Julian Bullard
Encyclopedia
Sir Julian Bullard GCMG (8 March 1928 – 25 May 2006) was a British
diplomat, Foreign Office Minister and Pro-Chancellor
of Birmingham University. He was employed at Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service
from 1953 until 1988, the ambassador
to Bonn
in the mid 1980s as well as heading up Britain's relations with Soviet Russia
during the early 1970s under the government of Ted Heath. He is noted for his expulsion of 105 KGB
personnel from London
, as well as his stance on nuclear weapons.
, Greece
, but brought up in Oxford
(one of his brothers being the diplomat Sir Giles Bullard). He was educated at the Dragon School
in Oxford and then Rugby School
, where he won a scholarship to Magdalen College
, Oxford University. His father, Sir Reader Bullard, formerly Ambassador in Iran
, encouraged him to enter the Foreign Service, and he came first in the competitive examination. However he had first to complete two years national service
. While at the Rifle Brigade barracks in Winchester
he was awarded a fellowship at All Souls College
at Oxford. Later, he was promoted to Lieutenant and stationed in Germany
.
, Austria
, and the Middle East
. In the post-Six-Day War
climate, he was made head of the East European and Soviet department of the Foreign Office. At this time, KGB
infiltration was rife in London, and Bullard is credited with devising the strategy which resulting in the expulsion of 105 KGB spies from the capital in the 1970s. Bullard had an aptitude for languages and during his service he became fluent in Arabic, Russian and German.
From 1975, he was sent to Bonn, in West Germany
as a minister, returning there in 1984 as ambassador. During this time, he was one of many defending NATO's use of the Pershing missile
to counter the Soviet nuclear threat. In 1982 he was awarded the KCMG. and on appointment as ambassador in Bonn he was awarded the GCMG.
At the time of his retirement, Bullard began suffering from Parkinson's Disease
. He continued to be active in protest against the polices of Tony Blair
and the war in Iraq, however he died in 2006 in Oxford
. He was survived by his wife Margaret Stephens, whom he married in 1954, and his two sons and two daughters.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
diplomat, Foreign Office Minister and Pro-Chancellor
Pro-Chancellor
A Pro-Chancellor is an officer of some universities in Commonwealth countries. The Pro-Chancellor acts as a deputy to the Chancellor and as practical chairman of the University Council...
of Birmingham University. He was employed at Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service
Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service
Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service is the diplomatic service of the United Kingdom, dealing with foreign affairs, as opposed to the Home Civil Service, which deals with domestic affairs...
from 1953 until 1988, the ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
in the mid 1980s as well as heading up Britain's relations with Soviet Russia
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
during the early 1970s under the government of Ted Heath. He is noted for his expulsion of 105 KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
personnel from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, as well as his stance on nuclear weapons.
Early life
Bullard was born in AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, but brought up in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
(one of his brothers being the diplomat Sir Giles Bullard). He was educated at the Dragon School
Dragon School
The Dragon School is a British coeducational, preparatory school in the city of Oxford, founded in 1877 as the Oxford Preparatory School, or OPS. It is primarily known as a boarding school, although it also takes day pupils...
in Oxford and then Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
, where he won a scholarship to Magdalen College
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, Oxford University. His father, Sir Reader Bullard, formerly Ambassador in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, encouraged him to enter the Foreign Service, and he came first in the competitive examination. However he had first to complete two years national service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
. While at the Rifle Brigade barracks in Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
he was awarded a fellowship at All Souls College
All Souls College, Oxford
The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
at Oxford. Later, he was promoted to Lieutenant and stationed in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Germany and the KGB
In his early career from 1953 until 1971, he was sent to ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. In the post-Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
climate, he was made head of the East European and Soviet department of the Foreign Office. At this time, KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
infiltration was rife in London, and Bullard is credited with devising the strategy which resulting in the expulsion of 105 KGB spies from the capital in the 1970s. Bullard had an aptitude for languages and during his service he became fluent in Arabic, Russian and German.
From 1975, he was sent to Bonn, in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
as a minister, returning there in 1984 as ambassador. During this time, he was one of many defending NATO's use of the Pershing missile
Pershing missile
Pershing was a family of solid-fueled two-stage medium-range ballistic missiles designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the PGM-11 Redstone missile as the United States Army's primary nuclear-capable theater-level weapon. The Pershing systems lasted over 30 years from the first test...
to counter the Soviet nuclear threat. In 1982 he was awarded the KCMG. and on appointment as ambassador in Bonn he was awarded the GCMG.
Retirement from the Foreign Office
Bullard had retired before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. He was nominated by the Privy council to join the Council of Birmingham University and in 1989 was elected chairman, a post which he held, together with the post of Pro-Chancellor, until 1994. He was instrumental in creating the University's Institute for European Law and the Institute for German Studies.At the time of his retirement, Bullard began suffering from Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
. He continued to be active in protest against the polices of Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
and the war in Iraq, however he died in 2006 in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. He was survived by his wife Margaret Stephens, whom he married in 1954, and his two sons and two daughters.
Published works
- Europe in the 1990s, W.H. Smith Group, 1991.
- Inside Stalin's Russia, Day Books, 2000.
Further reading
- Noakes, Jeremy, Peter Wende, Jonathan Wright, Britain and Germany in Europe, 1949–1990, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, 2002. ISBN 0199248419.
External links
- Sir Julian Bullard from The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
- Obituary — Sir Julian Bullard from The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...