Kurt Josef Waldheim (German pronunciation: [ˈkʊɐ̯t ˈvaldhaɪm] ( listen); 21 December 1918 – 14 June 2007) was an Austrian diplomat and politician. Waldheim was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the ninth President of Austria from 1986 to 1992. While he was running for president in Austria in 1985, the revelation of his service in Thessaloniki, Greece as an intelligence officer in the Wehrmacht during World War II raised international controversy.