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WASHINGTON - Six U.S. diplomats-Hiram Bingham IV, Charles E. Bohlen, Philip C. Habib, Robert D. Murphy, Clifton R. Wharton, Sr., and Frances E. Willis-were commemorated on U.S. postage stamps today for their contributions to international relations as negotiators, administrators, trailblazers, shapers of policy, peacemakers and humanitarians.

The "Distinguished American Diplomats" commemorative postage stamps dedication ceremony took center stage during the Washington 2006 World Philatelic Exhibition at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. The stamps are available in Washington, DC, today and nationwide May 31.

"All of these diplomats," said James C. Miller III, Chairman of the presidentially-appointed U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors, "served in different parts of the world, yet they shared a common passion for service-a passion that sometimes put them in harms way. They took risks to advance humanitarianism. They took risks to advance ideas. They took risks to advance peace. And for that all of us should be thankful," he said in dedicating the stamps.

"It is because these accomplished diplomats took so much pride in their service to our nation they have inspired generations of diplomats-each one dreaming of how he or she can, like them, make a difference. These six diplomats represent what it means to be an American."

Joining Miller in dedicating the Distinguished Diplomats stamps were Congressman Rob Simmons, (R-CT); Hiram Bingham IV's son, Robert Kim Bingham; Charles E. Bohlen's daughter, Avis Bohlen; Philip C. Habib's daughter, Susan Michaels; Robert D. Murphy's daughter, Mildred Pond; Dr. Clifton R. Wharton's son, Clifton R. Wharton, Jr.; and, the great niece of Frances E. Willis, Sherene Gravatte. Also participating in the ceremony was Nicholas G. Carter, PhD., Chairman, Technology Committee, Washington 2006 World Philatelic Exhibition.

Hiram Bingham IV
While serving as a diplomat in France during World War II, Hiram Bingham IV (1903-1988) defied U.S. policy by issuing visas that saved the lives of more than 2,000 Jews and other refugees. Since the discovery of his heroism, he has been posthumously honored for "constructive dissent" (see attached).

Charles E Bohlen
A renowned expert on the Soviet Union, Charles E. Bohlen helped to shape foreign policy during World War II and the Cold War. He was present at key wartime meetings with the Soviets, he served as ambassador to Moscow during the 1950s and advised every U.S. president between 1943 and 1968.

Philip C. Habib
Philip C. Habib (1920-1992) was renowned for his diplomacy in some of the world's most dangerous flash points. An authority on Southeast Asia, a peace negotiator in the Middle East, and a special envoy to Central America, Habib was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1982.

Robert D. Murphy
A skilled troubleshooter, Robert D. Murphy (1894-1978) played a key role in facilitating the Allied ground invasion of North Africa during World War II. He served as the first postwar U.S. ambassador to Japan, and in 1956 he became one of the first diplomats to be named Career Ambassador.

Clifton R. Wharton
The distinguished career of Clifton R. Wharton, Sr. (1899-1990) spanned nearly four decades. In addition to becoming the first black Foreign Service Officer, Wharton was the first black diplomat to lead an American delegation to a European country and to become an ambassador by rising through the ranks, rather than by political appointment.

Frances E. Willis
Frances E. Willis (1899-1983) began her diplomatic career in 1927 and served with distinction, especially in Europe, until 1964. She was the first female Foreign Service Officer to rise through the ranks to become an ambassador and the first woman to be honored with the title of Career Ambassador (see attached for detailed information on each diplomat).
During the Washington, DC, World Philatelic Exhibition, www.washington-2006, May 27-June 3, visitors can see $40 million worth of the world's rarest stamps, have stamp collections valued and witness multi-million dollar stamp auctions. Families can get a jump-start on stamp collecting by buying stamps from the only location on the planet selling stamps from 135 countries under one roof.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark

Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at authorized philatelic centers, by telephone at 800-STAMP-24, and at www.usps.com/shop. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN DIPLOMATS
COMMEMORATIVE SHEET
POSTMASTER
SPECIAL CANCELLATIONS
PO BOX 92282
WASHINGTON DC 20090-2282

How to Order First-Day Covers

Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:

INFORMATION FULFILLMENT
DEPT 6270
US POSTAL SERVICE
PO BOX 219014
KANSAS CITY MO 64121-9014

Philatelic Products

There are six philatelic products available for this stamp issue.

