Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs

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United States
Assistant Secretary of State
for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
U.S. Department of State official seal.svg
Seal of the United States Department of State
Flag of the United States Assistant Secretary of State.svg
Flag of an Assistant Secretary of State
Incumbent
Y. Kevin Kim
Acting  
since July 18, 2025
Reports to Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
Nominator President of the United States
Inaugural holder William Walton Butterworth
Formation1949
Website Official website

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 Department of State. 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.

Contents

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 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. [1]

List of assistant secretaries of state for Far Eastern affairs, 1949–1966

#ImageNameAssumed officeLeft office President served under
1 Portrait of W. Walton Butterworth.jpg William Walton Butterworth [2] September 29, 1949July 4, 1950 Harry S. Truman
2 Dean Rusk.jpg Dean Rusk March 28, 1950December 9, 1951 Harry S. Truman
3 John Moore Allison February 1, 1952April 7, 1953 Harry S. Truman
4 Walter S. Robertson April 8, 1953June 30, 1959 Dwight D. Eisenhower
5 J. Graham Parsons.jpg J. Graham Parsons July 1, 1959March 30, 1961 Dwight D. Eisenhower
6 Photograph of Walter P. McConaughy 59-SO-186-VS-255-53.jpg Walter P. McConaughy April 24, 1961December 3, 1961 John F. Kennedy
7 Averill Harriman September 1965 (cropped).jpg W. Averell Harriman December 4, 1961 [3] April 3, 1963 John F. Kennedy
8 Roger Hilsman Department of State.jpg Roger Hilsman May 9, 1963March 15, 1964 John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson

List of assistant secretaries of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, 1966–present

#ImageNameAssumed officeLeft office President served under
9 Advisors meeting at Camp David - NARA - 192569 crop William Bundy.jpg William Bundy March 16, 1964May 4, 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson
10 Marshall Green May 5, 1969May 10, 1973 Richard Nixon
- G. McMurtrie Godley [4] Richard Nixon
11 Robert S. Ingersoll.jpg Robert S. Ingersoll January 8, 1974July 9, 1974 Richard Nixon
12 Philiphabib cropped.jpg Philip Habib September 27, 1974June 30, 1976 Gerald Ford
13 Arthur W Hummel Jr.jpg Arthur W. Hummel, Jr. July 12, 1976March 14, 1977 Gerald Ford
14 Holbrooke-Amtsfoto 1-293x400.jpg Richard Holbrooke March 31, 1977January 13, 1981 Jimmy Carter
15 John H. Holdridge.jpg John H. Holdridge May 28, 1981December 9, 1982 [5] Ronald Reagan
16 Paul Wolfowitz (cropped).jpg Paul Wolfowitz December 22, 1982March 12, 1986 Ronald Reagan
17 Gaston Sigur Official Photograph.jpg Gaston J. Sigur, Jr. March 12, 1986February 21, 1989 Ronald Reagan
- Richard L. Armitage.jpeg Richard Armitage [6] George H. W. Bush
18 Richard Solomon (27775467371).jpg Richard H. Solomon June 23, 1989July 10, 1992 George H. W. Bush
19 William Clark, Jr. July 10, 1992April 23, 1993 George H. W. Bush
20 Winston Lord.jpg Winston Lord April 23, 1993February 18, 1997 Bill Clinton
21 Stanley O Roth.jpg Stanley O. Roth August 5, 1997January 20, 2001 Bill Clinton
22 James A. Kelly, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.jpg James A. Kelly May 1, 2001January 31, 2005 George W. Bush
- Evans J.R. Revere (acting)February 1, 2005April 8, 2005 [7] George W. Bush
23 2006 0922 chris hill.jpg Christopher R. Hill April 8, 2005April 21, 2009 George W. Bush and Barack Obama
24 Kurt M. Campbell.jpg Kurt M. Campbell June 2, 2009February 8, 2013 Barack Obama
25 Daniel Russel.jpg Daniel R. Russel July 12, 2013March 8, 2017 Barack Obama and Donald Trump
- Susan Thornton 2016.jpg Susan Thornton (acting)March 9, 2017July 7, 2018 [8] Donald Trump
- W. Patrick Murphy official photo (cropped).jpg W. Patrick Murphy (acting)July 2018June 2019 Donald Trump
26 David R. Stilwell official photo (cropped).jpg David R. Stilwell June 20, 2019January 20, 2021 Donald Trump
- Ambassador-Sung-Kim-2020.jpg Sung Kim (acting)January 20, 2021June 4, 2021 [9] Joe Biden
- Dir-moy-portrait-high-resolution-1469x2073.jpg Kin W. Moy (acting)June 15, 2021September 24, 2021 Joe Biden
27 Dan Kritenbrink official portrait (cropped).jpg Daniel Kritenbrink September 24, 2021 [10] January 20, 2025 Joe Biden
- US Ambassador to Thailand Sean-ONeill.jpg Sean O'Neill (acting)January 20, 2025July 18, 2025 Donald Trump
- Y. Kevin Kim (acting)July 18, 2025Incumbent Donald Trump

References

  1. "Assistant Secretaries of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs" . Retrieved September 21, 2007.
  2. Butterworth was initially appointed as "Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs." On March 20, 1950, his title was changed to "Assistant Secretary of State for Japanese Affairs."
  3. Initially commissioned during a recess of the Senate. He was later confirmed and re-commissioned on March 5, 1962.
  4. Godley was never commissioned and President Nixon withdrew his nomination before the Senate acted upon it.
  5. "John Herbert Holdridge - People - Department History - Office of the Historian".
  6. Nomination withdrawn.
  7. "BIOGRAPHY: Revere, Evans J.R. Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs". U. S. Department of State. February 28, 2005. Archived from the original on August 27, 2005. Retrieved February 27, 2005.
  8. Griffiths, Brent D. (June 30, 2018). "Career diplomat Thornton to leave State Department". POLITICO.
  9. Sung Kim, Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State, archived from the original on June 18, 2021
  10. "Daniel J. Kritenbrink". United States Department of State. Retrieved September 28, 2021.