Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr. spent three decades as a U.S. diplomat, winding up his government service as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. He was the principal American interpreter during Pres. Nixon's breakthrough visit to Beijing; played a key role in shaping relations with China as it reformed and opened up; helped negotiate the deal with the leaders of Cuba, South Africa, Angola, and the Soviet Union that ended the colonial era in Africa by terminating South African rule in Namibia and removing Cuban troops from Angola; served as U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm; designed NATO's transformation into a Europe-wide security system; and set up military-to-military relations with China. Since his retirement from government, Freeman has remained actively engaged on five continents and has continued to speak and write widely on issues of international relations and U.S. foreign policy.