Dutch jurist, politician and UN diplomat.
He was born in an old Frisian family of jurists and magistrates. His father Henricus Cato van Kleffens (8 November 1861 6 AM, Dokkum – 30 July 1942, Arnhem) was a prosecutor, who married trice.
On 15 September 1890, he married in Groningen, Jeannette Fresina Veenhoven (18 February 1864 8 AM, Hoogezand – 17 July 1906 3 AM, Groningen). They got four children: A stillborn daughter that died 12 July 1893 at 8 PM in Heerenveen. Eelco, the diplomat of this entry. A daughter Gesina Jantina (23 December 1896, Heerenveen – 31 March 1930 5h30, Amsterdam) and Adrianus van Kleffens (14 October 1899 10 PM Nijehaske- 2 August 1973, 2 August 1973, De Steeg), who became a judge at the European Court of Justice from 1952 to 1958.
On 25 May 1908, the father married in Leiden Sabine Johanna Janke van Ilpsema Vinckers (6 December 1861, Appingedam – 18 October 1911, Den Haag). On 17 April 1913, he married in Den Haag Anna Margaretha de Graaff (4 February 1875, Haarlem – 17 April 1943, Velp).
Van Kleffens followed in his childhood his father along its ranks as deputy prosecutor of Groningen and Heerenveen (till 1905) to The Hague. In Heerenveen he met Rudolph Cleveringa, both would become PhD jurists in Leiden on the same day (16 January 1919). He studied Law in Leiden from 17 September 1913 until 12 June 1917 (exams). He dissertated under M.J.M, van Eysinga on the legal relations between the Netherlands and Japan: “De internationaalrechtelijke betrekkingen tussen Nederland en Japan (1605-heden)”. In 1609 the Dutch were granted extensive trading rights and set up a Dutch East India Company trading outpost at Hirado, Japan.
At that time he worked for the just established League of Nations. In 1920, he accepted a position as the executive secretary of the Royal Dutch Shell Group in London.
From 1929 until his not implemented appointment as ambassador in Bern on 1 August 1939 of Kleffens was chief of the diplomatic affairs at the Dutch Foreign Ministry. But as WW2 broke out, the comfortable diplomatic post in Bern was changed for the difficult post as minister of Foreign Affairs in times of war (10 August 1939 – 1 March 1946).
From September 1939 until the German invasion of the Netherlands (10 May 1940, Van Kleffens was a convinced supporter of Dutch neutrality during WW2. But as a Foreign minister in exile in London, he would write “The rape of the Netherlands” (1940, London).
War games had changed in the 20th century. In Napoleon times heroes combated in man to man fights other heroes, but now the leaders were blackmailed with the threat of bombardment of their innocent “virgin” civilians in open cities. The medieval city of Rotterdam was burned down, starting on 14 May 1940 around 13h30 in the Rotterdam Blitz, and without any left air defence, all Dutch cities became open cities. The bombardment of Utrecht was the next easy target in what we now would call a “war criminality” Nazi scenario. The Dutch defences (Waterlinie and other fortresses) were just surpassed by flying over them. The rules of the game had changed. On 15 May 1940, one day after the bombing of Rotterdam, the Dutch forces surrendered. The Dutch government and the royal family escaped and went into exile in London.
That same morning, when the German troops invaded the Netherlands (10 May 1940 at 4h55 AM), he flew to London, to ask for support. The Dutch government of De Geer and Queen Wilhelmina would follow, as the Dutch army was no party for the Wehrmacht. A few days later he went to Paris to ask for help. But the Netherlands capitulated and the Dutch Government went into exile.
Van Kleffen’s wife also succeeded to escape to London. In London preparations were made for post war policies. In September 1944 the Benelux was erected (the countries still being occupied)). On 28 December 1943 he pleaded for the erection of an Atlantic Treaty organisation, the later NATO.
After WW2 the United Nation were erected. On 26 July 1945 Van Kleffens signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center the Dutch commitment to the United Nations Charter. It was effectuated on 24 October 1945. August 1946 he would become chairman of the United Nations Security Council.
From 31 July 1947 till 1 May 1949 he was the Dutch ambassador in Washington. End 1947 Van Kleffens was opposed to the entry of Indonesia to the UN as the human rights in the self declared Indonesian Republic were violated by keeping hostages.
On 4 July 1950 he became Dutch minister of State. That same year he was ambassador to Portugal. From 21 September 1954 till 15 September 1955 he was the 9th chairman of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Personal
He married Margaret Helen Horstmann (25 February 1912, Rotterdam – 1993) on 4 April 1935 in Den Haag. Her father Adolph Otto Horstmann (19 April 1875, Rotterdam – 11 may 1918, Rotterdam ) was in the directory board of Esso. They had no children. In 1967 he definitively moved to Portugal. He renovated a house named Casal de Santa Filomena in Almoçageme and enjoyed walking and sailing. His memoirs were published from 1980-1983. He died 17 June 1983 in Portugal.

Link to Wikipedia
Link to Astrodienst forum archive