 He was a country officer for Fiji and Papua New Guinea at the Department of State from 1975 to 1977; and then a student at the National War College from 1977 to 1978.In addition he was Deputy Director of the Office of Micronesian Status Negotiations (1978–1979), Consul General in Guangzhou (Canton) (1979–1981) (recounted in his 2005 memoir "At the Dawn of the New China" ), and Deputy Consul General in Hong Kong (1981–1985).Williams was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to be the first U.S.