Directors of the Bureau of Counterterrorism

On Aug 1, 1976, the Department of State elevated the position of Special Assistant to the Secretary of State and Coordinator of the Office for Combating Terrorism to that of Director of the Office for Combating Terrorism, with rank equivalent to an Assistant Secretary of State. All Directors have been designated by the Secretary of State, not commissioned. The Department had established the earlier position in October 1972 to head an interagency working-level committee charged with addressing the problem of international terrorism. The Department has changed the incumbent’s title three times since 1976: to “Ambassador at Large for Counter-Terrorism” on Nov. 4, 1985, to “Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism” on May 1, 1989, and “Director of the Bureau of Counterterrorism” on Jan. 4, 2012.