Walter J.P. Curley, B.A. Yale, MBA Harvard, LLD (Hon) Trinity College, Dublin, was a USMC officer (1943-56), an oil company executive in India and Italy (1948-58), and a Partner of J.H. Whitney & Co. (1959-74). He served as U.S. ambassador to Ireland (1975-77) and to France (1989-93). Ambassador Curley, Commandeur of the French Legion of Honor, holds decorations from the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, and the Republic of China. He is Honorary Chairman of the French-American Foundation and Chairman of Sotheby s International Advisory Board. He and his family live in Manhattan and County Mayo, Ireland. A Conversation with Ambassador Walter Curley recounts the ambassador s early years and education, his roles in business and two presidential campaigns, and his service to the United States as a Marine Corps officer during World War II and in two appointments as ambassador. From dealing with the Soviets during the Cold War to coaxing cooperation from reluctant French officials and conducting relations with such historic figures as Chiang Kai-Shek, Francois Mitterrand, and Valery Giscard d Estaing, Ambassador Curley provides first-hand insights into the challenges that confront our nation s representatives abroad. Walter Curley s previous books, Monarchs in Waiting and Vanishing Kingdoms, were published in the U.S., U.K., and Ireland.