Jan 19, 2007 — am extremely excited that Ambassador Joe Wilson is working with us at Jarch Capital, LLC. Not only does Ambassador Wilson bring an incredible amount of experience and knowledge on Africa to Jarch Capital, his views on American foreign policy and National Security are widely respected in Washington. Ambassador Wilson will be instrumental in the growth of Jarch as it expands in Africa, sometimes in politically sensitive areas.

For background, he served in the U.S. Diplomatic Service from 1976-98 in posts throughout Africa including as Deputy Chief of Mission in Burundi and Congo-Brazzaville. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush appointed him Ambassador to Gabon and to the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe. In 1997, President Clinton named him Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council, responsible for the coordination of U.S. policy to the 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Mr. Wilson was one of the principal architects of Clinton’s historic eleven day trip to six African nations in 1998. He was a leading proponent of the Africa Trade Bill. In 1990, during the first Gulf War, he was the acting U.S. Ambassador in Iraq and the last American diplomat to confront Saddam Hussein before Desert Storm. President George H.W. Bush called Wilson "a true American hero" for his efforts to free more than 100 American hostages in Iraq.

In 2002, Wilson was asked by the U.S. government to investigate reports that Hussein was seeking to acquire uranium for the purpose of advancing Iraq’s nuclear program and reported back that there was no such basis for the claims. When the Bush administration misrepresented the facts on the uranium allegation, Wilson corrected the record in a New York Times opinion piece, the first to challenge the administration on the veracity of its justification for war. He is the author of the national bestseller The Politics of Truth, a recognized foreign policy expert who has appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press, CBS’s Face the Nation, ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, The Lehrer Report, CNN, Fox News and many international news programs.

He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Ron Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling from the Fertel Foundation and the Nation Institute, the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Award, the Department of State Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards, the University of California/Santa Barbara Distinguished Alumnus Award and the American Foreign Service Association William R. Rivkin Award.

Together, with Joe as a leader, we expect to accomplish great things.

Phil Heilberg

Chairman Jarch Capital, LL