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Nicholas Platt
Nicholas Platt (born March 10, 1936) is an American diplomat who served as U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Pakistan, Philippines, Zambia, and as a high level diplomat in Canada, China, Hong Kong, and Japan. He is the former president of the Asia Society in New York City.
Platt was born in New York City on March 10, 1936. He is the son of Helen (née Choate) Platt and architect Geoffrey Platt.
His maternal grandfather was Joseph H. Choate Jr., and his great-grandfather was diplomat and lawyer Joseph Hodges Choate, who was appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1899 by President William Mckinley. Joseph's brother, William Gardner Choate, established Choate Rosemary Hall.
Platt graduated from the prep school St. Paul's School, Harvard College (B.A., 1957) and Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (M.A., 1959). At Harvard, he was a member of the Hasty Pudding Club and the Porcellian Club. He speaks Chinese, German, French, and Japanese.
Platt began his career as a research assistant at the Washington Center for Foreign Policy Research before entering the Foreign Service of the United States in 1959. Reportedly, he was inspired to join the Foreign Service by his great-grandfather, Ambassador Joseph Hodges Choate. From 1959 to 1961, he served as vice consul in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. From 1962 to 1963, he studied the Chinese language at the Foreign Service Institute and in Taichung, Taiwan. In 1964, he was assigned as political officer at the American consulate general in Hong Kong until 1968, when he became China desk officer in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
From 1969 to 1971, Platt was chief of the Asian Communist Areas Division of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. In 1971–1973, he served as Deputy Director, and then Director, of the Secretariat Staff in the Department of State. As a young diplomat, Platt accompanied President Richard Nixon on the historic trip to Beijing in 1972 that signaled the resumption of relations between the U.S. and China.
Platt was assigned as chief of the political section, U.S. Liaison Office, Peking, China, 1973–1974, and then as deputy chief of the political section at the Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, 1974–1977. He returned to Washington to serve as Director for Japanese Affairs in 1977 and then served as a staff member on the National Security Council at the White House from 1978 to 1980. From 1980 to 1981, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, International Security Affairs in the U.S. Department of Defense. From 1981 to 1982, he returned to the Department of State as Deputy Assistant Secretary, International Organization Affairs.
Ambassador Platt shared his career experiences through several oral histories that he shared with the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training and are now available as part of Frontline Diplomacy: The Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection, first in 1994 and again in 2005.
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Nicholas Platt
Nicholas Platt (born March 10, 1936) is an American diplomat who served as U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Pakistan, Philippines, Zambia, and as a high level diplomat in Canada, China, Hong Kong, and Japan. He is the former president of the Asia Society in New York City.
Platt was born in New York City on March 10, 1936. He is the son of Helen (née Choate) Platt and architect Geoffrey Platt.
His maternal grandfather was Joseph H. Choate Jr., and his great-grandfather was diplomat and lawyer Joseph Hodges Choate, who was appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1899 by President William Mckinley. Joseph's brother, William Gardner Choate, established Choate Rosemary Hall.
Platt graduated from the prep school St. Paul's School, Harvard College (B.A., 1957) and Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (M.A., 1959). At Harvard, he was a member of the Hasty Pudding Club and the Porcellian Club. He speaks Chinese, German, French, and Japanese.
Platt began his career as a research assistant at the Washington Center for Foreign Policy Research before entering the Foreign Service of the United States in 1959. Reportedly, he was inspired to join the Foreign Service by his great-grandfather, Ambassador Joseph Hodges Choate. From 1959 to 1961, he served as vice consul in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. From 1962 to 1963, he studied the Chinese language at the Foreign Service Institute and in Taichung, Taiwan. In 1964, he was assigned as political officer at the American consulate general in Hong Kong until 1968, when he became China desk officer in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
From 1969 to 1971, Platt was chief of the Asian Communist Areas Division of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. In 1971–1973, he served as Deputy Director, and then Director, of the Secretariat Staff in the Department of State. As a young diplomat, Platt accompanied President Richard Nixon on the historic trip to Beijing in 1972 that signaled the resumption of relations between the U.S. and China.
Platt was assigned as chief of the political section, U.S. Liaison Office, Peking, China, 1973–1974, and then as deputy chief of the political section at the Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, 1974–1977. He returned to Washington to serve as Director for Japanese Affairs in 1977 and then served as a staff member on the National Security Council at the White House from 1978 to 1980. From 1980 to 1981, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, International Security Affairs in the U.S. Department of Defense. From 1981 to 1982, he returned to the Department of State as Deputy Assistant Secretary, International Organization Affairs.
Ambassador Platt shared his career experiences through several oral histories that he shared with the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training and are now available as part of Frontline Diplomacy: The Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection, first in 1994 and again in 2005.