Nomination of Harvey Frans Nelson, Jr., To Be United States Ambassador to Swaziland
July 11, 1985
The President today announced his intention to nominate Harvey Frans Nelson, Jr., a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Swaziland. He would succeed Robert H. Phinny.
Prior to entering government service, Mr. Nelson was a political science instructor at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME, in 1950 - 1951. Mr. Nelson entered the Foreign Service in 1951. In 1952 - 1953 he served as consular officer at the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark, to be followed as political officer in 1953 - 1955. He returned to the Department as a political analyst in the Office of Intelligence Research in 1955 - 1957 and then took Finnish language training at the Foreign Service Institute. Mr. Nelson studied East European studies at the University of Indiana in 1957 - 1958. He became desk officer in the Office of Scandinavian Affairs in the Department in 1958 - 1960. He then went to the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki as political officer, where he served until 1965. This was followed by French language training at the Foreign Service Institute. From there he became political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa, Zaire. In 1967 - 1969 he was deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Libreville, Gabon. Returning to the Department in 1969, he became deputy chief in the Office of Southern African Affairs. In 1971 he attended the senior seminar in foreign policy at the Foreign Service Institute. In 1972 - 1975 he was deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia. In 1975 he was an adviser on Africa at the United States Mission to the United Nations in New York. In 1976 he served as a legislative management officer in the Office of Congressional Relations. From there, in 1976 he became deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa. In 1979 - 1980 he was a diplomat-in-residence at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ, and in 1980 - 1984 he was deputy commandant for international affairs at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA.
He graduated from Occidental College (B.A., 1947) and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (M.A., 1950). He served in the U.S. Navy in 1942 - 1946. His foreign languages are French, Swedish, and Danish. Mr. Nelson has four children. He was born January 6, 1924, in Long Beach, CA.
Nomination of Gary L. Matthews To Be United States Ambassador to Malta
July 11, 1985
The President today announced his intention to nominate Gary L. Matthews, of Virginia, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of Malta. He would succeed James Malone Rentschler.
Mr. Matthews was appointed a Foreign Service officer and began his training in 1961. In 1962 he went to Bonn, Germany, as a rotational officer, where he served until 1964 when he returned to the Department as an operations center watch officer. In 1965 - 1966 he took Polish language training at the Foreign Service Institute. In 1966 he became a consular officer at the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, and in 1967 - 1968 served as political/economic officer at the American Consulate in Poznan, Poland. In 1968 he took Soviet/East European studies at Columbia University in New York. In 1969 - 1971 he was an international relations officer in the Office of Soviet Union Affairs. From there, in 1971, he became an assistant province adviser in Quang Nam; deputy, then province senior adviser in Thau Thien and the City of Hue in the Republic of Vietnam. In 1973 he became deputy principal officer and political/economic officer at the American Consulate General in Leningrad, U.S.S.R. In 1976 Mr. Matthews went on a detail assignment to the Governor as director of international business development, State government of Missouri, Jefferson City. In 1977 - 1980 he was officer-in-charge, multilateral political relations in the Office of Soviet Union Affairs, to be followed as special assistant to the special adviser on Soviet affairs in the Department. In 1981 - 1982 he was Executive Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and then in 1982 Executive Assistant, to be followed as Executive Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State. In 1982 - 1983 he was a member of the executive seminar in national and international affairs at the Department. Since 1983 he has been Senior Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs.
Mr. Matthews was born January 24, 1938, in Springfield, MO. He graduated from Drury College (B.A., 1960), Oklahoma State University (M.A., 1961), and Columbia University (M.I.A., 1969). He served in the U.S. Army in 1955 - 1958. Mr. Matthews' foreign languages are Russian, Polish, and German. He is married to the former Virginia Webster, and they have three children.
Nomination of Irvin Hicks To Be United States Ambassador to Seychelles
July 11, 1985
The President today announced his intention to nominate Irvin Hicks, of Maryland, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, as Ambassador to the Republic of Seychelles. He would succeed David Joseph Fischer.
Mr. Hicks began his career in 1961 as a clerk typist at the Department of the Army in Washington, DC. In 1962 he joined the Department of State, where he trained before going to the U.S. Embassy in Libreville, Gabon, as a communications clerk. He then became accounts assistant at our Embassy in Libreville, where he served until 1964 when he returned to the Department for training at the Foreign Service Institute. From 1964 to 1965, Mr. Hicks was accounts assistant at the U.S. Embassy in Bamako, Mali, to be followed as budget and fiscal specialist until 1966. From 1966 to 1967, he was a post management assistant in the Department, and from 1967 to 1968, an administrative support officer. In 1968 he took leave from the Department and served until 1969 as budget director for the Community Development Agency in New York. He returned to the Department in 1969 as an administrative support officer and in 1970 took further training at the Foreign Service Institute. From 1970 to 1973, he went to the American Embassy in Bangui, Central African Republic, as administrative officer. From there, in 1975 he became administrative officer at the U.S. Embassy in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, where he served until 1977 when he was assigned as administrative officer at the U.S. Mission in Berlin. From 1980 to 1981, Mr. Hicks was deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy, Lome, Togo, and from 1981 to 1982, Charge d'Affaires. He attended the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA, in 1982 - 1983. Since 1983 Mr. Hicks has been Deputy Executive Director of the Bureau of African Affairs.
