By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and statutes of the United States of America, and as President of the United States of America, in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S:C. App. I), it is hereby ordered as follows:
SECTION 1. (a) There is hereby established the Presidential Advisory Board on Ambassadorial Appointments, hereinafter referred to as the Board, which shall be composed of members appointed by the President.
(b) The President shall designate a Chairman from among the members of the Board.
(c) The Secretary of State shall designate an Executive Secretary.
SEC. 2. ('a) The Board shall, whenever requested, make confidential recommendations to the Secretary of State and the President as to the qualifications of individuals for an ambassadorial post for which noncareer individuals are being considered, and such other advice as the President shall request.
(b) In considering the qualifications of a prospective nominee, the Board shall consider such background information on the requirements of particular ambassadorial posts, evaluation criteria, and information regarding the prospective nominee which may be furnished by the Department of State; and the Board shall consider such other information as it deems appropriate in order to render an informed judgment concerning a prospective nominee's qualifications and suitability.
SEC. 3. Upon request by the President or the Secretary of State, the Board shall consider which ambassadorial posts should be filled by career people and which should be filled by noncareer people, and shall make its recommendations in confidence regarding same to them.
SEC. 4. Board members may not be appointed to an .ambassadorial post during their service on the Board nor for at least one year thereafter. The President may waive this provision in specific cases and will in such cases state his reasons for doing so.
SEC. 5. Members of the Board who are not officers or employees of the Federal Government shall receive no compensation from the Government of the United States for their service as members of the Board, but may, to the extent permitted by law, be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law (5 U.S.C. 5702 and 5703) for persons employed intermittently in the government service.
SEC. 6. The Secretary of State shall, to the extent permitted by law, provide administrative and staff services, support, .and facilities for the Board.
SEC. 7. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other Executive order, the functions of the President under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. I), except that of reporting annually to the Congress, which are applicable to the Board, shall be performed by the Secretary of State in accordance with guidelines and procedures established by the Office of Management and Budget.
SEC. 8. The Board shall terminate on December 31, 1978, unless extended prior to that date.
JIMMY CARTER
The White House,
February 5, 1977.
Note: The text of the Executive order was released on February 6.
Jimmy Carter, Executive Order 11970—Presidential Advisory Board on Ambassadorial Appointments Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/243345