Ivor Porter
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Ivor F. Porter CMG, OBE (b. 1913) is a former British Ambassador and author.
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[edit] Education
Porter was brought up in the Lake District and educated at Barrow-in-Furness Grammar School and Leeds University.
[edit] Special Operations Executive
In 1939 Porter was sent to Bucharest, Romania on an academic post with the British Council but was quickly transferred to the Legation, and remained there until it was withdrawn from Romania on 12 February 1941. On 1 March 1941 Porter was recruited by SOE, and was one of a covert three-man mission that was parachuted into Romania in December 1943 to instigate resistance against the Nazis at "any cost" (Operation Autonomous). The SOE agents were captured and held as prisoners-of-war until, on 23 August 1944, King Michael of Romania carried out his anti-German coup d'état. Porter met King Michael that night and remained in the country during the King's desperate efforts to prevent Soviet domination.
[edit] Foreign Office
He joined the F.O. in May 1946 and has served in London, Washington, the U.K. delegation to NATO, Cyprus, as U.K. representative to the Council of Europe, and India. He was ambassador in Senegal and to the Arms Control Committee in Geneva.
[edit] Author
Porter has written two books since retirement: Operation Autonomous: With SOE in Wartime Romania and Michael of Romania: The King and the Country.[1] Operation Autonomous was short listed for the Time-Life/Pen Award for non-fiction.[7] In 2005 he was made Commander of the Romanian order of "Meritul Cultural".
