Olivier Long, 87; Swiss Diplomat, Advocate of Free Trade in 1970s

Olivier Long, 87, a Swiss diplomat known for his advocacy of free trade in the 1970s despite great fluctuations in the economy of the Western world, died of unspecified causes March 19 in Geneva.

Educated at the University of Paris and University of Geneva, where he earned a doctorate in law, Long’s diplomatic career began during World War II, when he joined the International Red Cross and negotiated prisoner-of-war exchanges across Europe.

He gave up his position as Switzerland’s ambassador to Britain and Malta in 1968 to become the second director general of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, or GATT. The Geneva-based organization was established in 1948 to oversee international trade.

During the 1970s, Long held firm against protectionist pressures brought on by recession, inflation and soaring oil prices, and maintained the commitments of the leading industrial nations to a six-year free-trade effort developed after a 1973 summit known as the Tokyo Round.

Many countries dropped tariffs and removed or controlled other free-trade barriers such as quotas and export subsidies.

Long retired as GATT director general in 1980.

He taught at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, and was the author of numerous books and articles on politics and economic affairs.