Mr. Hicks was born March 16, 1938, in Baltimore, MD. He received his B.A. in 1983 from the University of Maryland. His foreign language is French. He is married to the former Donita Buffalo, and they have three children.
Nomination of Herbert S. Okun To Be Deputy United States Representative to the United Nations
July 11, 1985
The President today announced his intention to nominate Herbert S. Okun, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be the Deputy Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations with the rank and status of Ambassador. He would succeed Jose S. Sorzano.
Mr. Okun is currently ambassador-in-residence at the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC. Previously he served as United States Ambassador to East Germany. Prior to that assignment, he was deputy head of the U.S. delegation to the Trilateral Negotiations on a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and deputy chairman of the U.S. delegation to SALT. Earlier he was deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon. Mr. Okun entered the Foreign Service in 1955 and was assigned to Munich as a consular officer. He then served in Belo Horizonte as consul and in Brasilia as principal officer and then counselor of the U.S. Embassy. After training at the Naval War College, Mr. Okun was Special Assistant to the Secretary of State and then was transferred to the Department's Office of Soviet Affairs. Named political adviser to the commander in chief of U.S. Forces in Southern Europe, he served in Naples until his transfer to Lisbon.
Mr. Okun graduated from Stanford University (B.A., 1951) and Harvard University (M.P.A., 1950). He speaks Portuguese, German, and Russian. He has three children and resides in Washington, DC. He was born November 27, 1930, in New York City.
Nomination of Hugh Montgomery To Be Alternate United States Representative to the United Nations for Special Political Affairs
July 11, 1985
The President today announced his intention to nominate Hugh Montgomery to be the Alternate Representative of the United States of America for Special Political Affairs in the United Nations with the rank of Ambassador. He would succeed Harvey J. Feldman.
He is currently serving as a member of the Senior Review Panel at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He was Director of Intelligence and Research at the Department of State in 1981 - 1985. In 1953 - 1981 he was a national intelligence officer for Western Europe with the CIA.
Mr. Montgomery graduated from Harvard University (B.A., 1947; M.A., 1948; Ph.D., 1952). He is married, has three children, and resides in Arlington, VA. He was born November 29, 1923, in Springfield, MA.
Nomination of Patricia M. Byrne To Be Deputy United States Representative to the United Nations Security Council
July 11, 1985
The President today announced his intention to nominate Patricia M. Byrne, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Deputy Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations with the rank of Ambassador. She would succeed Richard Schifter.
Miss Byrne is currently a foreign affairs fellow at Georgetown University. Previously, she served as Ambassador to Burma, Ambassador to Mali, deputy chief of mission in Colombo, and a political officer in Paris. She also participated in the Geneva conference on Indochina. She entered the Foreign Service in 1949 and was assigned to Athens. After 2 years in Saigon, she was posted to the Laos desk in Washington. An assignment to Izmir was followed by a tour in Ankara. She served in Vientiane as a political officer and then was in charge of dependent areas affairs in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs. After a tour as a personnel officer, she was special assistant in the Central Administrative Office, followed by a training detail at the National War College. She then was political officer in Paris, specializing in Southeast Asia.
Miss Byrne graduated from Vassar College (B.A., 1946) and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (M.A.). She is fluent in French. She was born June 1, 1925, in Cleveland, OH, and now resides in Washington, DC.
Nomination of Joseph Verner Reed To Be United States Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council
July 11, 1985
The President today announced his intention to nominate Joseph Verner Reed to be the Representative of the United States of America on the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations with the rank of Ambassador. He would succeed Alan Lee Keyes.
Mr. Reed served as Ambassador to Morocco from 1981 until June 1985. In 1963 - 1981 he was with Chase Manhattan Bank of North America in New York City, serving as assistant to the director (1963 - 1968), vice president and executive assistant to chairman David Rockefeller (1969 - 1981), and vice president and adviser to the chairman (1981). He was an assistant to the President of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development in 1961 - 1963.
He graduated from Yale University (B.A., 1961). He is married, has two children, and resides in Greenwich, CT. He was born December 17, 1937, in New York City.