Manlio Brosio

Manlio Giovanni Brosio (July 10, 1897 – March 14, 1980) was an Italian lawyer, diplomat, politician and the fourth Secretary General of NATO between 1964 and 1971.

Brosio was born in Turin and studied law in the local university. During the World War I, he served in Alpine regiment as an artillery officer. After the war, he graduated and in 1920 he entered politics. Later his political activity was barred because of his opposition of Fascism.

During World War II, after Allied invasion of Italy in 1943; Brosio went underground and later became a member of the National Liberation Committee. After the war he re-entered politics, and became a deputy prime minister and in 1945, a minister of Defense.

In January 1947, Brosio became the Italian ambassador to Soviet Union and got involved with the peace treaty negotiations between the countries. In 1952 he became ambassador to the UK, to the USA in 1955 and from 1961–1964 to France.

On May 12, 1964 the NATO council chose Brosio to succeed Dirk Stikker as a secretary general. He resigned September 3, 1971. On September 29, 1971, U.S. President Richard Nixon awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Brosio died in Torino.