Nomination of William H. Luers To Be United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia

The President today announced his intention to nominate William H. Luers, of Illinois, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Minister, as Ambassador to the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. He would succeed Jack F. Matlock, Jr.

Mr. Luers served in the United States Navy in 1952-1956 as lieutenant. He entered the Foreign Service in 1957 as consular officer in Naples. In 1959-1962 he was an officer in the Office of Soviet Affairs in the Bureau of European Affairs in the Department. In 1962-1963 he attended Russian language and area studies in Garmisch, Germany, and was political officer in Moscow in 1963-1965. In the Department, he was intelligence research specialist in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (1965-1967) and international relations officer (1967-1969). In 1969-1973 he was counselor for political affairs in Caracas. In the Department, he was Deputy Executive Secretary (1973-1975), Deputy Assistant Secretary for Inter-American Affairs (1975-1977), and Deputy Assistant Secretary for European Affairs (1977-1978). In 1978-1982 he was Ambassador to Venezuela. Since 1982 he has been Director's Visitor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J.

Mr. Luers graduated from Hamilton College (B.A., 1951) and Columbia University (M.A., 1958). His foreign languages are Spanish, Russian, and Italian. He was born May 15, 1929, in Springfield, Ill.