Nomination of Kenneth Lee Brown To Be United States Ambassador to the Congo

The President today announced his intention to nominate Kenneth Lee Brown, of California, to be Ambassador to the People's Republic of the Congo. He would succeed William Lacy Swing.

Mr. Brown served in the United States Army Reserve as second lieutenant in 1960-61. He entered the Foreign Service in 1961 as consular, economic, and political ofricer in Algiers. In 1963-65 he was research analyst in the Department and political officer in Kinshasa in 1965-67. He was a fellow at the Center for International Studies at New York University in 1967-69. Mr. Brown was program officer at the Department of State Reception Center in New York City in 1969-70, and desk officer for Zambia and Malawi in the Department in 1970-72. He was political officer (1972-75) and information officer (1975-77) in Brussels. In the Department of State he was Deputy Director of the Press Office and Associate Spokesman (1977-79), Deputy Director of United Nations Political Affairs (1979-80), and since 1980 he has been Director of the Office of Central African Affairs.

Mr. Brown graduated from Pomona College (B.A., 1959); Yale University (M.A., 1960); and New York University (M.A., 1975). He is married, has two sons, and resides in Van Nuys, Calif. He was born December 6, 1936, in Seminole, Okla.