Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, 1974-1975
After twelve years in the NSC in 1973, Harold Saunders offered to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to move to the State Department to be in a better position for international policy shaping. Nine months later, in July 1974, Kissinger appointed Saunders to be the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State over Near East Asian Affairs.
Having already accompanied Kissinger on the shuttles to the Middle East, Saunders’ view proved vital to foreign affairs in that region during this time. His role was overseeing multiple offices and providing the analytical underpinnings for different diplomatic negotiations. He also continued to participate in the shuttles with Kissinger until his appointment as the Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, which happened in under 18 months.