UNIIED STATES ADVISORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY - 1985 Report - United States ...
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UNIIED STATES ADVISORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY 1985 Report
What is Public hiS report is about public
T
Sccrct.uv of SIdle Cl'orge Shultz is
diplomacy. It is it term that inkl'\'il'\\'cci in \\'dshinlrto~l on
is not meaningful to most l TSL\'s \VORL! ):--',TJ' ~atdlitl' tclcvi-
Diplomacy? . Americans, yet it identifies
acuvuics that arc essential to the in-
xion network by iourn.ilists in se-
lected ,\sian capitals.
icrcsts of the l 'nitcd States abroad.
Public diplomacy supplements and 1\ French tccn.uzcr lives in an
reinforces traditional diplomacy b~' .Ymcrican home ill the :. Iidwcst un-
explaining l',S. policies to Iorcipn c1cr the Prcsidcrus Youth Exchange
publics, by providing them with in- Initiative.
formation about American society
and culture. bv enabling man~' to ex- 1\ Thai student karns English at
pcricncc the diversity 01 our country the Binational Center in Bangkok.
personally, and by assessing foreign
public opinion lor, vmcrlcun ambas-, Foreign policy speeches by senior
sadors and foreign policy decision- U.S, officials arc transmitted clcc-
makers in the l 'nitcd Stall's. The tronicallv to I T ,S. missions abroad
organization principally responsible lor media placement.
lor canying out our countrv's public
diplomacy is the l 'nitcd Stall's Infor- ,\ Philippine scholar consults the
mation ,\gencv (l1SIA). reference collection at the American
The L' .S, ;\~h-isorv Commission on library in Manila.
Public Diplomacy i~ responsible for
overseeing the international informa- An American musician performs a
tion and ~ultural programs of the piano concert in Montevideo under
L'nitcd States COVC111111Cl1l. The l'SIXs .Xrtistic Ambassadors pro-
Commission has thought a 1.,'l·catdeal gram.
about how bcst to des'Crihe lXlhliL'
diplomacy to Americans, who b~' law I'uhlic diplomacy is an integral
arc unable to receive L'SI1\'s media part of the foreign policy of the
products and program materials, \ \' c
l 'nitcd States and most other coun-
know of no better wav than to select
tries. It OCClll'S when the BBC broad-
lrom a very long list cxarnplcs that
casts news: when a .Iapancsc ballet
typiJ,v the range of public diplomacy
company visits the l ' .S.; and when
activities undertaken bv gOVCl1lment
Soviet spokesman Georgi." Arhatov
agencies and many pri~'ate American
appears on American television. It
organizations.
does not occur when l ' .S. officials
arc denied similar access to Soviet
It is public diplomacy television.
when: Public diplom.rcy is not it substi-
tute lor traditional diplomacy, bUI it
:; The Voice Ilf .Ymcricn broadcasts recognizes the major role of ideas
news and policy editorials to an csti- and opinions in shaping the allc-
mated 1 10 million listeners weekly gian .cx .md political understanding
throughout the world. of most of the world.
, American cmhassv Public, \ffdirs
Officers brief journalists in European
capitals about l ' .S. policies in Cen-
tral America.
A l'.S, Fulbright professor teaches
American studies at it univcrsiiv in
Brazil or an E!,lyptian Fulbright
scholar undertakes academic re-
search in the l 'nitcd States,UNITED STATES ADVISORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY 1985 Report
To the Congress In accordance with the requirements of Section 8, Reorganization
Plan No.2 of 1977, and Public Law 96-60, the United States
and to Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy submits herewith its
annual report on the U.S. Information Agency.
the President Respectfully submitted,
of the
United States
:£j~1-
Edwin J. Feulner, Jr., Chairman
President, The Heritage Foundation
Virginia
e. robert (bob) wallach Tom C. Korologos
Vice Chairman Vice President and Director of
Lawyer-Counselor Legislative Affairs
Dean, Hastings Law School Center Timmons and Company, Inc.
for Trial and Appellate Advocacy Virginia
California
Priscilla Bucklev Richard Scaife
Managing Edit~r Publisher, The Tribune Review
National Review Publishing Co.
New York Pennsylvania
/~Lty~ IW-~~
Hershev Gold Herbel1 Schmertz
Chairman of the Board Vice President, Public Affairs
Super Yam Mart Mobil Oil Corporation
California New York
3ouryears ago this Commis-
A Message
from F sion was gravely concerned
about the prospects for public
diplomacy. In their assess-
ments of USIA our predecessors
found a crystal-set mentality and
theChainnan vacuum-tube technology in an era of
microchips and communications sat-
ellites. They found seriously eroded
budget and staff resources, and a
foreign policy decision-making proc-
ess frequently uninformed by an un-
derstanding of foreign opinions and
cultures.
Today, there are many reasons
why this bleak outlook is changing.
With strong bipartisan support
from the Congress, the Reagan Ad-
ministration has revitalized USIA
and under the creative leadership of
Charles Z. Wick made public diplo-
macy a central part of the conduct ol
American foreign policy. USIA is
modernizing. Its influence within the
foreign affairs community has dra-
matically increased, and its re-
sources have grown significantly.
Much has been accomplished.
In this report, my colleagues and I
have sought to document this prog-
ress and at the same time address
those challenges that still confront
the Agency. Each of' us brings a
unique set of experiences and per-
spectives to our Commission role.
The views set forth have been con-
sidered with care.
In examining the way our country
conducts public diplomacy, we have
been struck forcefully by the dual
role assigned to USIA by the Con-
gress.
o The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 rc
quires USIA to promote a better un-
derstanding of the United States in
other countries through the dissemi-
nation of information about the
United States, its people, and its
policies.
o The Fulbright-Hays Act of' 1961
authorizes the Agency to increase
mutual understanding between the
people of the United States and the
people of other countries through e<
ucational and cultural exchanges.
The two Acts-when read togeth
in the context of 35 years of practi.
4under administrations of both politi- tion that public diplomacy profes-
cal panies-give USIA an obligation sionals face the challenge of physical
both to articulate persuasively the danger as well as the task of ex-
policies of the U.S. Government and plaining the nuances of U.S. foreign
to carry out educational and cultural policy to an often skeptical world.
programs. The two missions are USIA's libraries, information centers,
complementary, and public diplo- and other installations-usually lo-
macy is indeed more than the sum cated separately from American em-
of its parts.
bassies in areas that afford public
It is not one-shot dramatic efforts access-arc often the most visible
that make public diplomacy succeed. and vulnerable parts of the U.S.
