The United States recognized

Diplomatic recognition

Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral political act with domestic and international legal consequences, whereby a state acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state...

 the People's Republic of South Yemen in 1967 and moved to establish diplomatic relations

Diplomacy

Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...

. A U.S. embassy in Aden

Aden

Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...

 was established on December 7, 1967, with William L. Eagleton, Jr.

William L. Eagleton

William Lester Eagleton, Jr. was a United States Foreign Service Officer and diplomat.-Early life:Born in Peoria, Illinois, Eagleton served in the United States Navy from 1944–46, and graduated from Yale University in 1948. He joined the U.S...

, as Chargé d'Affaires

Chargé d'affaires

In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...

 ad interim

Ad interim

The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...

.

In June 1969, a radical Marxist wing of NLF gained power. The new regime severed diplomatic relations with the United States on October 24, 1969. An American ambassador had not yet been appointed for South Yemen and Eagleton was still serving as the chargé d'affaires when relations were severed. Two days later all diplomatic personnel were withdrawn from the country and the U.S. embassy was closed.

On December 1, 1970, the regime changed the name of the country to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen

People's Democratic Republic of Yemen

The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen — also referred to as South Yemen, Democratic Yemen or Yemen — was a socialist republic in the present-day southern and eastern Provinces of Yemen...

.

The United States resumed diplomatic relations with the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen on April 30, 1990. On May 22, 1990, the Yemen Arab Republic

Yemen Arab Republic

The Yemen Arab Republic , also known as North Yemen or Yemen , was a country from 1962 to 1990 in the western part of what is now Yemen...

 (North Yemen

North Yemen

North Yemen is a term currently used to designate the Yemen Arab Republic , its predecessor, the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen , and their predecessors that exercised sovereignty over the territory that is now the north-western part of the state of Yemen in southern Arabia.Neither state ever...

) and the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen united to form the Republic of Yemen.

For subsequent ambassadors to the Republic of Yemen, see United States Ambassador to Yemen

United States Ambassador to Yemen

This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Yemen.Prior to 1990, Yemen had consisted of two nations: North Yemen and South Yemen. The United States had diplomatic relations with North Yemen since 1946...

.

For ambassadors to the Yemen Arab Republic, see United States Ambassador to North Yemen

United States Ambassador to North Yemen

The United States recognized the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen in 1946 and commissioned its first ambassador, J. Rives Childs to the Kingdom of Yemen on August 22, 1946. A diplomatic legation was established in Ta'izz...

.