Reagan Ronald

Ronald Reagan Praises Philip Habib, His Special Envoy to the Middle East

Single page signed typed letter on White House letterhead, 6.75" x 9". Dated "June 9, 1986", and signed by President Reagan as "Ronald Reagan". Fine condition. Accompanied by a black and white glossy photo, although the photo has a penned date of Oct 1971, it appears instead to be of the same era as the letter.

Philip Habib (February 25, 1920-May 25, 1992) was a career diplomat known for his work in Vietnam, South Korea and the Middle East. The New York Times described him as the outstanding professional diplomat of his generation in the United States. Habib was Lebanese-American and raised in Brooklyn by Lebanese Maronite Catholic parents. He graduated with a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Berkeley in 1952 then entered the Foreign Service. He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 1967-1969 and was part of the Vietnamese peace talk delegation in 1968. He was Ambassador to South Korea (1971-1974), Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (1974-1976), and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (1976-1978), during which time he was the chief mediator between Israel and Egypt in the Camp David Peace Accord.

Habib retired from the Foreign Service after suffering a third heart attack but soon returned to public service in 1979 as a special adviser and in 1981 was sent as special envoy by Ronald Reagan to mediate the Lebanese Civil War. Habib negotiated a peace agreement that allowed the PLO to evacuate the besieged city of Beirut.

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.