Ambassadors

                The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from Article II, Section 3:  “[The President] shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers [from foreign nations].  The Constitution gave the President the power and authority to determine the nations with which the United States will maintain diplomatic relations.

                “The President sometimes receives foreign diplomats himself, but usually this formality is handled by the State Department or someone assigned by the President to welcome a particular diplomat.  This reception constitutes diplomatic recognition of the nation which the diplomat represents.  The President can break off diplomatic relations by declaring a particular nation’s ambassador a persona non grata  (a person not welcome) and request that the ambassador be recalled by his government.  If the ambassador refuses to leave voluntarily, he can be deported.  The President can also break off diplomatic relations by calling the American ambassador home.

                “Occasionally, a strain in diplomatic relations occurs when the conduct of foreign officials is offensive to the dignity or welfare of the United States….” (See W. Cleon Skousen, The Making of America – the Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, p. 561.)