Niels Christian Ditleff (29 October 1881 – 18 June 1956) was a Norwegian diplomat, noted for his humanitarian efforts on behalf of captives of the Germans during World War 2.

In spite of opposition from his own and allied governments, he initiated and organized the White Buses campaign to rescue Scandinavian prisoners in German concentration camps.

[1] At a time when this was unusual, he was also an avid recreational runner, known in the city of Warsaw for his daily runs back and forth along the Vistula River, criss-crossing the bridges.

[1] Ditleff's humanitarian contributions during World War II are related to two specific episodes: the evacuation of foreign diplomats and Jews from Warsaw, and the White Buses campaign to rescue Scandinavians in German concentration camps.

Ditleff, acting as the doyen of the corps, tried early to hail German military authorities with a handheld radio to arrange an orderly evacuation.

To negotiate the rescue with the German authorities, he enlisted Folke Bernadotte to act using the good offices of the International Red Cross.

Bernadotte subsequently initiated contact with Heinrich Himmler to implement the plan, which ultimately resulted in the evacuation of tens of thousands of refugees.