President Nixon announced Saturday that national security adviser Henry A. Kissinger '50 would continue to serve in his present position during the second term of the Nixon Administration.

The announcement laid to rest speculation that Kissinger would return to Harvard in the near future, but it did not foreclose the possibility that the former professor of Government might re-enter the academic world at a later date.

The announcement, made at Key Biscayne Florida by White House press secretary Ronald L. Ziegler, did not disclose how long Kissinger would remain with the Administration.

The announcement once again calls into question Kissinger's future relationship with Harvard. He resigned his position in the Government Department in January 1971, but the post has remained open according to the terms of an agreement reached at that time between Kissinger and the Department.

The Department promised to refrain from filling the post until the end of Nixon's first term. James Q. Wilson chairman of the Department, met last week with Kissinger in what he described as an attempt to ascertain the national security adviser's future plans.

Wilson yesterday termed the Saturday announcement "cryptic," adding that it leaves many questions unanswered. "Rather than guessing how long Henry intends to stay in the Administration, I will find out for myself," Wilson said.

Wilson said he would be meeting again with Kissinger some time in the next two or three weeks.

He explained that the final decision regarding Kissinger's post rests with the entire Government Department. He said that if he learns that Kissinger intends to remain as Nixon's adviser for the next three or four years the Department will make a "concerted effort" to fill the position.

If Kissinger indicates he might wish to return sometime in the near future, however, the Department will probably keep the post vacant, Wilson said.

Wilson said Kissinger's role as architect for the Nixon Indochina policy "does not play any part" in the Department's decision. "The overriding concern here is whether he can contribute intellectually to the University" Wilson said.