Rather, it is the steady, wise use of presence overseas. My colleagues
all of the resources of public diplo- and I have a high regard for the
macy over time. It is recognition by quality of USIA's personnel, both
those who seek disproportionaicjy to Americans and foreign nationals. We
enhance educational and cultural ex- have watched them operate first-
changes that the articulation of U.S. hand. They arc doing a difficult job
policies is also necessary to mutual well.
understanding and rational interna- Congress has given the U.S. Advi-
tional dialogue. It is understanding So1Y Commission on Public Diplo-
by those who support the vigorous macy a mandate which we have
expression of U.S. policies that the taken seJiously-to represent the
FulbJight and International Visitors public interest in assessing the pub-
programs provide foreign audiences lic diplomacy of the United States.
with the background and knowledge Because Congress has made an in-
of our culture that put those policies stitutionalcommitment for more
in perspective. And it is appreciation than thirty years to the need for the
by our elected and appointed 0111- judgment and long-range perspective
cials of the importance of foreign of an informed advisory body, we
public opinion and the power of urge its members to consider these
ideas in international political dis- views with care.
course.
Ours is a favorable balance sheet.
This report contains the principal The American people can be pleased
findings and recommendations of the with the work that USIA is doing. It
Commission during the past year. is our hope this report will be read
We have focused on a number of by everyone interested in public
new Agency initiatives such as the
satellite television network WORLD-
NCI, computerized transmission of
the Wireless File, and rnodemization
illPl~~rf
of the Voice of America. We have
examined selectively the needs and Edwin J. Feulner, Jr.
contributions of USIA's traditional Chairman
programs-exchanges, foreign press
centers, English teaching, and
others. We have not ignored national
news media reports of policy and
manageJial problems that have con-
cerned many Americans and mem-
bers of Congress.
Shortly after the bombing of the
U.S. embassy in East Beirut, I re-
ceived a letter from an NBC news
correspondent bringing to my atten-
tion the diligence and professional-
ism of a junior foreign service officer
assigned to that difficult post. She
happened to be the only USIA em-
ployee there at the time. The letter
brought home once again the realiza-
5Contents Transmittal Letter
Message from the Chairman
3
4
The Role of the Commission 8
Summary of Findings and Recommendations 10
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND FOREIGN POLICY
The Value of Public Diplomacy 12
Research
14
Semantic Corruption 16
MEDIA AND PROGRAMS
Television
17
Voice of America
20
The Wireless File 26
Foreign Press Centers 27
Major Events in 1984 29
National Endowment for Democracy 31
EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL PROGRAMS
Exchanges and International Visitors 32
The Central American Initiative 35
Youth Exchange 37
Book and Library Programs 39
English Teaching and Binational Centers 41
MANAGEMENT
Senior Vacancies
42
Headquarters Controversies 43
Representation
45
Congressional Grant Controls 46
Training for Media Interviews
47
Need for More Personnel Overseas 48
7The Role
of the
Commission
Commission members meet monthly in Washington. (From left to right)
Commissioners Tom C. Korologos, Priscilla Buckley, Richard Scaife, Chairman
Edwin J. Feulner, Jr., Vice-chairman e. robert (bob) wallach, Commissioners
Herbert Schmertz and Hershey Gold.
ince 1948, the U.S. Advisory bilities. I It was established in 1978
S Commission on Public Diplo-
macy and its predecessors
have represented the public
interest by overseeing the overseas
information and cultural programs of
as the successor to the U.S. Advisor
Commission on Information for
USIA and the U.S. Advisory Com-
mission on International Educationa
and Cultural Affairs for the former
the United States. Bureau of Educational and Cultural
The Commission is a permanent, Affairs in the Department of State.
bipartisan and independent body TIle Commission carries out the du-
created by Congress to recommend ties of its predecessors as well as ac
policies and programs in support of ditional responsibilities set forth in
USIA's mission and principal activi- its enabling authority.
ties. It is required by law to assess In fulfilling the responsibilities
the work of the Agency and to report given to it by the Congress, the
its findings and recommendations to Commission:
the President, the Congress, the See-
retary of State, the Director of USIA o Formulates and recommends pol
and to the American people. cies and programs to the President,
TIle Commission's seven members the Secretary of State and the Direc
are appointed by the President with tor of USIA to carry out the tunc-
the advice and consent of the Sen- tions vested in the Director and
ate. All are private citizens who rep- USIA;
resent a cross section of professional
backgrounds and who volunteer their o Appraises the effectiveness of
time in the unanimous conviction USIA's policies and programs;
that public diplomacy is indispensa-
ble to our national security and to o Reports annually to the Presiden
the achievement of U.S. foreign pol- the Congress, the Secretary of State
icy objectives.
TIle Commission is one of three 1°!1lc others are the Foreign Intelligence Advisory
permanent Presidential advisory Board and the General Advisory Committee on
bodies with foreign affairs responsi- Arms Control and Disarmament.
8and the Director of USIA on the pro- monthlv with Director Charles Z.
grams and activities of USIA and in London and Mexico City.
Wick alld other senior officers in The purpose of these visits, many
their effectiveness; USIA. of which are privately financed, is to
o Submits other reports to the Con- It meets periodically with mem- inform the Commission's delibera-
gress as it deems appropriate and bers of the Agency's Congressional tions andjudgment with a first-hand
seeks to develop public understand- oversight committees and their staffs, understanding of the work of public
ing and support for USIA's pro- senior foreign affairs officials in the diplomacy. Commission members
grams; and executive branch and public diplo- meet with American ambassadors,
macy professionals from the private USIA's American and foreign na-
o Assesses the degree to which the sector.'
