Nomination of Vernon A. Walters To Be United States Representative to the United Nations

The President today announced his intention to nominate Vernon A. Walters to be the Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and the Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations, with Cabinet rank. He would succeed Jeane J. Kirkpatrick. Since July 18, 1981, he has been serving as Ambassador at Large.

Ambassador Walters was in the United States Army from 1941 to 1976, when he retired as lieutenant general. His special assignments included serving directly under Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Nixon; as aide to Averell Harriman at the Marshall plan in Paris; Assistant to General Eisenhower, to set up SHAPE headquarters in Paris; Staff Assistant to President Eisenhower on all his foreign trips; accompanied Vice President Nixon on his trip to South America in 1957; military attaché in Italy, Brazil, and France. He conducted negotiations with the North Vietnamese and Chinese in Paris from 1969 to 1972. In 1972-1976 he was Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. In 1976-1981 he was a consultant, lecturer, and author. In 1981 he was Senior Adviser to the Secretary of State.

Ambassador Walters was born January 3, 1917, in New York, NY. He attended the St. Louis de Gonzague in Paris and Stoneyhurst College (United Kingdom). His languages are French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Dutch, and Russian.