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Arnold GreenSoviet diplomat, party, state and political figure
Date of Birth: 30.08.1920
Country:  Estonia |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Military Career
- Party and State Career
- Sports Career
- National Olympic Committee
- Honors and Awards
- - Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class (1985)
Early Life and Education
Arnold Green was born in Riga, Latvia, and his family soon relocated to Rakvere, Estonia. He graduated from high school in Rakvere. After the Soviet occupation of Estonia in 1940, he joined the Communist Party of Estonia (CPE). In 1940, he enrolled in the Tallinn Military Infantry School on a course for junior political instructors. He graduated from the school in 1941 as a junior political instructor.
Military Career
From 1942 to 1945, Green served in the 7th Rifle Division of the Estonian Rifle Corps. He participated in the battles of Velikiye Luki, the liberation of Estonia, and the liquidation of the enemy's Kurland group in Latvia. He received the Order of the Red Star and the Medal "For Courage" for his bravery in combat.
Party and State Career
After the war, Green graduated from the Higher Party School of the CPSU Central Committee in Moscow as a historian. He then worked as chief editor of the Estonian newspaper "Rahva Hääl" ("Voice of the People") until 1953.
Green held various positions in the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic (ESSR) government, including Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers (1953-1958, 1960-1984) and Minister of Education (1958-1960). From 1962 to 1990, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the ESSR. In this role, he secured the inclusion of ESSR representatives in Soviet embassies in Germany, the UK, the US, and Canada, as well as the opening of Finnish and Swedish consulates in Tallinn.
Sports Career
Green's involvement in sports began in 1972 when he was a state curator of the Committee for Physical Culture and Sports. He was responsible for sailing competitions during the Munich Olympics. He held the same role at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
In 1980, when Tallinn was chosen to host the sailing regatta of the Moscow Olympics, Green was appointed Vice-President of the Olympiad-80 Organizing Committee and Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Regatta in Tallinn. The Estonian Olympic Sailing Center received high praise from the International Sailing Federation (IYARU) for its successful organization.
National Olympic Committee
In 1989, shortly before Estonia declared independence from the Soviet Union, Green was elected as the first president of the newly-established Estonian National Olympic Committee. He held this position until 1997. As president, he led Estonian delegations to the Olympic Games in Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), Albertville (1992), and Lillehammer (1994). Green also oversaw the construction of the Olympic Center in Tallinn and the restoration of Estonia's membership in the IOC.
Honors and Awards
Throughout his career, Green received numerous awards and honors, including:
- Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class (1985)
- Five Orders of the Red Banner of Labor- Order of Friendship of Peoples (1980)
- Order of the Red Star (1945)
- Order of the Badge of Honor (1950)
- Medal "For Courage" (1943)
- Silver Olympic Order of the International Olympic Committee (2001)
- Estonian State Prize in the field of Culture, Science and Sports (2001)
