F Chapter 10 DEPARTMENT OF STATE IRST ESTABLISHED in 1781 as the Department of Foreign Affairs and then named the Department of State in 1789, this Department is charged with the overall responsibility for the direction of the foreign policy of the United States. Its purposes include studies of domestic conditions which would have a bearing on the Nation's foreign policy; the correlation of activities of other Government agencies that affect this Nation's foreign relations; and the initiation and evaluation of measures for promoting solidarity with friendly countries. Several educational programs have been organized and are administered in the Department to help maintain and improve friendly relations with people of other nations. One of these is the Educational Exchange Program for bringing persons to the United States for study and teaching and sending selected Americans abroad. The two other programs reported in this chapter are the Country Missions and Interuniversity Contracts which are related to requests for assistance on specific problems and needs in the contracting nations. BUREAU OF EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS The International Educational Exchange Program, first authorized in 1946, is conducted by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State. Under this program arrangements are made to bring key persons from over 90 countries to the United States for study, teaching, research, observation, or specialized practical experience; and to send qualified Americans abroad for similar purposes. Approximately 6,500 exchanges, including students, teachers, lecturers, research scholars, leaders, and specialists, are made each year. Information for the Educational Exchange Program was was furnished by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM This program is intended to promote mutual understanding and confidence between the United States and other countries. Another purpose is to acquaint other people with the United States' objectives and policies in order that they may realize that this Nation's aspirations for peace, progress, and freedom are in harmony with their own. Approximately two-thirds of the participants are foreign nationals. The remainder are Americans who visit other countries. Table 104.-FEDERAL FUNDS ALLOTTED FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS: 1951-52 TO 1959-60 Several congressional enactments have authorized exchanges of educators and leaders with those of other countries. Exchanges are arranged under authorizations which include: (1) Those originally authorized under the act for cooperation with the other American republics; (2) those provided by the foreign currency program under the Fulbright Act; and (3) the world-wide program authorized by the Smith-Mundt Act which established a general framework for all the educational exchange activities. The Department of State also conducts special programs with Finland and India, using certain funds derived from debts of those countries set aside for this purpose. Total expenditures for these programs under various authorizations, including grants and administrative expenses, are summarized in table 104 for the 9 years from 1951-52 through 1959-60. Additional details on funds allotted from 1956-57 through 1959-60 are presented in table 105. Table 105.-FEDERAL FUNDS ALLOTTED FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGES, BY PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION: 1956-57 TO 1959-60 The number of persons from the United States and from other areas participating in the educational exchange program from 1951-52 to 1958-59, are summarized in table 106. Table 107 presents more detailed information about the kinds of participants engaged in the exchange programs for the 1958-59 school year. Educational and cultural exchange programs authorized by Congress and similar activities conducted by other agencies of the Government are co-ordinated by the Bureau. The Bureau also cooperates extensively with independent nongovernmental sponsors of exchanges in the United States. Often the services of the Department of State and those arranged by private organizations complement each other Table 106.-NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS ENGAGED IN EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS: 1951-52 TO 1958-59 with funds for international travel being provided in foreign currency of the Government while tuition, maintenance, and other assistance is supplied by private groups. Table 107.-NUMBER AND KIND OF PARTICIPANTS ENGAGED IN Programs are coordinated with the economic and technical assistance programs of the International Cooperation Administration and with the programs of other Federal agencies such as the Department of Defense. This coordination is effected at both planning and administrative levels in Washington and overseas. Certain services necessary to the administration of the programs are provided through contractural arrangments made between the Department and a number of public and private agencies. Such services include screening and recommending candidates, arranging programs for orienting and supervising grantees, and evaluating program effectiveness. For example, the Office of Education, in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, cooperates closely with the Department of State under a working-fund agreement in connection with both American and foreign-teacher exchanges. This cooperating office administers the teacher-interchange program under which American and foreign teachers trade positions in their respective school systems for a year; recommends qualified American teachers for grants to teach abroad; and arranges special programs for foreign teachers to study and observe American school systems. A significant service of the educational and cultural exchange programs is the assistance given to private groups both here and abroad on exchange projects contributing to the Government's interest in improving international relationships. These projects involving hundreds of sponsors and thousands of persons do not require United States Government funds although most of them are valuable in achieving similar objectives as the State Department's program. For American and foreign groups, assistance ranges from detailed guidance on how to operate various kinds of educational exchange programs to arranging with Foreign Service posts to distribute applications and to assist in nominating and selecting candidates under private programs. Public and private exchange efforts are stimulated through the designation of exchange-visitor visa programs as provided under section 201 of the Smith-Mundt Act. This act facilitates entry into the United States of foreign nationals desiring to come to this country as nonimmigrants for bonna fide educational purposes. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ADMINISTRATION The International Cooperation Administration was established within the Department of State in 1955 under Executive Order 10610. This semiautonomous agency has responsibility for the coordination of foreign assistance operations and for the conduct of several mutual security programs. Federal funds for foreign assistance cooperative programs are provided by annual congressional appropriations. Additional funds are appropriated by the foreign cooperating governments. These contributions of other governments are, on the average, about double the United States' contributions. Programs are not undertaken except upon the specific request of the participating governments. It is believed that programs of technical cooperation in the developing areas of the world provide one of the best means of strengthening the free world. These cooperative endeavors in their many aspects and varied forms support this belief by extensive reliance upon education as the means to develop any nation's most valuable resources-its human resources. Programs include integrated activities in such related fields as agriculture, health, industry, and public governmental administration, with the educational staff cooperating closely with other International Cooperation Administration (ICA) and United Nations (UN) representatives. |