Ambassador at Large: Diplomat Extraordinary is a welcome eontri­ bution to the literature on eontemporary diplomaey, and is espeeially relevant to the eonduct of United States foreign relations. Coneomitant with pressures to escalate the level of diplomatie representation and negotiation, the Ambassador at Large, arecent innovation in the American diplomatie hierarehy, may play an increasingly important role. Should other governments follow the Ameriean lead by ereating similar offices, a new, flexible layer of diplomatie relations may be added to the four which eurrently are most widely used, namely, the summit, the ministerial, the traditional professional, and the teehnieal strata. Diplomaey may be defined as the international politieal proeess whereby political entities -mostly the recognized members of the fami­ ly of nations, but also emergent states, international and supranational organizations, and a few special entities like the Vatican - conduet their official relations with one another in the international environ­ ment. Like other human and societal processes, it is astatic and in the course of time experienees significant ehanges. It has expanded to meet the needs of a rapidly proliferating eommunity of nations and it has been adapted to the growing complex of international concerns and interactions. Scientifie and technological changes have created new problems and revolutionized methods of diplomatie eommunieation and transportation. These developments have both intensified the needs and enriehed the potentialities of the diplomatie process. Throughout history doubtless each major, permeative modifieation in diplomatie practice has produeed a so-called "new diplomaey.