The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Legion of Merit to Rear Admiral Luther C. Heinz, United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States during the period November 1960 to November 1963 as Director, Far East Region, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (International Security Affairs). He worked skillfully and effectively with his counterparts and senior sin the Department of State, Agency for International Development, the White House and other elements in the Department of Defense to insure that United States politico-military policies in the Far East were properly planned and implemented. Rear Admiral Heinz was particularly effective with those elements in the Congress responsible for the Foreign Assistance Program. This effectiveness resulted mainly from his command of the wide range of facts and complex relationships between the various parts of foreign assistance and his ability to express and defend Executive Branch positions on the program. During his tour he was instrumental in reorienting United States programs in Southeast Asia so that they met more effectively the threat of Communist inspired insurgency.