tional staffs, and opinion leaders
scholarly integlity and nonpolitical Last veal' the Commission testified from the host country,
character of USIA's educational and in oversight hearings on USIA held TIle Commission also derives use-
cultural exchange programs have by the House International Opera- ful comparative insights through
been maintained and the attitudes of tions Subcommittee and also made meetings with foreign government of-
foreign scholars and governments re- its-views known on public diplomacy ficials engaged in information and
garding such activities. 2 funding issues through letters and cultural activities. Meetings in Lon-
The Commission is an advisory reports at various stages of the legis- don with the BBC and th; British
body only. It is not directly involved lative process. Council and in Mexico City with
in USIA's operations or in the man- TIle Commission is convinced that Foreign Secretary Bernardo Sepul-
agement of its internal affairs. The it cannot fulfill its responsibilities veda and senior foreign ministry ofli-
Commission has no desire to without observing USIA's activities cials provided a valuable context in
"micro-manage" public diplomacy. overseas. DUling~the year, members which to view U.S. public diplomacy
Support for the work of the Com- of the Commission visited 25 posts. activities.
mission is provided by a small Commission meetings were also held Finallv, the Commission seeks to
professional staff. We would like to extend the representational reach of
"During the period covered by this report. the
express appreciation to former Staff the posts it visits through privately
Commission met with President Ronald Rcauan,
Director G. Richard Monsen, a Min- Vice President Geor!!e Bush. Secretary of Stite hosted luncheons and dinners for
ister Counselor in the Senior Foreign George Shultz. COlll~Sellor to the Pres'ident Edwin key post contacts. These events,
N!ees~· fIl. White Ilouse Press Spokesman Larry
Service, who recently retired after 36 Speakes. Senator Charles II. Percy. Senator
which include journalists, govern-
years of distinguished service on be- Claiborne Pcil, Conl,>Tessman William S, Broomfield. ment officials, business leaders,
half of this country and the mission Consressman Dan ~1ka. Under Secrctarv of scholars and cultural figures, provide
Dc!;nse for Policv Fred C. IkIe. General 'Edward L.
of public diplomacy. Rownv, Under S~cretan' of Slate lor Political Affairs both a program opportunity for the
The Commission's oversight activi- N!ich~cI Armacost. Xat'jonal Endowment for post and a better understanding of
Dcrnocracv President Carl Gershman, Assistant
ties are carried out in a variety of Sccretarv of State for Inter-American Affairs
the work of the Agency for the Com-
ways. TIle Commission meets Lanuhorno ,\. Motlev, Ambassador Charles Price. mission,
AnlbassaJor John (}m'in. Mexican Foreign A few days in one post do not per-
Secretary Bernardo Sepulveda and East-\\'est Center
"Section 8. Reorganization Plan Xo. 2 of 1')77. President Victor II. Li. mit a full assessment of its activities.
In those it has visited, however, the
Commission has been able to con-
clude that USIA is maintaining open
channels of communication with sig-
nificant opinion leaders and deci-
sion-makers, many of whom have no
other ties to the U.S. embassy in
that country.
This report sets forth the Commis-
sion's principal findings and recom-
mendations developed during the
past year. They are offered in the
hope that both the Congress and
those charged with the conduct of
public diplomacy will benefit [Tom
them, As private citizens we believe
that oversight and evaluation can
contribute to the development of
sound public policy, to the improve-
ment of our nation's public diplo-
Adoisory Commission members discuss public diplomacy issues with President macy, and to better understanding of
Reagan. its necessity and importance by the
American people.
9Television Wireless File
Summary o 111eCommission welcomes the o TIle Commission welcomes
USIA's decision to make computer-
of Findings & emergence of television as a major
program ann of USIA and fully en- ized transmission of the Wireless
File a high priority and commends
dorses the Agency's initiatives in uti-
Recommendations lizing:communication satellites and
new ~'ideo technologies.
the use of program evaluation tech-
niques by Wireless File managers.
Automation of the File combines on!
o The Commission recommends of the Agency's most effective infor-
that as a high priority USIA, with the mation services with the technology
support of other government agen- of the 1980s.
cies, plan for the establishment of a
worldwide system of television
broadcasting to enable U.S. leaders Books and libraries
to speak directly to audiences in
every region of the world. o 111eCommission is deeply con-
cerned that the U.S. is not competi-
tive in international book and librar
activities. Needed increases in re-
Voice of America sources for overseas American libra
o 111eCommission reaffirms its sup-
ies and for USIA's book translation
port of VOA modernization and be- and donated book programs will re
lieves it is vitally important that the quire the sustained cooperation of
U.S. remain committed to a multi- USIA, the Congress and the private
year program designed to produce a sector.
strong, reliable VOA signal world-
wide.
The Central Americar
o TIle Commission recommends
that USIA take steps to instill a Initiative
greater sense of urgency among all o TIle Commission fully endorses
Agency elements involved in VOA the recommendation of the Kissins
modernization and establish a mech- Commission that government-spo~
anism to promote communication sorcd scholarships to bring Centra
and cooperation at the senior level American students to the U.S. be
Agency-wide. greatly increased to counter ex-
panded Soviet bloc scholarship
o 111eCommission commends VOA programs.
and those Public Affairs Officers
who have initiated training programs
for Third World national broadcast-
ing organizations. The Commission
recommends this effort be expanded.
Radio Marti Program
o The Commission recommends
that a reorganization plan transfer-
ling the Radio Marti Program to the
Board for International Broadcasting:
be proposed to the Congress and ~
that the Congress act favorably on
such a plan.
10Research Senior Vacancies Need for More
o TIle Commission recommends
that a coordinated research effort
o The Commission recommends Personnel ()verseas
that the Director and the White
involving all U.S. foreign affairs ' House move quickly to fill long- L New communications technology
agencies, be organized under the di- standing vacancies in the positions and program expansion, particularly
rection of the National Security of USIA Deputy Director, USIA As- in USIA's WORLDNET, educational
Council to provide the U.S. Govern- sociate Director for Programs, and exchange and International Visitors
ment with timely comparative data Director of the Voice of America. programs, have stretched the Agen-
on the cultural, information and cy's overseas staffs to the breaking
propaganda policies and programs of point. The Commission strongly rec-
the Soviet bloc and other countries. ommends that additional personnel
Headquarters be assigned to USIA's field posts.
o The Commission recommends Controversies
that USIA increase its utilization of
the Office of Research to assess the o "The Commission finds that inter-
impact and effectiveness of Agency est abroad in recent USIA headquar- Training for Media
products and programs. ters controversies was marginal and Interviews
that there was no discernible adverse
o The Commission recommends impact on USIA's overseas programs L The Commission recommends
that USIA be invited to participate and activities. that USIA institute a program of
regularly in meetings of interdepart- training to prepare senior USIA offi-
mental groups where options for new o TIle Commission recommends cers, ambassadors and deputy chiefs
policies are developed and be asked that USIA provide clearer operational of mission for media interviews.
routinely to assess the impact of pro- guidance on speaker selection crite-
posed foreign policies. ria and the relationship between ad-
vocacy and education in its speaker
o The Commission finds that programming policies.
USIA's resources are insufficient to
provide the research capability that o The Commission recommends
national security requires and that that USIA encourage responsible in-
the Agency needs to make its re- ternal discussion of professional
source management and program- public diplomacy issues and provide
ming more efficient. an appropriate forum for doing so.
Semantic Corruption Representation
o The Commission repeats its rec- o The Commission finds that per-
ommendation that the National Se- sonal contact with foreign opinion
curity Council and USIA assess the leaders is one of the most important
problem of semantic corruption and functions of public diplomacy. A
institutionalize ways to counter mis- substantial increase in USIA's over-
leading terminology and increase the seas representation funds would
accuracy of words and concepts in serve the national interest.
international political discourse.
Congressional Grant
Controls
o TIle Commission finds the re-
quirement that Congress be notified
15 days in advance of all USIA pro-
gram grants is neither necessary nor
sound public policy and repeats its
recommendation that the practice be
discontinued.
11PUBllC DIPWMACY AND FOREIGN POllCY
s~id, require "a major reorientation
"Telling America's story to
The Value the world is a fantastic
of attitudes among our professional
as well as our political diplomats to
mission, because America's institute a practice that considers th
of stor» is nothing more or
public dimension of a foreign policy
a major part of its solution rather
Public less than the success story
of freedom. The story of
than another piece of the problem."
That limited and purblind ap-
proach is changing through force 01
Diplomacy freedom is a threat to evelY
tyrant and every obstacle
circumstances if not always througl
a change of heart on the part of dij
lomats. The imposing role of the m
to freedom in the world. dia in today's world and advances
USIA is the cheapest, saf- communications technology have
est, most important instru- drastically changed the rules of the
diplomatic process. The secret, elit
ment of American foreign world of traditional diplomacy is
policy. JJ largely a thing of the past.
-Jeane J. Kirkpatrick U.S. policy makers are increas-
U.S. Ambassador to ingly aware that foreign perception
the United Nations of America and its policies may in
fluence the policies of other countr
and affect the success of our own.
he more we have come to
T
Senior administration officials rcgi
understand the nature of larly take part in briefings at USIA
public diplomacy, the more Foreign Press Centers and use
this Commission is con- USIA's worldwide satellite tclevisi
vinced that Ambassador Kirkpatrick network to explain policies and re
is light. Public diplomacy is indis- spond to questions from foreign jc
pensable to our national security and nalists in capitals around the worl
deserves to be treated with the same USIA participates in more and
importance accorded to the other in- higher level interdepartmental gro
struments of foreign policy. There involved in the conduct of foreign
can be few tasks more fundamental fairs than ever before.
than to make sure the unique ideals In recent years, the White Hou.
for which our nation stands are press office has become more aw:
understood. of the specialized communication
Public diplomacy seeks to utilize skills of USIA's officers and the s
the power of ideas and public opin- ices the Agency can provide. USI
ion to advance foreign policy objec- daily reports on foreign media reo
tives and long-term national inter- tion are perused with care by Pre
ests. To this end, the United States dential press aides, and at all int
has conducted official information national conferences attended by
and cultural programs for many President, USIA's officers help 0
years, long before the U.S. Informa- ganize and staff the press center:
tion Agency existed. Until recently, and brief the foreign press in the
however, many American diplomats own languages. When the Presid
and policy makers did not take pub- travels abroad, USIA's officers a
lic diplomacy very seriously. often called on to lead the advar
The public aspects of foreign pol- parties to organize and coordina
icy were usually an afterthought. Ac- arrangements for the media. Wh
cording to one experienced former House Press Spokesman Larry
ambassador: "In almost anyone of Speakes affirmed to this Commi
the endless Washington meetings that he has come to rely heavily
that determines a course of diplo- USIA for such support.
matic action, the final question nor- It is still true, as we observed
mally posed as the participants are
rising from the table and moving to- 'William I!. Sullivan, "The Transformation ol
ward the door is, what do we say to Diplomacy," The Fletcher Forum, Summer, I
the press about this?" It will, he p.293.
12year, that USIA is called in more omies, yet they have been very suc- Soviet Union have been providing
often to advise on the presentation cessful in seeing to it that Third most of the food and other assis-
and execution of policies already de- World problems are viewed as the tance.
cided upon than to participate in fault of the "rich" countries, mean-
their formulation. Nevertheless, there Perhaps we should be proud that
ing usually the United States. The the United States is universally held
is a receptivity to the Agency's ideas Soviets predictably seized on the
and counsel that did not exist to a different standard of conduct
tragic Union Carbide accident in than Communist countries. America
before. Bhopal to repeat to the people of In-
If USIA is to take advantage of has a message to tell of freedom, hu-
dia and the Third World their old man lights, and cultural and mate-
this new openness and contribute in charge that U.S.-based multinational rial development that the Commu-
an advisory capacity to the policy companies are an evil force. But the nists cannot match.
making process, some adjustments Soviet media neglected to mention
in old habits will be required. We urge the Congress, even in this
that India's agricultural progress-in period of fiscal austerity, to provide
What is needed, and is often lack- pan the result of insecticides pro- USIA with the resources it needs to
ing among harassed policy makers, duced by Union Carbide-has ena- carry out its essential public diplo-
is an understanding of the history bled it to ship food surpluses to the
and culture of a foreign society as macy mission. Compared with the
Soviet Union. 111e Marxist govern- expenditures of other foreign affairs
well as the immediate political and ment of Ethiopia has, typically, and defense agencies, additional
economic forces that are likclv to in- blamed its famine on Western coun-
fluence its perceptions and attitudes funds for USIA would be a prudent
hies, even though they and not the investment in our national security.
in the future. This clearly is what
Congress intended when it gave
USIA a mission to "enhance under-
standing on the part of the Govern- LT.S. Information Agency
ment ... of the history, culture, atti- Appropriations, Salaries and
tudes, perceptions, and aspirations Expenses, 1967-198j
of others. ,,2
USIA has many officers in posts 800---------------------- _
around the world who can provide
this information. But USIA must re-
quire that they report it, and the
Agency in turn must ensure that
their reports are timely and utilized
by policy makers with available
opinion research and other data.
