BERNSTORFF, JOHANN HEINRICH, COUNT VON , German diplomatist, was born in London Nov. 14 1862, the son of the Prussian diplomatist, Count Albrecht von Bernstorff, who was Prussian minister and German ambassador in London, 18S4-61 and 1862-73. He entered the diplomatic service in 1899, was secretary of legation successively at Belgrade, Dres den, St. Petersburg and Munich, and (1 go2—o6) councillor of the embassy in London. He then went as consul-general to Cairo, whence he proceeded as German ambassador in 1 go8 to Washing ton, and remained there until America's declaration of war against Germany in April 1917. He made great efforts to facilitate medi ation by President Wilson, but he did not receive the support he expected from authoritative quarters in Berlin. On the American declaration of war he returned to Germany and was sent as ambas sador to Constantinople, where he was employed until 1918.
In various publications, and in his reminiscences on his term of office as ambassador in Washington, he endeavoured to prove that Germany, if she had followed the proper policy, could have avoided war with America. This statement of his views excited much controversy in his own country. When the revolution broke out in 1918 Bernstorff left the diplomatic service, but later took an active part in parliamentary politics as a member of the Demo cratic Party in the reiclistag, and also maintained a close connec tion with international affairs, as chairman of the German League of Nations Union until After Hitler's advent he went into exile at Geneva, Switzerland, where he died Oct. 6, See his My Three Years in America (192o) and Memoirs of Count Bernstorff (1936) .