Appointment of William F. Martin as Executive Secretary of the National Security Council

The President today announced his intention to appoint William F. Martin as Executive Secretary of the National Security Council. He will succeed Robert M. Kimmitt.

Mr. Martin has served on the National Security Council staff since 1982 as Director of International Economic Affairs, Deputy Executive Secretary, and Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (Coordination). In his new capacity, Mr. Martin will retain the title of Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.

Prior to joining the National Security Council's B'aff, Mr. Martin was special assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs. In 1979-1981 he served in the International Energy Agency in Paris as special assistant to the Executive Director and was responsible for overall coordination of International Energy Agency ministerial meetings. Before that he was a program officer of the Workshop on Alternative Energy Strategies based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania (B.S., 1972) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (S.M., 1974). He is married to the former Jill Wheaton, and they have two sons. He was born October 4, 1950, in Tulsa, OK.