Rinaldo Petrignani

Rinaldo Petrignani trained in law and pursued a diplomatic career that included advising the Italian prime minister, heading Italy’s mission to the international organizations in Geneva, and serving as NATO deputy secretary general. He became ambassador in Washington in 1981 and remained for a decade, spanning the Reagan administration and the opening years of George H. W. Bush’s presidency. ^{1, 2}

The 1985 Achille Lauro affair put the alliance under severe strain. After Palestinian hijackers murdered passenger Leon Klinghoffer, American forces intercepted the aircraft carrying them and brought it to the Italian base at Sigonella. Italy’s assertion of jurisdiction and the subsequent departure of Abu Abbas produced an intense dispute. State Department Italy desk officer Thomas Longo later recalled that Petrignani kept talking with him when other Washington contacts had closed their doors. Longo described the ambassador’s anxious inquiries about American attitudes to Italian political leaders and his own efforts to prevent the quarrel from damaging wider NATO cooperation. ³

After leaving government service, Petrignani moved into business and public affairs, including leadership of Alenia North America. Boeing appointed him to lead its Italian operations in 2002. He also wrote on Italian foreign policy and the United States, including Neutralità e alleanza, America in diretta, and L’Era americana. ^{1, 2}