Richard Burt

Richard R. Burt ( born February 3, 1947 in Sewell, Chile) is an American diplomat and former United States Ambassador to Germany.

Richard Burt studied at Cornell University in Ithaca, where he made his bachelor's degree in 1969. In 1972, he earned a master's degree from Tufts University; In the same year he was awarded a research fellowship at the Naval War College. Subsequently he worked until 1977 at London's International Institute for Strategic Studies, where he rose to become deputy director before moving into journalism and was hired as a correspondent for security issues of the New York Times.

After Ronald Reagan's victory in the presidential elections in 1980 the Republican Burt came into government services. From 1981 to 1982 he was undersecretary of state for political- military issues complex ( Director of the Bureau of Politico - Military Affairs ); then he served from 1983 to 1985 as Under Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs ( Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs ). Subsequently, he was appointed as the successor of Arthur F. Burns as ambassador to Bonn, where he stayed from 16 September 1985 until February 17, 1989; he was succeeded by Vernon A. Walters.

After his return to the United States Burt was appointed chief negotiator at the START negotiations with the Soviet Union by the new President George Bush; He held this position until 1991. After the START treaty was signed, Burt moved to the private sector. He was among other things a partner of McKinsey & Company and a board member of the agricultural group Archer Daniels Midland. He is also a consultant for the Center for Strategic and International Studies and U.S. Chairman of Global Zero.