Nomination of William L. Eagleton, Jr., To Be United States Ambassador to Syria

The President today announced his intention to nominate William L. Eagleton, Jr., of Washington, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, as Ambassador to the Syrian Arab Republic. He would succeed Robert P. Paganelli.

Mr. Eagleton served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. In 1949 he entered the Foreign Service as political officer in Madrid and was political officer in Damascus from 1951 to 1953. From 1953 to 1954, he attended language and area studies in Beirut. In the Department, he was country officer for Syria and Lebanon from 1955 to 1959. He was consul in Tabriz, Iran (1959 to 1961), and attended language and area studies in Tangier (1962). He was Charge' d'Affaires in Nouakchott (1962-1964) and political officer in London (1964-1966). From 1966 to 1967, he was a Woodrow Wilson fellow at Princeton University and chief of the United States Interests Section in Algiers from 1967 to 1974. From 1974 to 1976, he was Director of the Office for Southern Europe in the Department, and diplomat in residence at Colorado State University from 1976 to 1977. He attended language and area studies in Tunis from 1977 to 1978 and was Charge' d'Affaires in Tripoli from 1978 to 1980. Since 1980 he has been chief of the United States Interests Section in Baghdad, Iraq.

Mr. Eagleton graduated from Yale University (B.A., 1948). His foreign languages are French, Spanish, and Arabic. He was born August 17, 1926, in Peoria, IL.