[1] As early as 1815, representatives from the two respective cantons had proposed to the Federal Diet that the country establish a consulate in either Philadelphia or New York City to ensure the rights of their merchants and expatriates.

[2] Niklaus Rudolf von Wattenwyl, the chairman of the Diet, sent a letter to United States President James Monroe, asking him to grant the appointees an exequatur and emphasizing the liberal and federal characteristics shared by both of their countries' constitutions.

The letter marked the first official correspondence between the governments of Switzerland and the United States and established a precedent for the character of relations between them throughout the rest of the 1800s.

In 1830, John G. Boker, businessman from New York City and a friend of Chief Clerk of the Department of State Daniel Brent, was appointed to be the first American consul to Switzerland.

Since their income was dependent on duties made on inspected and approved goods, many American consuls were forced to operate their own businesses for extra money, which diverted their attention from their official responsibilities.

[8] On 29 March 2021, Swiss Ambassador to the U.S. Jacques Pitteloud was attacked by an unknown intruder at his residence on Cathedral Drive Northwest (attached to the embassy).

In 2022, the Helsinki Commission stated:[10]Long known as a destination for war criminals and kleptocrats to stash their plunder, Switzerland is a leading enabler of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and his cronies.

After looting Russia, Putin and his oligarchs use Swiss secrecy laws to hide and protect the proceeds of their crimes.Both countries enjoy historically close ties, common interests, shared traditions, and remarkable political similarities as federal unions of independent states with representative democracies.

The last agreement is the revised Operative Working Arrangement on Law Enforcement Cooperation on Counterterrorism and was signed by U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and then-Swiss Justice Minister Christoph Blocher.

In February 2013, the Swiss Federal Council allowed for the signing of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) with the United States.

[14] On 16 April 2024, Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, heading the department of economic affairs, education and research, signed the Artemis accords during a ceremony at NASA headquarters in Washington DC.

Switzerland is not a newcomer of space research; it provided one of the first scientific instruments placed on the moon, a device to measure the solar wind during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.

[17] The Swiss government plans to buy 36 F-35A fighter aircraft from Lockheed Martin (to replace its aging F/A-18 fleet) and five Patriot surface-to-air missile units from Raytheon for over $8 billion in total (2021).