Peter Tarnoff

Who is Peter Tarnoff?

Peter Tarnoff served as the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs during the first Clinton term, from 1993 to 1997. In May 1997, United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright presented him the Department of State's highest award, the Distinguished Service Award for extraordinary service in advancing American interests through creative and effective diplomacy.

Tarnoff was President of the Council on Foreign Relations from 1986 to 1993. Before taking up that position, he served as Executive Director of the World Affairs Council of Northern California and President of the International Advisory Corporation. While on sabbatical from the Department of State in 1982-1983, Tarnoff was a lecturer at Stanford University and Georgetown University.

During his career as a Foreign Service Officer, Tarnoff served as Executive Secretary of the Department of State and Special Assistant to Secretaries of State Edmund Muskie and Cyrus Vance; Director, Office of Research and Analysis for Western Europe; Special Assistant to Ambassador-at-Large Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.; and Nigerian Analyst in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. His Foreign Service assignments abroad included Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy in Luxembourg; one year's study at the National School of Administration in Paris, followed by assignment as Principal Officer at the American Consulate General in Lyon, France; Special Assistant to the U.S. Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany; Special Assistant to the Chief of the American Delegation to the Paris Talks on Vietnam; Special Assistant to the Deputy U.S. Ambassador and to the U.S. Ambassador, Saigon, Vietnam; and Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Lagos, Nigeria.