John Killick
Sir John Killick GCMG was a British diplomat who was ambassador in Moscow at a difficult time, later ambassador to NATO.Career
John Edward Killick was educated at Latymer Upper School, University College, London, and Bonn University. He served in the British Army during World War II, first in the Suffolk Regiment, and later in the 1st Airborne Division in which he commanded the 89th Field Security Section at Arnhem. He was captured by the Germans, and after release in 1945 he commanded the intelligence corps unit at Siegen.
Kilick joined the Foreign Office in 1946 and served with the Allied High Commission in Germany 1948–51, at Berlin, Frankfurt and Bonn. He was private secretary to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office 1951–54, served at the embassy in Addis Ababa 1954–57, then attended the Canadian National Defence College 1957–58. He served in the Western European department at the Foreign Office 1958–62, attended the Imperial Defence College 1962–63, then was Head of Chancery at the embassy in Washington, D.C., 1963–68, and Assistant Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1968–71.
Killick was appointed Ambassador at Moscow in September 1971. Shortly after he arrived, the British government expelled 90 Russian intelligence officers, and Killick had to deal with the difficult Anglo-Soviet relations that followed. He returned to London 1973–75 as deputy to the Permanent Under-Secretary at the FCO, Sir Thomas Brimelow, and also Britain's Permanent Representative on the Council of the Western European Union. He was Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council 1975–79.
Killick was appointed CMG in the New Year Honours of 1966, knighted KCMG in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1971 and raised to GCMG in the Birthday Honours of 1979.
