Claim: List of ambassadors of the United States to Israel started when Israel declared independence and the United States recognized it.
Evidence: March 28, 1949 The first U.S. ambassador commissioned to Israel was James Grover McDonald, who presented his credentials to the government of Israel on March 28, 1949. The United States immediately recognized the nation and moved to establish diplomatic relations. On the same day, the Jewish Agency, under future Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, declared independence and named the country Israel.