Bush George H. W.

George H. W. Bush Congratulates Philip Habib on His Appointment as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs

"Just don't boss me around too much...."

In March 1976, President Gerald R. Ford announced plans to promote Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Philp C. Habib to the position of Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, the number three job in the State Department under Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Then Director of Central Intelligence George H. W. Bush congratulates Habib in this brief note.

The Senate confirmed Habib's appointment on June 16, and he held the office from July 1, 1976 to April 1, 1978. The Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs is usually occupied by a career Foreign Service officer like Habib. The Under Secretary serves as the day-to-day manager of overall regional and bilateral policy issues and oversees the regional bureaus.

Autograph note inscribed and signed by George H.W. Bush, to Philip Habib, April 1, [1976]. 2 pp., 5" x 7.25", on "THE DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE" stationery. Some residue from album mounting on second page; very good.

Complete Transcript

"April 1
Dear Phil,
Congratulations.
You deserve it all and will do great. I look forward to working with you.
Just don't boss me around too much – "No press conference, Bush," – that kind of thing.
Warm best wishes,
George".

Philip C. Habib (1920-1992) was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in a Jewish neighborhood by Lebanese Maronite Catholic parents. He graduated from the University of Idaho in 1942 with a degree in forestry. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and rose to the rank of captain. After the war, he earned a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1952. He also took the Foreign Service examination and began a career with the United States Foreign Service in 1949. After service in Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, and South Vietnam, Habib served as chief of staff for the U.S. delegation to the Paris Peace Talks from 1968 to 1971. He served as Ambassador to South Korea from 1971 to 1974. He then served as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Public Affairs from 1974 to 1976 and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 1976 to 1978, when a heart attack forced his resignation. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan called Habib out of retirement to serve as special envoy to the Middle East, where he negotiated a peace that allowed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to evacuate from the city of Beirut, which Israel had besieged. In 1986, Reagan sent Habib to the Philippines to convince Ferdinand Marcos to step down, and then to Central America to negotiate regarding conflict in Nicaragua. Habib supported Costa Rican president Óscar Arias's peace plan focused on democratization, but Reagan refused to let him meet with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, and Habib resigned. Habib died while on vacation in France, and the "New York Times" described him as "the outstanding professional diplomat of his generation in the United States."

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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