Karl von Spreti facts for kids

Karl Borromäus Maria Heinrich Graf von Spreti (born May 21, 1907 – died April 5, 1970) was a German diplomat. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in other nations. He is most known for being the West German Ambassador to Guatemala from 1968 until he was sadly killed in 1970. His story was even written about in a book called Why Karl von Spreti Died.

Who Was Karl von Spreti?

Karl von Spreti was born in a place called Kapfing Castle near Landshut, Germany. His family was aristocratic, which means they were part of a very old and important family. Like one of his ancestors, Karl von Spreti studied architecture, which is the art of designing buildings.

He also joined a political group called the Bavarian People's Party. After serving in the Second World War with the German Army, he was held captive by the Allied forces for a short time. Later, he settled in Lindau, where he continued his work as an architect. He also became a local politician for the Christian Social Union of Bavaria.

A Diplomat's Journey

In 1956, Karl von Spreti became West Germany's first ambassador to Luxembourg since the Second World War. He held this important job until 1960. After that, he became the ambassador to Cuba (from 1960 to 1963).

He then served as ambassador to Jordan (from 1963 to 1965) and to the Dominican Republic (from 1966 to 1968). Finally, he was sent to Guatemala in 1968. This was a very difficult time in Guatemala because of the Guatemalan Civil War.

On March 31, 1970, Karl von Spreti was kidnapped in Guatemala City by a group called the FAR guerillas. Sadly, he was killed six days later. After his death, West Germany immediately ended its diplomatic relationship with Guatemala.

See also

• List of kidnappings
• List of solved missing person cases