• 567862 - Full Pane FDC, $4.84
  
• 567863 - FDC Set of 6, $4.62
  
• 567865 - Digital Color Postmark Random Single, $1.50
  
• 567868 - Digital Color Postmark Set of 6, $9.00
  
• 567884 - Uncut Press Sheet, $35.10
  
• 567899 - Digital Color Postmark Keepsake (First-day-of-issue program w/Digital Color Postmark, random sample), $11.34

These products will be available while supplies last at postal stores, online at www.usps.com, and by telephone at 800-STAMP-24 (800-782-6724).


Since 1775, the Postal Service and its predecessor, the Post Office Department, has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency that visits 144 million homes and businesses every day, six days a week and is the only service provider delivering to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of more than $69 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The Postal Service delivers more than half of the world's mail volume-some 212 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year-and serves seven and a half million customers each day at its 37,000 retail locations nationwide. Its website, usps.com, attracts more than 21 million visitors each month.

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Distinguished American Diplomats

Hiram Bingham IV

Hiram Bingham IV (1903-1988) served as a U.S. diplomat in France during World War II. He is remembered for saving the lives of thousands of refugees during the war through his principled opposition to U.S. policy.

Born to a prominent Connecticut family, Bingham graduated from Yale in 1925 and studied international law at Harvard. After he entered the Foreign Service in 1929, his postings included China, Poland and England.

During the late 1930s, Bingham was named vice consul in Marseilles, France, where he was in charge of issuing visas. In 1940 and 1941, against the official policies of the United States, he issued visas and false passports to Jews and other refugees, assisting in their escape and sometimes sheltering them in his own home. He also worked with American journalist/hero Varian Fry to save refugees, and is credited with saving more than 2,000 people from the Nazis. He is also credited with saving such famous figures as artist Marc Chagall, Nobel-winning biochemist Otto Meyerhoff, and historian Hannah Arendt, before being transferred to Portugal and then to Argentina.

Since the posthumous discovery of his humanitarian activities during the 1980s and 1990s, Bingham has been recognized by the United Nations, and in June 2002 he was honored by the American Foreign Service Association with a special award for "constructive dissent."

Charles E. Bohlen

A renowned expert on the Soviet Union, Charles E. Bohlen (1904-1974) helped to shape U.S. foreign policy during World War II and the Cold War. He was present at key negotiations with the Soviets during World War II, he served as ambassador to Moscow during the 1950s, and he was an adviser to every U.S. president between 1943 and 1968.

Born in Clayton, New York, Bohlen traveled frequently to Europe with his family as a child. After graduating from Harvard University in 1927, he entered the Foreign Service in 1929 and selected Russian and Soviet affairs as his specialty. He joined the staff of the first U.S. embassy to the Soviet Union in 1934, and was serving as the Soviet expert at the U.S. embassy in Tokyo when the United States entered World War II.

Bohlen witnessed history being made at many of the most important summit conferences of the war. He served as interpreter for President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943 at the Teheran Conference, where Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill planned the final phase of the war against Nazi Germany, and again as both interpreter and adviser in 1945 at the Yalta Conference. Later, in 1945, he also served as interpreter at the Potsdam Conference, where Stalin, Churchill, and President Truman discussed the future of Europe and cooperation in the Pacific.

As one of the architects of U.S. foreign policy after World War II, Bohlen helped to develop the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe. Remembered for his understanding of the role of ideology in Soviet policy, he was a key advisor to several Secretaries of State, and he served as ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1957. He also served as ambassador to the Philippines from 1957 to 1959 and to France from 1962 to 1968. Prior to his retirement in 1969, he advised President Kennedy and President Johnson on U.S.-Soviet relations.

Philip C. Habib

A renowned career diplomat, Philip C. Habib (1920-1992) was an authority on Southeast Asia, a peace negotiator in the Middle East, and a special envoy to some of the world's most dangerous flash points.

Born in Brooklyn, Habib studied forestry at the University of Idaho and earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1949 he became a Foreign Service Officer and was subsequently posted to Canada, New Zealand and Trinidad.

