Ambassador Harvey Feldman
Ed Feulner /
On Tuesday, The Heritage Foundation lost a distinguished colleague, mentor and friend, Ambassador Harvey Feldman. Harvey Feldman’s leadership throughout his career in the U.S. Foreign Service and for more than a decade at Heritage helped define America’s long-term interests in Asia and around the world.
He was a valued counselor, a wise observer of foreign affairs, and a great patriot. He was also a patient and understanding person with whom many of us were privileged to travel and to learn from.
Harvey Feldman retired from the U.S. Foreign Service after a career spanning more than three decades and four continents. An East Asian specialist for most of his career, Feldman also served with distinction in Eastern Europe and the United Nations.
He helped plan President Richard Nixon’s historic first visit to China in 1972 as a member of the State Department’s Policy Planning Council. He later continued his involvement with the China relations process as Director of the Office of the Republic of China Affairs. In that capacity, he created the American Institute in Taiwan which replaced the U.S. embassy in Taipei after relations where shifted to Beijing. Though nominally an unofficial foundation, the institute carries out all the essential functions of an official U.S. embassy. Feldman also was one of the drafters of the Taiwan Relations Act – a landmark legislation that defines the U.S. relationship with Taiwan.