Nomination of John F. Kordek To Be United States Ambassador to Botswana

June 6, 1988

The President today announced his intention to nominate John F. Kordek, of Illinois, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Minister, as Ambassador to the Republic of Botswana. He would succeed Natale H. Bellocchi.

Mr. Kordek joined the Foreign Service in 1964. He began his diplomatic career as vice consul at the U.S. consulate general in Zagreb, Yugoslavia. Since then he has been posted in Belgrade, Brussels, Warsaw, Caracas, and Washington, holding positions such as counselor and Charge d'Affaires. Upon his return to Washington in 1983, Mr. Kordek was assigned as Director of USIA operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. In February 1985, Mr. Kordek was appointed as Director of USIA's European operations. Mr. Kordek currently holds the position as Counselor of the USIA, the third ranking job in the USIA and the most senior career position.

Mr. Kordek graduated from Johns Hopkins University (M.A., 1967) and DePaul University (Ph.B., 1964). Mr. Kordek was born June 9, 1938, in Chicago, IL. He is married, has two children, and resides in Annandale, VA.

Nomination of Thomas Edmund McNamara To Be United States Ambassador to Colombia

June 6, 1988

The President today announced his intention to nominate Thomas Edmund McNamara, of Connecticut, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, as Ambassador to the Republic of Colombia. He would succeed Charles A. Gillespie, Jr.

Mr. McNamara joined the Department of State in 1965. He has served overseas in Paris, Lubumbashi, Bukavu, Moscow, and most recently as deputy chief of mission in Kinshasa, Zaire, 1980 - 1983. In Washington, he has worked in the Bureau of European Affairs, the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs. Until September 1986, he served for 3 years as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Politico-Military Affairs. Since January 1987 he has been the Director of Counterterrorism and Narcotics on the staff of the National Security Council.

Mr. McNamara graduated from Manhattan College (B.A., 1962) and the University of Notre Dame (M.A., 1964). He was born September 16, 1940, in New Haven, CT. He is married, has two children, and currently resides in Washington, DC.

Nomination of John J. Maresca for the Rank of Ambassador While Serving as Chief of the U.S. Delegation to the Conference on Confidence and Security Building Measures and Disarmament in Europe

June 6, 1988

The President today announced his intention to nominate John J. Maresca, of Connecticut, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, for the rank of Ambassador in his capacity as chief of the United States delegation to the Conference on Confidence and Security Building Measures (CSBM).

Mr. Maresca joined the Foreign Service in 1966 and was vice consul in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In 1967 - 1968, he was the political officer at the U.S. Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands. In 1968 - 1970, he served as the assistant French desk officer in the Department of State, and in 1970 he went to Brussels, Belgium, as the Deputy Director of the Office of the Secretary General of NATO. From 1973 to 1975, he served as the Deputy Chief of the U.S. delegation to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) in Helsinki, Finland, and Geneva, Switzerland. He returned to the Department in 1975 and was the officer in charge of NATO political affairs. From 1977 to 1980, Mr. Maresca served as the deputy political counselor in Paris, France, and in 1977 was the Deputy Chief of the U.S. delegation to the CSCE in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. From 1980 to 1982, he was the Director, Office of Western European Affairs in the Department of State, before returning to Paris in 1982 to serve as the deputy chief of mission. Mr. Maresca was a visiting fellow at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service from 1985 to 1986. Since 1986 he has been serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and NATO Policy at the Department of Defense.

Mr. Maresca received a B.A. in 1959 from Yale University. He served in the United States Navy from 1959 to 1965. He was born December 9, 1937, in Stresa, Italy. Mr. Maresca is married, has one child, and resides in Chevy Chase, MD.

Nomination of Timothy Lathrop Towell To Be United States Ambassador to Paraguay

June 6, 1988

The President today announced his intention to nominate Timothy Lathrop Towell, of Ohio, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class One, as Ambassador to the Republic of Paraguay. He would succeed Clyde D. Taylor.

Mr. Towell joined the Foreign Service in 1963. He has served as vice consul in Valencia, Spain, 1963 - 1965; second secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Spain, 1965 - 1966; and consul for the U.S. consulate in Cochabamba, Bolivia, 1967 - 1968. In 1968 he was detailed to the Agency for International Development at the U.S. Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia. He returned to Washington and served as Bolivian desk officer at the Department of State, 1968 - 1970, and Spanish desk officer, 1970 - 1972. He has also served as U.S. consul in Porto Alegre, Brazil, 1972 - 1974; first secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Brussels, Belgium, 1975 - 1979; political-economic officer for the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, Cuba, 1979 - 1980; and legislative management officer for Europe in the Office of Congressional Relations at the Department of State, 1980 - 1983. Since 1983, he has been Deputy Chief of Protocol at the Department of State.

Mr. Towell graduated from Yale University (B.A., 1957) and Case Western Reserve University (M.A., 1962). He was born January 31, 1934, in Cleveland, OH. He served in the United States Army Reserve, 1959. Mr. Towell is married, has two children, and resides in Washington, DC.

Nomination of Harry E. Bergold To Be United States Ambassador to Morocco

June 6, 1988

The President today announced his intention to nominate Harry E. Bergold, of Florida, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Minister, as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco. He would succeed Thomas Anthony Nassif.

Mr. Bergold entered the Foreign Service as an international economist in the Department of State in 1957. He was third secretary in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 1959 - 1961, and second secretary in Mexico City, 1961 - 1963. He then returned to the Department of State, where he served as the desk officer for Mexico, 1964 - 1966. From 1967 to 1972, Mr. Bergold was politico-military officer in Madrid, Spain, and political counselor in Panama, 1972. In 1973, he was detailed to the Department of Defense, first as Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and NATO Affairs, 1973; then as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, 1976. He served as Director for International Affairs of the White House energy staff, 1977, and was then detailed to the Department of Energy as Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, 1978 - 1979. From 1980 to 1983, he was Ambassador to Hungary. He was Ambassador to the Republic of Nicaragua, 1984 - 1987. Since 1987 Mr. Bergold has been diplomat-in-residence at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC.

Mr. Bergold graduated from Yale University (B.A., 1953; M.A., 1957). He was born November 11, 1931, in Olean, NY. He served in the United States Army, 1954 - 1956. He is married and resides in Washington, DC.

Appointment of Abe Pollin as a Member of the International Cultural and Trade Center Commission

June 6, 1988

The President today announced his intention to appoint Abe Pollin to be a Member of the International Cultural and Trade Center Commission for a term expiring August 20, 1989. This is a new position.

Since 1973 Mr. Pollin has been chairman of the board of the Capital Centre in Landover, MD. He is also the owner of the Washington Bullets professional basketball team.

Mr. Pollin graduated from George Washington University (B.A., 1945). He was born on December 3, 1923, in Philadelphia, PA. He is married, has two children, and resides in Bethesda, MD.