328. Memorandum From the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Administration (Macomber) to the President’s Assistant (Flanigan)1

Peter: Here is the “percentage chart” you asked me for the other day.

William B. Macomber, Jr.

Attachment

COMPARISON OF CHIEFS OF MISSION APPOINTMENTS

Career Per Cent Non-Career Per Cent
Eisenhower 146 68% 68 32%
Kennedy 73 61% 47 39%
Johnson 89 60% 59 40%
Nixon 66 69% 30 31%
  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special Files, Staff Member and Office Files, Flanigan, Box 13, Ambassadors—Broad Memoranda. No classification marking. In a January 19, 1971, follow-up memorandum to Flanigan Macomber stated: “the percentage chart figures on career and non-career Chiefs of Mission in the last four Administrations reflect the total number of Ambassadors appointed during each of these Administrations. Thus, if a non-career Ambassador was replaced after brief service by another non-career person the figures would reflect two non-career appointments and a resultant distortion in the percentage figures. I think a 70%–30% split in career appointees at post is just about right, and that is where we are at the moment.” (Ibid.)