Nicholas Platt

Ambassador Nicholas Platt was the former U.S. ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Zambia (1982-1984), the Philippines (1987-1991) and Pakistan (1991-1992). He has spent most of his life working on relations between the US and Asia, including serving as a high level diplomat in Canada, China, Hong Kong, and Japan. His ambassadorship was followed by twelve years as president of the Asia Society, beginning in 1992. He became president emeritus following his retirement July 1, 2004.

Ambassador Platt’s involvement with Asia began as a student of the Chinese language in Taiwan in the early sixties, and continued with Foreign Service assignments in Hong Kong (1964-68), Beijing (1973-74) and Tokyo (1974-77). In 1972 he accompanied President Nixon on the historic trip to Beijing that signaled the resumption of relations between the United States and China. He was one of the first members of the U.S. Liaison Office in Beijing when the United States established a mission there in 1973.

In the course of his government service, Ambassador Platt served in several capacities in Washington, including as China analyst, director of Japanese affairs, National Security Council staff member for Asian affairs, deputy assistant secretary of defense (responsible for politico-military relations with Japan, Korea, China and Southeast Asia), acting assistant secretary of state for UN affairs (1981-1982), and executive secretary of the Department of State (1985-1987).

Born in 1936, Ambassador Platt graduated from Harvard College in 1957 and earned an MA from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in 1959. He is a member of the New York Council on Foreign Relations, a board member of Scenic Hudson and of the Friends of China Heritage Fund Limited. Ambassador Platt and his wife, Sheila, have three grown sons: Adam, a writer; Oliver, an actor; and Nicholas Jr., an investment banker. They also have eight grandchildren. His memoir, China Boys, was published in March 2010.

Platt大使一生大部分时间都在致力于美国与亚洲的关系。当了34年的职业外交官后，从1992年开始，先后担任美国驻赞比亚大使(1982-1984)、驻菲律宾大使(1987-1991)和驻巴基斯坦大使(1991-1992)。他在2004年7月1日退休后成为了荣誉主席。

Platt大使参与亚洲事务始于60年代早期在台湾学习中文，并于1964-1968年继续在香港、1973-1974年在北京、和1974-1977年在东京担任驻外事务处的工作。1972年，他陪同尼克松总统对北京进行历史性访问，这标志着中美关系的恢复。他是1973年美国在北京设立使团时美国驻北京联络处的首批成员之一。

Platt大使在他政府服务的过程中，曾在华盛顿担任中国问题分析师、日本事务处主任、国家安全委员会工作人员负责亚洲事务、国防部长副助理(负责与日本、韩国、中国、与东南亚的军事关系)、负责联合国事务的国务卿代理助理(1981 – 1982)和国务院的执行秘书(1985 – 1987)。

Platt大使出生于1936年，1957年从哈佛学院本科毕业并与1959年获得约翰霍普金斯大学国际研究学院的硕士学位。他是纽约外交关系委员会的成员，是Scenic Husdon的董事会成员，也是中国传统基金会有限公司的成员。Platt大使和他的妻子Sheila有三个成年儿子：Adam是一名作家；Oliver是一名演员；Nicholas Jr.是一名银行投资家，和八个孙子。他的回忆录《China Boys》于2010年3月出版。