Joseph Luns

Joseph Luns was foreign minister of the Netherlands in the 50' and 60'. He refused to surrender what is now West Papua to the Indonesian authorities until forced to do so by the Kennedy administration. He was one of the co-founders and signatories of the EU's treaty of Rome. He blocked attempts by de Gaulle and Adenauer to create a "Political Union" because it would have made the fledgling EU a franco-german condominion in his eyes. Later he became Secretary General of the NATO. As such he came in conflict with the rather left-wing government of his own country, e.g. by insisting that the Netherlands install cruise missiles.

He died 18 July 2002.