Germany to the United States Ambassadors of West Germany to Israel Ambassadors of West Germany to China Permanent representatives of West Germany to NATO Military personnel from Saxony-Anhalt German Army officers of World War II Members of the 20 July plot Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross