The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-05-21


legation in Portugal to an en-
bassy, recently announced. means
that for the first time the United
States will be represented in that
country by an ambassador instead
of minister. Under the present
set-up, however, the duties attach
ed to the two diplomatic grades
are practically the same, says a
bulletin from the National Geo.
graphic Society.
Originally, ambassadors repre-
sented monarchs; ministers,
governments. The tendency in re-
cent years has been to place for
eign diplomats on an equal footing
There are now but twenty United
States ministers, and three for
eign representative of lesser rank
in the diplomatic service; the
other IS are of the rank of ambas-
sador.
The United States established its
first diplomatic contact with Port
ugal 154 years ago, when in 1890,
President Washington appointed
minister following the appointment
of a Portuguese Minister to the
United States.
The appointee was Col. David
Humphreys, native of Derby,
Connecticut. He had been mem
Der of General Washington staff
and for two years prior to becom-
ing minister had lived with Wash
ington at Mount Vernon. He had
been in Paris with jefferson as
secretary of the legation there, in
1884.
The young republic had named
several ministers prior to commits
sioning Col. Humphreys. Benjamin
Franklin was appointed to the
French court in 1778, the first Unit
ed States minister sent abroad.
The next year John Jay was made
minister to Spain. Francis Dan
was sent to Russia in 1870, and
In the same year John Adams
became minister to Holland, but
was not formally received until
1882. Later John Adams was cho-
sen to negotiate the peace treaty
with England, and became Minis
ter Plenipotentiary to the Court of
St. James in 1875.
The first foreign representative
of the Colonies had been Silas
Deane. In March, 1776, he was
appointed by Congress as COM
mercial and political agent to
France. He was a native of Groton,
Connecticut, and member of the
first Congress. 1t was to Deane
that Lafayette first rendered his
services.
The diplomatic service had be-
gun in ITS with a Committee of
Secret Correspondence" appointed
by Congress to ascertain the atti-
tude of foreign powers toward the
warning Colonies. The committee
included John Dickinson, Beniam-
in Franklin, Benjamin Harrison,
John Jay and Thomas Johnson
Thomas Paine was secretary of
the committee at salary of
seventy dollars a month. Two
years later the name was chang
ed to Committee of Foreign Al
fairs and conducted foreign cor
respondence until 1881, when the
Department of Foreign Affairs
was established.
The diplomatic service today has
a Home Service personnel of about
900 under the direction of the
Secretary of State, to study re-
ports, discuss foreign situations,
decide on policies and write in
structions for the Field Service.
every one from ambas-
sailors to messengers, the Foreign
Service numbers in normal times
about five thousand, including the
STATS of nearly 300 consular Of
fees, scattered among fifty-eight
countries.
Before 1924 there was no Foreign
Service of the United States as
such; there were distinct and sepa-
rate Diplomatic and Consular Ser
vices. Since that date the two are