Appointment of Raymond F. Burghardt as Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs

The President today announced his intention to appoint Raymond F. Burghardt as Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Mr. Burghardt will succeed Constantine C. Menges as Senior Director of Latin American Affairs on the National Security Council staff.

Mr. Burghardt has served on the National Security Council staff since March 1984 as Director of Latin American Affairs, with responsibility for Central America and the Caribbean region. Prior to joining the National Security Council staff, Mr. Burghardt, a career Foreign Service officer, was chief of the political section at the American Embassy in Honduras. His earlier Latin American experience included an assignment as political officer in Guatemala, 1973-1975. Before joining the Foreign Service in 1969, Mr. Burghardt spent 1 year as a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia. Mr. Burghardt also has had extensive experience in east Asia, including assignments in Saigon and Hong Kong and in the State Department's Bureau of East Asian Affairs.

Mr. Burghardt graduated from Columbia College (B.A., 1967) and attended Columbia University's School of International Affairs. He is married to the former Susan Day, and they have two children. He was born on May 27, 1945, in New York City and resides in Great Falls, VA.