Nomination of Walter Leon Cutler To Be United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia

The President today announced his intention to nominate Walter Leon Cutler, of Maryland, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Minister, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He would succeed Richard W. Murphy.

Mr. Cutler served in the United States Army in 1954-1956, prior to entering the Foreign Service. He was consular officer in Yaounde in 1957-1959. In the Department he was foreign affairs officer in the Executive Secretariat (1959-1961) and staff assistant to the Secretary of State (1961-1962). He was political officer in Algiers (1962-1965), principal officer in Tabriz (1965-1967), political officer in Seoul (1967-1969) and in Saigon (1969-1971). In 1971-1973 he was international relations officer in the Department. He attended the executive seminar in national and international affairs at the Foreign Service Institute in 1973-1974. He was country director of Central African affairs in the Department in 1974-1975 and served as Ambassador to the Republic of Zaire in 1975-1979. He was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations in 1979-1981. Since 1981 he has been Ambassador to the Republic of Tunisia.

Mr. Cutler graduated from Wesleyan University (B.A., 1953) and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (M.A., 1954). His foreign language is French. He was born November 25, 1931, in Boston, Mass.