The Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs is the head of the
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs within the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
. The assistant secretary guides operation of the U.S. diplomatic establishment in the countries of the Asia-Pacific region and advises the
secretary of state and the
Under Secretary for Political Affairs on matters relating to the area.
The Department of State established the position of Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs in 1949, after the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of Government recommended that certain offices be upgraded to bureau level and after
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
increased the number of Assistant Secretaries of State from six to ten. On November 1, 1966, the Department by administrative action changed the incumbent's designation to Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. The Division of Far Eastern Affairs, established in 1908, was the first geographical division to be established in the Department of State.
List of Assistant Secretaries of State for Far Eastern Affairs, 1949–1966
List of Assistant Secretaries of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 1966–present
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Assistant Secretary Of State For East Asian And Pacific Affairs
United States–Asian relations
United States–Oceanian relations
United States diplomacy