The Foreign Service Journal, September 2017

94 SEPTEMBER 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL nist rule. He was part of the first postwar U.S. delegation to Hanoi that sought resolution of the MIA issue and that also explored the possibility of establishing relations. The latter effort was premature and unsuccessful, and the two countries had no relations for the next 17 years. Mr. Rosenthal followed this tour with an assignment as deputy chief of mission in Kuala Lumpur, where he was instru- mental in assisting the very successful Indochina refugee program. His next posting was as DCM in Manila, then the largest U.S. mission abroad. He not only continued to oversee refugee programs, but also dealt with many issues involving the major U.S. mili- tary bases then located in the Philippines. President Ronald Reagan appointed Mr. Rosenthal U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Guinea in 1983. During his tour the country’s nationalist leader, President Ahmed Sékou Touré died, and Guinea began a transition to a more open society and market-oriented economy. Ambassador Rosenthal concluded his 34-year diplomatic career as deputy direc- tor of operations at the State Department. In 1990 he retired from the Foreign Service, returning to his native San Francisco to become executive director of the prestigious Commonwealth Club of California. He hosted numerous heads of state, high-level politicians and other prominent personalities to this nationally renowned forum. He retired again in 1996, and then spent much of his time leading and lecturing on tours to Southeast Asia and around the world. He also greatly enjoyed the company of his children, all of whom were born abroad, and six grandchildren, and delighted in getting the entire clan together for cruises and resort stays every year. Amb. Rosenthal served on the boards of the Lowell Alumni Association, the World Affairs Council and the Marines Memorial Club. He was board president of the International Diplomacy Council, as well as the University of San Fran- cisco’s Center for Asian Studies. He was also chairman of the Foreign Service Association of Northern California for many years. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Britta, of San Francisco, Calif., and his three children: Carolyn, Stephen and Suzanne. In lieu of flowers, memorial contri- butions can be made to the American Foreign Service Association or DACOR Bacon House in Washington, D.C. n William C. Sherman , 93, a retired Foreign Service officer and former ambassador, died on July 3 at the Ingle- side Retirement Community in Washing- ton, D.C. Born in Edmonton, Ky., in 1923, Mr. Sherman graduated from the University of Louisville. He served with the U.S. Navy for more than three years during and immediately following World War II and joined the Foreign Service in 1951. In addition to Japanese, he spoke Italian and French. During an impressive 35-year career in the Foreign Service, Mr. Sherman held top positions at the Department of State and served in important posts in Asia and Europe. A leading expert on Asian affairs, Mr. Sherman spent more than 14 years in Japan. He was director for Japanese affairs from 1973 to 1977, after which he was selected as Ambassador Mike Mans- field’s deputy chief of mission in Tokyo. During earlier assignments in Japan he served as counselor for political affairs and as consul general in Osaka. He also served extensively in Europe, and was