The interaction of hydrogen with the diamond (111) surface is examined using our new results in photoemission spectroscopy (PES) and photon-stimulated ion desorption (PSID) yield at photon energies near the carbon K edge. Also discussed in the light of our new results are previous studies using PES and low energy electron diffraction (LEED). PSID verifies that the mechanically polished 1×1 surface is hydrogen terminated and finds that the reconstructed surface is hydrogen free. Atomic hydrogen is found to be reactive with the reconstructed surface, while molecular hydrogen is relatively inert. Exposure of the reconstructed surface to atomic hydrogen results in chemisorption of hydrogen and removal of the intrinsic surface state emission in and near the band gap region.