Nomination of John Melvin Yates To Be United States Ambassador to Cape Verde

The President today announced his intention to nominate John Melvin Yates, of Washington, a Foreign Service officer of Class one, as Ambassador to the Republic of Cape Verde. Mr. Yates would be the first resident American Ambassador accredited to Cape Verde. He would succeed Peter Jon de Vos, who is being assigned to the Department of State.

Mr. Yates was an assistant in government at Tufts University in 1962-1964. He entered the Foreign Service in 1964 as Foreign Service officer general in Algiers. In 1967-1968 he was economic and consular officer in Blantyre. He attended African area studies at Boston University in 1968-1969. In 1969-1971 he was political officer in Bamako. In the Department he was country officer for Senegal, Mali, and The Gambia (1971-1972) and for Liberia and Sierra Leone (1972-1973). He was special assistant to the Ambassador in New Delhi (1973-1975), political and military officer in Ankara (1975-1977), and Deputy Chief of Mission in Libreville (1977-1980). In 1980-1982 he was international relations officer in the Office of the Coordinator of Population Affairs in the Department. Since 1982 he has been charge' d'affaires in Praia.

Mr. Yates graduated from Stanford University (A.B., 1961) and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (M.A., 1962; M.A.L.D., 1963; Ph.D., 1972). His foreign languages are French and Portuguese. He was born November 25, 1939, in Superior, Mont.