USIA's advisory role in the policy o:
making process can make it more cr::.
« 500
-l
likely that foreign publics will sup- -l
port rather than oppose U.S. policies 0
0
and actions. u...
USIA's primary mission is, of 0 400
o:
course, to provide information about z
0
the United States, its policies and :::i
values to an often skeptical world. It -l
300
is no small task. The strength of ~
Communist parties and the appeal of
Marxist philosophy is declining in 200
the industrialized world, but it re-
mains strong in much of the Third
World. The Soviet Union, which de- 100
votes vastly greater resources to in-
formation and propaganda activities
than we do, has greatly increased its
programs in Mica, South Asia and 1967 1970 1973 1976 1979 1982 1984 1985
Latin America,
The Soviets have little to teach the o Actual Dollars
people of these lands about feeding • Dollars Adjusted for Inflation
themselves or developing their econ-
"Public Law 95-426.
13ular surveys of foreign public opinio
Research Findings &
on important issues and current U.~
policies. It also analyzes the atti-
Recommendations tudes of influential foreign groups tc
U The Commission recommends ward the United States.
that a coordinated research effort, During the past fiscal year the Of
involving all U.S. foreign affairs lice of Research conducted more
agencies, be organized under the than 30 survevs of foreign attitudes
direction of the National Security on security Issues. More than 50
Council to provide the U.S. Gov- other studies dealt with public opin
ernment with timely comparative ion in single countries about the
data on the cultural, information U.S. and its foreign policies. Twelv
and propaganda policies and pro-
grams of the Soviet bloc and other
focused on economic issues in pre]
countries. aration for the London Economic
Summit Conference. These surveys
LJ The Commission recommends are studied with considerable inter
that USIA increase its utilization of est bv the White House and the va
the Office of Research to assess ious foreign affairs agencies.
the impact and effectiveness of
Agency products and programs. Foreign Opinion Research
Advisory Committee
u The Commission recommends The Commission believes there is
that USIA be invited to participate
creasing but still insufficient consr
regularly in meetings of interde-
partmental groups where options tation between decision-makers ar
for new policies are developed and the researchers who conduct
be asked routinely to assess the the polls. An interagency group, tl
impact of proposed foreign policies. Foreign Opinion Research Advisor
Committee (FORA) was establish!
LJThe Commission finds that last year to coordinate, commissic
USIA's resources are insufficient to and review studies of foreign opin
provide the research capability that ion. It is composed of mid-level
national security requires and that representatives of USIA and the I
the Agency needs to make its re-
partments of State and Defense a:
source management and program-
ming more efficient.
is chaired bv an NSC officer. FOI
meets monthly to discuss the mos
recent USIA surveys and to ident
the needs of the foreign affairs
SIAis regarded primarily community for additional opinior
U a.s a purveyor ofTi~fonna-
non about the United
States to the people of
other countries, Less well understood
but scarcely less important is its re-
research data. USIA budgeted
$250,000 specifically for FORA-
requested studies, although virtu:
all the Agency's attitudinal survc
are related to issues of concern tl
verse duty "to ensure that our gov- FORA's members.
emment adequately understands for- While FORA is not involved ir
eign opinion and culture for policy- formulation of foreign policy, the
making purposes." 1 Commission nevertheless regard:
More specifically, the Director is as a positive development in the
required to provide the President, the wider dissemination and utilizat
National Security Council and the of USIA's specialized knowledge
Secretary of State with "assessments foreign public opinion. As we nc
of the impact of actual and proposed last yeal', however, the studies n
United States foreign policy deci- quested have focused mainly on
sions on public opinion abroad.":' sessing public reaction in Westc
Providing these assessments is pri- Europe and Japan to U.S. polic
marily the task of the Agency's Of- and the problems of building su
fice of Research which conducts reg- for them. Rarely has USIA parti
pated in those meetings of inter
'Presidential Mcmorandurn of March 13, 1978.
partmental groups where option
'Executive Order 12048. March 27.1971'. new policies are developed; ran
14and other agencies, be given the as-
signment of collecting and analyzing
the unclassified data. In the Com-
mission's view, the value of such in-
formation for establishing policy
priorities and long-range public
.• diplomacy program planning will
more than justify the effort.
Need for Program
Evaluation
This Commission has long felt that
Agency managers should systemati-
cally utilize the capabilities of re-
search to assess the impact and ef-
Iectivcness of Agency products and
programs. We are aware that there is
more than a little resistance to this
idea in some Agency elements. In
addition to VOA listener surveys, in-
frequent but useful studies of some
Agency publications have been
made. Marketing studies and surveys
of consumer preferences have long
been standard business management
has it been requested to assess the ternational broadcasting. It has a tools. We believe that Agency re-
impact of proposed foreign policies small staff that assembles a large source managers and program plan-
as called for by the Executive Order. amount of information gathered by ners should develop a comprehen-
Such assessments should not be USIA's field posts from public sive method for the systematic
limited only to opinion polls. They sources on overt Soviet cultural ac- evaluation of their programs.
should provide the policy planners tivities. This information is summa- The Office of Research has re-
insight into the historical and cul- rized in an annual report. The Agen- quested funds and staff to establish
tural factors and perspectives that cy's Bureau of Educational and a unit to perform this function. This
would influence the reaction of for- Cultural Affairs, using information unit's research would not only sup-
eign people to our proposed course obtained from other U.S. Govern- port the substantial increase in
of action. For the most part, as for- ment agencies, produces estimates of VOA's worldwide broadcasts, but
mer USIA Director Edward R. Mur- the number of Soviet bloc exchanges also evaluate the effectiveness of the
row ruefully observed, the Agency worldwide and by geographic region. new programs of the rapidly growing
continues to be excluded from the This information is interesting and Television Service and the vastly ex-
take-offs but is regularly called in to valuable, but the net result is rather panded exchange programs. It would
help with the crash landings. frustrating. The data tend to be un- also assess various Agency media
To the extent that limited funds even, most more than a year old and products. Given the rapid and
have permitted, research has pro- based, necessarily, more on esti- needed growth of a number of major
vided program managers with useful mates than on hard facts. It is inevit- Agency programs and the expendi-
planning information, During the ably incomplete, since it deals pri- ture of considerable sums of money,
past year, the Office of Research marily with Soviet overt programs a system of objective assessment and
conducted eight studies of VOA lis- and velYlittle with the vast range of evaluation is needed.
teners to determine audience size Soviet covert propaganda activities. The resources for research for FY
and preferences in different countries It is, in fact, merely the tip of the 1985 were increased by approxi-
and areas. The Office of Research iceberg. mately $1 million. The overall
also completed studies of communi- This Commission believes the U.S. budget of $4.7 million is neverthe-
cations systems and media habits in Government should have as full a less insufficient to provide the re-
ten countries. Such studies are of picture of foreign cultural, informa- search capability national security
considerable value to PAOs in their tion and propaganda programs as requires and that USIA needs to
planning and should be made in all it does of foreign military and diplo-
priority countries, make its programming and resource
matic activities. All U.S. foreign af- management more efficient. We rec-
fairs agencies should be tasked to ommend that the Agency give this
Comparative Studies contribute to this effort. USIA's Of- function a high priority and that
The Office of Research occasionally fice of Research should, with the co- Congress appropriate the necessary
conducts studies of Communist in- operation of the Department of State funds.
15Semantic Findings &
lcm and devise means to respond.
11le NSC's International Information
Recommendations Committee and USIA have tenta-
Corruption o The Commission repeats its rec-
tively addressed the problem.
A telegram was sent to all U.S.
ommendation that the National Se-
missions abroad instructing them to
curity Council and USIA assess
the problems or semantic corrup- be alert to the problem. Copies of a
tion and institutionalize ways to lexicon of Marxist-Leninist terminol-
counter misleading terminology ogy have been sent to USIA's over-
and increase the accuracy of words seas posts for possible placement.
and concepts in international polit- The Television Service is planning a
ical discourse. video cassette on "the use of words
and concepts in the battle of ideas,"
and the USIA magazine Problems of
its
n previous report, the Com- Communism has been requested to
I mission addressed the problem .
of systematic distortion by the
Communists of the meaning of
certain words to confuse and mis-
lead in international political dis-
commission articles on the use of
words by Communist propagandists.
Finally, a scholar has been engaged
to produce a series of short analyses
of specific concepts and terms which
course. TIle misuse by Communist have been misused by the Soviets.
propagandists of such positive words These are promising projects and
as "peace," "democratic," "libera- a necessary first step, but to the
tion" and "people," to mention only Commission's knowledge nothing
the most obvious, often succeeds in has been produced. Meanwhile, tile
concealing or confusing the real na- problem of semantic-corruption re-
ture of the movements or regimes mains. The Commission continues to
described. Our adversaries have believe that it is important and that
been much more aware of the impor- it should be dealt with on a system-
tance of semantics in conveying atic and continuing basis.
ideas and perceptions than have we.
As Senator Daniel P. Moynihan
has observed:
.'Simply put, semantic infiltration is
the process whereby we come to
adopt the language of our adversaries
in describing political reality. The
most brutal totalitarian regimes in the
world call themselves 'liberation
movements. ' It is perfectly predictable
that they should misuse words to
conceal their real nature. But must we
aid them in that effort by repeating
those words? Worse, do we begin to
influence our own perceptions by us-
ing them?"
U.S. political leaders and journal-
ists need to display more sensitivity
to the nuances and accuracy of
words and concepts. And systematic
government efforts to counter mis-
leading terminology must be in-
creased.
Last year the Commission recom-
mended that an interagency task
force be created under the National
Security Council to assess the prob-
'Policy Rericu-, Spring, 1979,
16MEDIA AND PROGRAMS
Television Findings &
cussions, foreign journalists can, in
turn, question American officials di-
rectly during hour-long interviews.
Recommendations Among the U.S. officials who have
lJ The Commission welcomes the been interviewed arc Secretarv of
emergence of television as a major State George Shultz, Defense 'Secre-
program ann of USIA and fully en- tary Caspar Weinberger, UN Ambas-
dorses the Agency's initiatives in sador Jeane Kirkpatrick, Treasury
utilizing communication satellites Secretary Donald Regan, Agriculture
and new video technologies, Secretary John Block. Joint Chiefs of
Staff Chairman General John W.
o The Commission recommends
that as a high priority USIA, with
Vessey, Senator Richard Lugar, Na-
the support of other government tional Security Advisor Robert Me-
agencies, plan for the establish- Farlane and many others. Belgian
ment of a worldwide system of tele- Foreign Minister Leo Tindemans and
vision broadcasting to enable U.S. West German Chancellor Helmut
leaders to speak directly to audi- " Kohl are among the foreign leaders
ences in every region of the world. who have participated in these pro-
grams.
President Reagan's speech to the
United Nations in September 1984
T
h.e past year has seel: telcvi- was carried live via satellite to par-
sion emerge as a major pro- ticipating posts in Europe and was
gram arm of USIA. Making followed by a question-and-answer
innovative use of the latest session with Under Secretary of State
satellite communications technology, Michael Armacost and European
the Agency is creatively exploiting journalists. The President's subse-
the potential of this powerful me- quent speech to the IMF /IBRD was
Secretary of State George Shultz dium for communicating with foreign also telecast live by satellite to Euro-
holds a press conference organized by audiences. pean and Latin American posts and
USIA in Mexico City.
-...;..--""' ...• - WORLDNET
was followed by a similar interactive
discussion with Treasury Under See-
A new era for USIA in global com- retary Beryl Sprinkel. Foreign cover-
munication and telepress-conferenc- age of both programs was extensive.
ing was opened in November 1983, Except for Presidential speeches,
when the Agency launched its own use and coverage of \VORLDNET
satellite television network- programs in Europe have been un-
WORLDNET. Initially beamed to even, but they have been regularly
five U.S. embassies in Western Eu- and widely shown and reported in
rope, WORLD NET currently consists Africa, Asia and Latin America.
of four regional networks reaching During the past year more than 45
nearly 30 countries in Western Eu- programs have been transmitted over
rope, East Asia, Africa, Latin Amer- WORLDNET, and the program
ica and the Middle East. An Arabic budget has been increased from
language service will be added this $3.4 million in FY 1984 to S 12.6
year. The Agency hopes eventually to million in FY 1985. The overall
expand the system to link all Ameri- budget for television in FY 1985 is
can embassies in the network. I $28~8 million, an increase of about
WORLDNET permits U.S. policy 812.1 million over FY 1984.
makers and other leading figures to Increasing the frequency of
speak to foreign TV audiences about WORLDNET programs and broad-
the vital issues of the day. Through ening the scope of the subjects pre-
one-way video, two-way audio dis- sented attest to the usefulness and
adaptability of this new technique.
IAll of the programs broadcast so far have been
Refinements will improve a system
through the Intelsat system in cooperation with local
post and telephone organizations (IYlTs). that has already demonstrated its ef-
Xe!!otiations arc undcrwav in a number of countries fectiveness.
to ~lIow CSlA to place di~h antennas on the roofs
of our embassies to receive the Agency's satellite
A word of caution is in order,
transmissions directly without going through local however. From inspection nips to
Pl'Ts, This will result in considerable savings, overseas posts and many meetings
17with PAOs, it became clear to the be given additional American and Agency's Foreign Press Centers for
Commission that the novelty of the foreign employees if these important direct reporting to their countries.
technological aspects of WORLD- programs are to succeed. In addition, VIZNE\t\fS and UPI-
NET has begun to wear off. The ap- TN, the world's largest TV news
pearance of high-level American offi- Other Program Initiatives syndicators, are provided with VTRs
cials is no longer enough to assure Another form of satellite interview, of the Satellite File for syndication to
prime-time foreign coverage unless the so-called Video Dialogue, de- their clients around the world. Sto-
the interview produces some genuine signed to meet specialized needs of ries or items from the File are used
news. The subjects presented must individual posts, has also been very extensively by many television sta-
respond closely to the interests of successful. This is a one-way video, tions' especially in Asia, Africa and
each country or region and to the two-wav audio link between USIA's Latin America, to augment their own
needs of the posts if they are to con- Washington studios and a foreign programs.
tinue to command an attentive audi- television network or station in Science World, a monthly program
ence. This will require greater con- which U.S. spokesmen are inter- on the latest U.S. scientific develop-
sultation between USIA's television viewed on major issues. The inter- ments, is distributed to USIA's posts
program planners and its field offi- view is usually carried live by the in 84 countries. This highly success-
eel's. foreign station or taped for later use. ful program is produced at a very
WORLD NET programs demand a Since the foreign broadcaster in most modest cost (less than S4,000 per
great deal of overseas staff time and cases pays for both the up-and- show including French, Arabic and
effort, The expansion of the televi- down-link satellite charges, there is Portuguese language versions)
sion programs, while certainly to be no cost to the USIA post, and usage thanks to the cooperation of private
encouraged, will place severe bur- is assured. American companies which furnish a
dens on already understaffed and The Television Service provides a great deal of film and videotape ma-
overworked posts. We noted in our wide range of other programs and terial for Agency use. Several Science
last report that "the Agency's over- services. TV Satellite File is a World programs have received inter-
seas staffing has been reduced below weekly, half-hour magazine-type national awards.
the level where new programs can be program of features and news. Ap- There are other heartening exam-
accommodated .... " With the ex- proximately 90 posts are subscribers ples of private sector cooperation
pansion of television and other to the File, and 28 foreign corre- and assistance. The Agency has ob-
Agency activities (most notably ex- spondents in the U.S. receive video- tained for overseas use a large num-
changes), it is imperative that posts tape recordings (VTRs) through the ber of valuable commercial films and
18television programs. They include
the composite stories from the ABC
World News Tonight, the Phillip
Morris collection of cultural and
sports programs (14 thus far), 22
programs from the Coca-Cola li-
brary, Beverly Sills' New York City
Opera "La Traviata," the popular
science series, "Omni: The New
Frontier" and many others. These
useful additions to the Agency's pro-
gram resources have been received
enthusiastically by overseas posts.
The Television Service's assistance
to foreign TV producers continues to
generate much good will as well as
favorable prime-time shows. Some
foreign TV stations may be reluctant
to use Agency-produced programs,
but they are delighted to have
USIA's assistance to produce their
own. Over the past year, the Tv co-
production unit worked on 28 major
foreign productions. On a few pro-
jects, USIA's posts made financial
grants (from S2,000 to $10,000) to
foreign broadcasters.
Capitalizing on the tremendous
growth in home video, USIA has es-
tablished videotape libraries at ten USIA installs a dish antenna all the American embassy ill Mexico City for a
WORLDNET transmission.
selected posts in five geographical
areas. Each has received 80 titles to
start. If financial resources permit, indeed to the whole concept and expect that satellite broadcasts
this project will be expanded to in- conduct of public diplomacy-it is across international borders directlv
clude all principal posts with a cata- essential to experiment, to be toler- into homes is just a matter of time.
logue of up to 1,000 titles. ant of occasional failure, and to This Commission believes the
The Television Service cooperates learn how best to use and adapt this United States Government should
closely with USIA's Foreign Press new medium to provide the capabil- actively plan and work toward the
Centers in the United States. It also ity national interests require. establishment of a worldwide system
supports the Agency's speakers pro- Communication satellites and the of television broadcasting to enable
gram in producing various forms of rapid development of new communi- l'.S, leaders to speak directly to au-
electronic dialogues with overseas cation technology are bringing pro- diences in every region of the world.
posts. The Television Service played found changes to USIA and the ways We recognize that for technical, legal
a major role in explaining to foreign it communicates with foreign audi- and budgetary reasons, it is unlikely
audiences the uniquely American ences. Many such changes are al- the goal of a worldwide direct broad-
system of nominating Presidential ready apparent; more are on the cast service can be reached soon,
candidates, conducting campaigns way. Direct television transmissions but everv effort should be made to
and electing a President. to some American embassies, with- achieve it within the next decade.
