Under the Constitution, the President of the United States determines U.S. foreign policy. The Secretary of
State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President's chief foreign
affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President's policies through the Department of State and the
Foreign Service of the United States.
Created in 1789 by the Congress as the successor to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of
State is the senior executive Department of the U.S. Government. The Secretary of State's duties relating to
foreign affairs have not changed significantly since then, but they have become far more complex as international
commitments multiplied. These duties--the activities and responsibilities of the Department of State--include the
following:
Serves as the President's principal adviser on U.S. foreign policy; Conducts negotiations relating to U.S. foreign affairs; Grants and issues passports to American citizens and exequaturs to foreign consuls in the United States; Advises the President on the appointment of U.S. ambassadors, ministers, consuls, and other diplomatic
representatives; Advises the President regarding the acceptance, recall and dismissal of the representatives of foreign governments; Personally participates in or directs American representatives to international conferences, organizations, and agencies; Negotiates, interprets, and terminates treaties and agreements; Assures the protection of the U.S. Government to American citizens, property, and interests in foreign states; Supervises the administration of U.S. immigration laws abroad; Provides information to American citizens regarding the political, economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian
conditions in foreign countries; Informs the Congress and the American citizenry on the conduct of U.S. foreign relations; Promotes beneficial economic intercourse between the United States and other countries; Administers the Department of State; Supervises the Foreign Service of the United States.
In addition, the Secretary of State retains domestic responsibilities that Congress entrusted to the State
Department in 1789. These include the custody of the Great Seal of the United States, the preparation of
certain presidential proclamations, the publication of treaties and international acts as well as the official record
of the foreign relations of the United States, and the custody of certain original treaties and international
agreements. The Secretary also serves as the channel of communication between the Federal government and
the States on the extradition of fugitives to or from foreign countries.
Fact Sheet released by the Bureau of Public Affairs, October 1997
U.S. Department of State
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