 From 1959 to 1971, he worked for the Middle Eastern Bureau.He was the United States ambassador to Mauritania from 1971 to 1974, to Syria from 1974 to 78, to the Philippines from 1978 to 1981, and to Saudi Arabia from 1981 to 1983.He served as the United States Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs from 1983 to 1989.