The various programs and activi- out going through local land lines, Establishing such a system, with the
ties of the Television Service men- will begin in 1985. In a Jew years full development of satellite technol-
tioned above are examples of the USIA and the Department of State ogy for international communication,
creative use being made of this ver- will be able to communicate with should be a high priority for USIA
satile and powerful medium. It is most embassies in this manner. with the active support of other in-
important to note, however, that the Two-wav video links between Wash- volved government agencies,
Agency is still in the early, experi- ington a"ndthe major field posts also We commend Director Wick and
mental stage of international satellite will almost certainly be established the Agency's television professionals
communication. Different formats in the years ahead. Teleconferencing for their creative and innovative el-
and concepts are being explored. will be a routine practice for both the forts to develop the full potential of
Given the increasing importance of Department and the Agency. And this powerful new system of interna-
satellite communication to USIA- communications experts confidently tional communication.
19Voice he United States communi-
of
Findings &
Recommendations
[J The Commission reaffirms its
T cates directly with the people
of the world by radio
through the Voice of Amer-
ica. Broadcasting in 42 languages,
America support of VOA modernization
and believes it is vitally important
that the U.S. remain committed to
VOA provides news, thought-provok-
ing programs and statements of U.S.
policies to an estimated weekly audi-
a multi-year program designed to ence of 110 million listeners, many
produce a strong, reliable VOA
of whom are unreachable in any
signal worldwide.
other way.
o 111eCommission recommends VOA's mission and importance to
that LJSIAtake steps to instill a public diplomacy has been summed
greater sense of urgency among all up well by President Reagan:
Agency elements involved in VOA
"By giving an objective account of
modcmization and establish a
mechanism to promote communi- CUJTentworld events, by communicat-
cation and cooperation at the sen- ing a clear picture of America and our
ior level Agency-wide. policies at home and abroad, the
Voice serves the interests not only of
o The Commission commends the United States but of the world
VOA and those Public Affairs Offi- . . . We are justifiably proud that,
cers who have initiated training unlike Soviet broadcasts, the Voice of
programs for Third World national America is not onlv committed to tell-
broadcasting organizations. The
ing its country's story, but also re-
Commission recommends this ef-
mains faithful to those standards of
fort be expanded.
journalism that will not compromise
o 111eCommission recommends the truth. "1
that a reorganization plan transfer- Last year the Commission noted
ring the Radio Marti Program to
with approbation that a historical
the Board for International Broad-
casting be proposed to the Con- pattern of neglect of VOA had been
gress and that the Congress act fa- arrested and reversed. With the sup-
vorably on such a plan. port of President Reagan and the
Congress, VOA has undertaken new
program initiatives and has begun
the long overdue modernization of
its facilities and transmitting equip-
ment. The Commission welcomes
the emerging national consensus that
has led to increased Congressional
support for VOA modernization. It is
vitally important that the U.S. re-
main committed to a multi-year pro-
gram designed to produce a strong,
reliable VOA signal worldwide.
Program Enhancement
Increases in VOA's operating budget
in 1984 led to program expansion
and qualitative improvements.
VOA increased its language serv-
ice broadcasting in Azerbaijani
(Soviet Union), Amharic (Ethiopia),
Dari and Pashto (Afghanistan), and
Hausa (Nigeria), An hour-long pro-
gram in Ukrainian to the Soviet Far
VOA's news room operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week produces copy
for more than 300 daily newscasts and summaries. News from all major news
agencies is supplemented by reports from 38 VOA correspondents in the u.s. ! Remarks of President Ronald Reagan at a ceremony
marking the 40th anniversary of tile Voice of .
and overseas. America.
20East was also initiated. By the end
of 1984, VOA was broadcasting
more than 989 hours weekly, an in-
crease of 23 hours per week during
the year.
News operations were expanded
with the addition of news bureaus in
Islamabad, Geneva, Central Amer-
ica, Boston and Houston. The VOA
Bureau in Rome was reopened.
Enhanced resources have also in-
creased program quality. Additional
staff, creativity incentives, new pro-
fessional development programs, the
first comprehensive "VOA Hand-
book" establishing uniform stan-
dards for program development and
production, and a permanent com-
puterized system for news and pro-
gramming are all positive steps.
Daily editorials=clearly identified
and distinguished from VOA's news
reporting-continue to present un-
equivocal statements of U.S. Govern-
ment policy. The Commission exam-
ined VOA's editorials closely during
the year, and it continues to find
them an effective means of imple-
menting VOA's Charter. TIle Com-
At a White House ceremony, U.S. and Moroccan officials sign an agreement
mission welcomes recent efforts to
for a new Voice of America shortwave relay station in Tangier. Shown (from
tailor them to different regions of the
world. left to right) are Moroccan Prime Minister Mohamed Karim-Lamrani, Minister
Efforts to increase audience partie- of Information Abdellatif Filali, President Reagan and USIA Director Charles
Z. Wick.
ipation also reflect a new vitality in
VOA's programming. Voice, a bi-
monthly listener magazine, has a
worldwide circulation of 97,000 Why VOA Needs to Modernize
after its first full year of publication.
Language editions are planned. o More than 80% of VOA's 108 transmitters are 15 years old or
"Talk to America," a worldwide older. More than 35% are 30 years old or older.
call-in show featuring prominent
Americans, is a new and promising o VOA has six 500 KW superpower transmitters (actually
program format. Automated equip- combinations of aging 250 KWs) compared to 37 500 KWs used
ment in a new Office of Audience by the Soviet Union. France has eleven, West Germany nine and
Relations has increased VOA's ca- Great Britain eight.
pacity to analyze and respond to lis-
tener mail. Exhibits prepared by o VOA broadcasts 989-% hours per week. Radio Moscow
VOA's graphics design staff accom- broadcasts more than 2,175 hours weekly.
pany traveling VOA program person-
alities and help to make VOA a o VOA broadcasts in 42 languages; Radio Moscow broadcasts in
81.
more tangible presence with listening
audiences.
In a modest way, VOA has under- o In international broadcasting hours, VOA ranks fifth in hours to
taken in the past year to work with Africa; fifth in hours to Latin America and the Caribbean; sixth in
Public Affairs Officers in several hours to Eastern Europe and sixth in hours to East Asia.
Third World countries to provide
training for other national broadcast- o VOA manufactures its own replacement parts for some of its
ing organizations. antiquated equipment, because many spare parts are no longer
It conducts training seminars in manufactured.
Washington for foreign broadcasters,
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