State, Department of

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

State, Department of

 

chief foreign policy organ of the USA since 1789: it has the functions of a ministry of foreign affairs. It is headed by the secretary of state. Legally, the Department of State is a consultative organ; the US Constitution entrusts the execution of foreign policy to the president. In actual fact, the department puts into practice the foreign policy course worked out by the president and Congress. The department also has certain functions of a purely internal nature (in part, the publication of laws).

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.