Statement on the Appointment of Kenneth M. Duberstein as Chief of Staff to the President

I am today announcing the appointment of Kenneth M. Duberstein to be Chief of Staff at the White House. Ken will assume his new duties on Friday, July 1, 1988.

Ken has been Deputy Chief of Staff since March 23, 1987, and has been a close confidant and adviser since that time. In addition, Senator Baker recommended him for this new position. I have known Ken since the earliest days of my administration, when he served in our Office of Legislative Affairs. I welcome his leadership in the next several months, as we attend the eighth economic summit of industrialized nations and conduct the affairs of government for the next 7 months.

Ken will be my principal aide and will lead the White House staff as we head into the homestretch. He is an outstanding manager and skilled strategist, who has been fundamental to the significant accomplishments, foreign and domestic, we have achieved since Ken returned as Deputy Chief of Staff in March 1987. Ken has given me firm and effective counsel, and I look forward to his tenure as Chief of Staff.