Ivor Porter

Ivor Forsyth Porter CMG, OBE (12 November 1913 – 29 May 2012) was a British ambassador and author. 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. In June 2008 he was awarded the Cross of the Royal House of Romania.

Foreign Office He joined the Foreign Office in May 1946 and served in London, Washington, D.C., the U.K. delegation to NATO, Cyprus, as U.K. representative to the Council of Europe, and India. He was ambassador in Senegal (with concurrent accreditation in Guinea, Mali, and Mauritania) and to the Arms Control Committee in Geneva.

Author Porter wrote two books after retirement: Operation Autonomous: With SOE in Wartime Romania and Michael of Romania: The King and the Country . Operation Autonomous was short listed for the Time-Life/Pen Award for non-fiction. In 2005 he was made Commander of the Romanian order of "Meritul Cultural".

Honours National honours Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Knight Officer of the Order of the British Empire