About Mr. Justin Herman

by David McConnell, 4/3/2005

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"I knew Mr. Justin Herman (who should be Dr.), -
an honorable man with the highest of reputations
of city redevelopers in America. I helped arrange
the first video-conference, with him as one of the speakers,
across the Pacific Ocean, with the help of the FCC and ABC."

...

"Mr. Justin Herman (he deserved a doctorate) traveled
from the U.S. to Japan to speak, along with Prof.
David Crane of U. of Pa. and Dean Dr. William Wheaton
of Berkeley, on the future of the city to a group of
students and professors at Tokyo University for the
U.S. embassy in Tokyo. I recruited the three to do the
speaking for the U.S. Department of State. As I recall
it, it was in or around 1967. My government unit no
longer exists as such. Mr. Herman spoke, along with
Prof. Crane, with high praise for the Logue Report,
which Boston city/economic development manager Ed
Logue wrote for his city. Logue's plan for Boston was
imitated by Philadelphia, by DC, and later by Pres.
Nixon, in my mind, attempting to combine all economic
development functions in one coordinated agency. The
latter failed because Nixon tried to merge the US
Dept. of Labor with the US Dept. of Commerce,
unpopular with both labor and business. Mr. Herman of
course worked under Mayor John Shelley as Executive
Director of the San Francisco Development Agency, and
was recommended to me as one of the most knowledgeable
Americans on the future of the city. He and Prof.
Crane recommended Dean Wheaton. Partly relating to
his Japan trip, he led of course the development of
the Japanese Cultural and Trade Center at Post Street
in San Francisco.

As I recall it, the Japan Productivity Council played
a part in the seminar, and possibly the Asahi Shimbun,
the largest Japanese newspaper, and they might have
records of it. The U.S. Department of State would have
records also, but a little hard to obtain. I was
extremely pleased to be able to play a part in this
effort, and I appreciate your interest.

I wish I could write more, but am a little short of
time, due to aging while still working, as you might
tell by my delay in answering."

David McConnell, 4/3/2005



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