Nomination of John William Shirley To Be United States Ambassador to Tanzania

The President today announced his intention to nominate John William Shirley, of Illinois, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Minister, as Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania. He would succeed David Charles Miller, Jr., who is now Ambassador to Zimbabwe.

Mr. Shirley served in the United States Air Force in 1952-1956. In 1957 he began his service with the United States Information Agency as intelligence research officer. In 1958-1959 he was assistant cultural officer in Zagreb and assistant cultural attaché in Belgrade in 1959-1960. He was public affairs officer in Trieste (1960-1963), press attaché in Rome (1963-1965), and press officer in New Delhi (1965-1968). In 1968-1969 he was policy officer in the Near Eastern and South Asian affairs in the Agency. He attended Polish language training at the Foreign Service Institute in 1969-1970. In 1970-1972 he was press and cultural affairs officer in Warsaw. In the Agency he was Deputy Director and then Director for East European and Soviet Affairs and Director for European Affairs (1972-1977). He was Counselor of Embassy for Public Affairs in Rome in 1977-1980. In the Agency he was Associate Director for Programs (1980-1981), Acting Director of the Agency (1981), Counselor of Agency (1981-1983), and Deputy Director ad interim (1983). Since 1983 he has been diplomat in residence at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT.

Mr. Shirley received his B.S.F.S. in 1957 from Georgetown University. His foreign languages are Hungarian, Italian, French, German, Polish, and Serbo-Croatian. He was born in August 18, 1931, in England, of American parents.