Andre de Staercke
 Andre de Staercke    (diplomat) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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 de Staercke in 1954 wearing a NATO tie | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1913 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 2003 (Age 89) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Belgian | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Université de Namur, Catholic University of Leuven, Sorbonne | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Attended the 1969 Bilderberg as Belgian Permanent Representative to NATO
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Andre de Staercke was a Belgian diplomat and friend of Winston Churchill who attended the 1969 Bilderberg meeting As Dean of the North Atlantic Council, de Staercke worked closely with Paul-Henri Spaak while he was Secretary General, serving as a trusted advisor and even sometimes acting as his speechwriter.[1]
Education
André de Staercke comes from a family of textile industrialists from the Ghent bourgeoisie. After studying with the Jesuits, he obtained the degree of candidate of philosophy and letters at the University of Namur, then the title of doctor of law at the Catholic University of Louvain, he studied law at Sorbonne in Paris.
World War 2
Shortly before the outbreak of the war, he joined the cabinet of Prime Minister Hubert Pierlot. In the spring of 1942, he fled to London. For De Staercke, it is a perilous clandestine journey that takes two months through occupied France, hostile Spain and Portugal, before reaching England via Gibraltar. He makes the trip in the company of the son of Paul-Henri Spaak, member of the London government, Fernand, which will be at the origin of deep ties of friendship with the latter. During the war, De Staercke also established friendly relations with Winston Churchill.[2] Then, he became friends with the President of Portugal António de Oliveira Salazar whom he met for the first time in 1943, when he was in charge of a diplomatic mission that he carried out in relation to a conflict between the Belgian Congo and Portuguese Angola.
Post-war career
After the government returned to Belgium at the liberation, he was summoned in February 1945 to the royal palace in Brussels, where after an interview with the regent, Prince Charles, he was offered to occupy the position of secretary to the regent. He will become its main political adviser, and during the six years that he spends at the prince's side, exercised a notable influence.[3]
When the regency ended in 1950, De Staerke was forced to leave the Belgian political scene because of his role with the regent, which made him considered by some as one of those responsible for the abdication of King Leopold III. Despite this, he established trusted contacts with King Baudouin.
Paul van Zeeland appointed him to the post of ambassador representing Belgium to NATO created in 1948. In 1966, while fulfilling the functions of Dean of the NATO Council since 1957, he was responsible for solving the problems of transferring the headquarters from Paris to Brussels, following the withdrawal of France from the integrated military structure in 1966.
He was forced to leave the organization in 1976, although he had not reached retirement age, because of his refusal to prove his knowledge of Dutch by passing the exam required of the diplomatic corps by the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time, a requirement that he considers humiliating despite being Flemish and perfectly bilingual.[4]
From 1980, he began a new career as an advisor to various international corporations.
During his career, de Staercke wrote many speeches for various personalities, including Paul-Henri Spaak, King Baudouin, or even Bill Clinton on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the D-Day Landing.[5]
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1969 | 9 May 1969 | 11 May 1969 | Denmark Hotel Marienlyst Elsinore | The 18th Bilderberg meeting, with 85 participants |
References
- ↑ https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_162358.htm
- ↑ https://www.churchillsolitaire.com/block/churchills-version/
- ↑ D'après Vincent Dujardin, dans La Belgique sans Roi (1940-1950), Nouvelle Histoire de Belgique vol.2 - Éditions Complexe, page 127
- ↑ D'après Jean Stengers dans l'introduction aux Mémoires sur la Régence et la Question royale, page 23
- ↑ Le Soir Magazine du 18 juin 2003 Une réponse posthume à Léopold III par Jean-Marc Veszely
