Compared with that, the agreement reached in Pyongyang by Christopher Hill, an assistant secretary of state, is vague indeed: part of it has been reached only verbally.
The assistant secretary-general of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conference has his office in Hong Kong.
This is not to belittle the pentagon, where I once served as an assistant secretary.
Tong's many roles included assistant secretary for international trade in the California Trade and Commerce Agency.
Roosevelt became assistant secretary of the navy at 31 but eight years later was struck by polio.
It is just a small start, says Alexander Karsner, assistant secretary for energy efficiency andrenewable energy at the Department of Energy.
Besides, Mr Obama has yet to name his assistant secretary of state-the top appointment-for Africa; other assistant secretaries, for apparently higher-priority regions, have already been tipped.