Beginning in 1965, Habib served as a political counselor in Saigon just as the Vietnam war was escalating, and he soon became an expert on the region, serving in Washington as Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and then serving for three-and-a-half years on the Vietnam peace talks in Paris. From 1971 to 1974 he served as ambassador to South Korea. From 1976 until 1978 he served as Under Secretary for Political Affairs. He also served as Diplomat in Residence at Stanford University.

Habib retired for health reasons in 1980, but in 1981 he came out of retirement for a series of high-profile special assignments. He served as President Ronald Reagan's personal representative to the Middle East, where he spent two years engaged in high-profile shuttle diplomacy that helped reduce tensions in the region. He also served as a special envoy to the Philippines and Central America.

In 1982 Habib was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award.

Robert D. Murphy

Robert D. Murphy (1894-1978) held a series of prestigious and sensitive posts during a career that spanned nearly four decades. Regarded by colleagues as the consummate diplomat and a skilled troubleshooter, Murphy is especially remembered for his role in planning the Allied ground invasion of North Africa during World War II.

Murphy joined the Foreign Service in 1921 and served in various positions throughout western Europe prior to World War II. Beginning in 1941, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt's personal representative, he worked with the French to negotiate the terms of the Allied takeover of North Africa. During 1943 and 1944 he was political advisor to General Dwight D. Eisenhower. He attended the Potsdam Conference after the defeat of Germany in 1945, and he served as a political adviser in postwar Germany until 1949.

After World War II, Murphy served as ambassador to Belgium and became the first postwar American ambassador to Japan. During the 1950s, he played a vital role as a negotiator. He served as advisor to the general in charge of cease-fire talks in Korea, and in 1954 he helped defuse tensions between Yugoslavia and Italy. In 1959, Murphy served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.

After his retirement from the Foreign Service in 1959, Murphy served on a number of intelligence and advisory committees. He was honored by the U.S. government with the Distinguished Service Medal and received honors from numerous foreign governments. He was also one of the first four diplomats to be named Career Ambassador.

Clifton R. Wharton, Sr.

During a distinguished career that spanned nearly four decades, Clifton R. Wharton, Sr. (1899-1990) was the first black Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. Department of State. While he was not the nation's first black ambassador, Wharton was the first black diplomat to become ambassador by rising through the ranks of the Foreign Service rather than by political appointment and the first black diplomat to lead a U.S. delegation to a European country.

Wharton was born in Baltimore and raised in Boston, where he practiced law from 1920 until 1923. He then moved to Washington, DC, where he worked as an examiner at the Veterans Bureau and as a law clerk at the State Department. In 1925, after taking and passing the rigorous Foreign Service exam, he became the nation's first black Foreign Service Officer.

After a series of postings that included Liberia, the Canary Islands, Spain and Madagascar, Wharton became consul general in Portugal in 1949. In 1953 he became consul general in Marseilles, France.

In 1958, with his appointment as U.S. minister to Romania by President Eisenhower, Wharton became the first black diplomat to head a U.S. delegation to a European country. In 1961, Wharton was appointed ambassador to Norway by President Kennedy; during his confirmation hearings he was praised as a "highly skillful, understanding and tactful diplomat."

Frances E. Willis

Frances E. Willis (1899-1983) was the first female Foreign Service Officer to rise through the ranks of the Foreign Service to become an ambassador, the first woman to make the Foreign Service a career, and the first American woman to be honored with the title of Career Ambassador.

Willis earned a Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1923 and became an assistant professor of political science at Vassar College. She decided to change careers, and in 1927 she became the third woman to enter the Foreign Service because, as she told an interviewer in 1953, "I didn't want to just teach political science, I wanted to be a part of it."

Willis enjoyed many "firsts" during her career as a diplomat, including serving as the first woman chargé d'affaires, the first woman deputy chief of mission, the first U.S. ambassador to Switzerland, and the first woman to serve as ambassador at three of her posts. In 1962 she became the first woman to be designated Career Ambassador, a rare distinction held by only 14 other people at the time.

In 1953, Willis received a Woman of the Year award from the Los Angeles Times, and in 1955 she received the Eminent Achievement Award from the American Woman's Association. In November 1973, the American Foreign Service Association presented her with the Foreign Service Cup for her "outstanding contribution to the conduct of foreign relations of the United States."