Robert L. Yost

Robert L. Yost
Yost, circa 1972
4th Ambassador of the United States to Burundi
In office
August 19, 1972 – May 26, 1974
PresidentRichard Nixon
Preceded byThomas P. Melady
Succeeded byDavid E. Mark
Personal details
Born
Robert Lloyd Yost

1907
Kirkland, Washington, United States of America
DiedMay 29, 1990
Berkeley, California, United States of America
EducationUniversity of California (1942)
George Washington University (I.R.)

Robert Lloyd Yost (1922 Kirkland, Washington – May 29, 1990 Berkeley, California) was an American career Foreign Service officer who was the United States Ambassador to Burundi from 1972 to 1974 and to the Dominican Republic from 1978 until 1982, when he retired.[1][2]

During Yost's tenure in Burundi, the Ikiza was happening. This was a major concern for President Richard Nixon and after many attempts to bring about a resolution, Yost was recalled by Nixon “as a first step in an informal break of diplomatic relations with Burundi’s “butchers”“ as Nixon referred to them.[3]

Yost was an Army veteran of World War II. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1942 and received a master's degree in international relations from George Washington University. He was a graduate of the National War College.[4]

A resident of Oakland, California, Yost died of liver failure at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, California.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Robert L. Yost; Diplomat, 67". The New York Times. June 6, 1990. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  2. ^ "Robert Lloyd Yost (1922–1990)". Office of the Historian. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  3. ^ Taylor, Jordan D. "The U.S. response to the Burundi Genocide of 1972". JMU Scholarly Commons. James Madison University. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  4. ^ "Obituaries". The Washington Post. June 5, 1990. Retrieved February 5, 2020.