Known primarily for his long but undistinguished stint as United Nations Secretary General (1971-82), Kurt Waldheim also served as President of Austria after he retired from U.N. service. It was during this election period that controversy about Waldheim's past erupted when it appeared that the former diplomat and Austrian foreign minister (who had joined Austria's diplomatic corps following World War II) had intentionally concealed the facts surrounding his military service during the war. Documentation suggesting a Nazi past proved so damaging that Waldheim was barred from entering the U.S. for a state visit after his election.