Nomination of Richard H. Solomon To Be an Assistant Secretary of State

The President today announced his intention to nominate Richard H. Solomon to be Assistant Secretary of State (East Asian and Pacific Affairs). He would succeed Gaston Joseph Sigur, Jr. Richard L. Armitage, who was previously announced for the position as Assistant Secretary of State (East Asian and Pacific Affairs), has been asked by the President to remain at the Department of Defense in a senior position which will be announced at a later date.

Since 1986 Dr. Solomon has been the Director of the Policy Planning Staff of the Department of State. He previously served from 1976 to 1986 as head of the Rand Corporation's political science department and also directed the corporation's research program on international security policy from 1977 to 1983. From 1971 to 1973 he was senior staff member for Asian Affairs on the National Security Council and was professor of political science at the University of Michigan from 1966 to 1971.

Dr. Solomon graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (S.B., 1960, and Ph.D., 1966). He was an international affairs fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations in 1971 and served as a consultant to the President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies from 1978 to 1980.