Reagan to Name Former Goodyear Chief as Envoy to Mexico

President Reagan will nominate Charles J. Pilliod Jr., a retired business executive who speaks Spanish, as his next ambassador to Mexico, the White House announced Thursday.

Pilliod met informally with Mexican President Miguel de la Madrid during a riverboat cruise on the Potomac on Tuesday night hosted by Secretary of State George P. Shultz. An Administration official said that De la Madrid, in town for high-level talks with President Reagan and other officials, was favorably impressed and gave his blessing to the nomination.

The 67-year-old Pilliod is the former chief executive officer of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. He has traveled extensively in Latin America.

Like his predecessor, John Gavin, Pilliod is a political appointee with no previous diplomatic experience. But unlike Gavin, who infuriated Mexican officials with his outspoken blasts at government corruption and drug profiteering, Pilliod is expected to handle the post in a less confrontational fashion.

It has been more than four months since Gavin resigned as ambassador. Mexican officials have complained about the delay in naming his replacement, regarding it as evidence of U.S. insensitivity to their concerns.

Pilliod still faces Senate confirmation hearings on his nomination, which could delay his arrival in Mexico another two months or more. Those hearings undoubtedly will raise questions about Pilliod’s role at Goodyear in 1977 when the corporation admitted making $2 million in improper payments to foreign officials in several nations, including India, Taiwan and Nicaragua.