Richard Butler (diplomat) facts for kids

Richard William Butler, AC (born 13 May 1942) is a retired Australian public servant. He worked as a United Nations weapons inspector. He also served as a former Governor of Tasmania.

Early Life and Career

Richard Butler was born in Coolah, a country town in New South Wales, Australia. He grew up in Sydney. He went to school at Randwick Boys High School. Later, he studied at the University of Sydney and the Australian National University in Canberra.

In 1965, Butler started working for the Australian government. He joined the Department of External Affairs. He worked in different roles until 1975. After that, he became a key advisor to Gough Whitlam. Whitlam was then the Leader of the Opposition.

Working for the United Nations

In 1983, Bob Hawke, who was then the Prime Minister, gave Butler an important job. He became Australia's Permanent Representative for Disarmament at the United Nations in Geneva. This meant he represented Australia in talks about reducing weapons.

Later, he became the Australian Ambassador to Thailand. He played a big part in helping to bring peace to Cambodia. He worked closely with the Foreign Minister, Gareth Evans.

From 1992 to 1997, Butler was Australia's Ambassador to the United Nations. His time there ended after Australia did not win a seat on the Security Council in 1996. He later wrote in his book that his very active style might have upset some countries.

Today, Butler is a professor at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University. He also teaches at Penn State University.

Butler and UN Weapons Inspections

In 1997, Richard Butler was chosen to lead the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM). This group was in charge of inspecting weapons in Iraq. He took over from Rolf Ekéus.

In this role, Butler often disagreed with both the Iraqi government and the United States. Some people described him as being very direct. The UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, even told him to use more polite language when talking about Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein.

Inspecting Weapons in Iraq

While leading UNSCOM, Butler often said that Saddam Hussein had hidden weapons of mass destruction. These are very dangerous weapons.

In 1998, Iraq accused Butler and other UNSCOM officials of spying for the United States. However, the inspectors were not kicked out by Iraq. Instead, Butler himself wrote in his book Saddam Defiant that the U.S. Ambassador suggested he remove his team. This was to protect them from upcoming U.S. and British airstrikes.

Some media reports suggested that there might have been some truth to the spying claims. They also said Butler might have changed UNSCOM's findings to suit the United States. A French diplomat who worked with Butler, Eric Fournier, said that Butler's report led to the U.S. bombing of Iraq. This made the UNSCOM mission impossible.

Newspapers like The Washington Post and The Boston Globe reported that Butler knew about a U.S. operation. This operation allowed intelligence agents to listen to military messages in Iraq. An UNSCOM insider, Rod Barton, confirmed this on Australian television in 2005. This information was used to target U.S. air attacks on Iraq.

Butler admitted that foreign intelligence agencies helped find Iraqi weapons. But he denied working with the U.S. to listen in on Saddam Hussein's private talks. He also said that foreign intelligence activities decreased in 1998.

Kofi Annan publicly supported Butler. But it was reported that Annan was privately trying to get Butler to resign. Butler left UNSCOM a few months later in 1999.

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Butler spoke out against the U.S.-led invasion. He also opposed Australia joining the war. In July 2003, he called for the Prime Minister, John Howard, and Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, to resign. He said they had misled Australians about the war.

Governor of Tasmania

Becoming Governor

In August 2003, Jim Bacon, the Premier of Tasmania, announced that Butler would be the next Governor of Tasmania. He officially started his role on 3 October.

Some people criticized his appointment. They said he was not from Tasmania. They also worried he was too close to the Labor Party. Others were concerned because he supported Australia becoming a republic. This meant he might not be the best person to represent the Queen of Australia, Elizabeth II.

Butler tried to calm these worries. He said he would not offend anyone who supported the monarchy. He hoped his international experience would help Tasmania connect with the world.

He married Jennifer Grey, his third wife, the day after becoming governor. They then left for a three-week honeymoon overseas.

Resigning from Office

On 9 August 2004, Butler announced he was resigning. He said he wanted to end a "malicious campaign" against him and his wife. The Premier, Paul Lennon, said Butler handled the situation with "honour." He called the decision "courageous."

Butler's supporters believed he was forced out by people who supported the monarchy. They also blamed the Murdoch-owned newspaper, The Mercury. This newspaper had published many articles criticizing Butler. These articles mentioned his long honeymoon and claims that he did not get along with staff. They also said he was arrogant.

On 5 August, The Mercury reported that a political scientist, Richard Herr, said some events at Government House seemed against the rules for the Governor. For example, there was a lunch for the Botswanan High Commissioner. Jennifer Butler, the Governor's wife, hosted it. However, the Governor's spouse does not have official status when the Governor is away. This event should have been hosted by the Lieutenant-Governor, William Cox.

After Butler resigned, William Cox became the acting governor. He was later appointed Governor of Tasmania.

The day after Butler resigned, Premier Lennon said he offered Butler A$650,000. This was to make up for the money he would have earned in the rest of his five-year term. Many people criticized this payment. Both Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader Mark Latham said it was wrong. Latham called it "sickening."

Honours

In 1988, Richard Butler was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). This was "In recognition of service to international peace and disarmament."

On 5 September 2003, just before becoming Governor of Tasmania, Butler was promoted. He became a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).