Many prominent U.S. politicians and diplomats have held the post, including Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., Adlai Stevenson, George H. W. Bush, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Dr. Jeane Kirkpatrick, Richard Holbrooke, Dr. Madeleine Albright, Bill Richardson and John Danforth.

[6] As outlined in UNPA, the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, may designate congressional representatives.

In practice, the process appears to be informal and has varied over time depending on the priorities and preferences of committee leadership.

[6] The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has developed a policy of not holding hearings for temporary or part-time positions, including General Assembly representatives.

[9] Gwathmey's firm said that they wanted to design "an iconic tower that would transcend strict programmatic and technical constraints, and become a compelling and representative landmark for architecture and democracy".

[10] For example, the building was built with 30-inch (760 mm) thick walls and was intended to be able to withstand an explosion from a car bomb.

[12] The New York Times' architecture critic Herbert Muschamp positively reviewed the building, which he called "essentially a high-rise bomb shelter": I'm for Gwathmey's design because, for once in a very long time, a building doesn't shrink from reminding us that [...] architecture is inherently aggressive.

Space is invariably gained at the expense of views, sky, memories, history, emptiness and the desires of those outside the walls.

This equipment won't be visible from the street, but the rendering may give some viewers a fleeting perception that high rises throughout history have performed the role of strategic defense, even when they're made of glass.

[12][14] Its design was acclaimed for its time, but by the early 2000s The Washington Post noted that it was widely derided, including being described by Germany's ambassador to the UN as "ugly".