Is It Unconstitutional?

President Carter, in opening diplomatic relations with Peking, has exercised one of the few prerogatives given him clearly and expressly by the Constitution: his is the sole power to “receive Ambassadors” (Article II, Section 3), and nobody can tell him which ambassadors to receive.

We should not have expected this President to leave a prerogative lying around unused, or to use it only in unexciting ways. Yet Carter’s grasp may exceed his reach. In announcing his rapprochement with Peking, he added parenthetically his intention to abrogate our mutual defense treaty with the government on Taiwan.

GR

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Grover Rees III

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President Carter, in opening diplomatic relations with Peking, has exercised one of the few prerogatives given him clearly and expressly by the Constitution: his is the sole power to “receive Ambassadors” (Article II, Section 3), and nobody can tell him which ambassadors to receive.

We should not have expected this President to leave a prerogative lying around unused, or to use it only in unexciting ways. Yet Carter’s grasp may exceed his reach. In announcing his rapprochement with Peking, he added parenthetically his intention to abrogate our mutual defense treaty with the government on Taiwan.