Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume II, Organization and Management of U.S. Foreign Policy, 1969–1972

305. Notes of Telephone Conversation Between the Under Secretary of State (Richardson) and Representative Wayne Hays¹

Washington, July 15, 1969.

[Omitted here is discussion of the possible appointment of Arthur Ross to a position in the Department of State.]

ELR said on another subject, when he gets a little better informed about the problems of the administration of the Foreign Service, he would like to come up and see Hays. Said he’s chairman of the Board, has spent a fair amount of time trying to get familiarized with it, including a review of the various proposals contained in the legislation which Hays introduced.² Mentioned we now have a new Director Gen—John Burns.

Hays immediately told ELR not to waste his time coming up to see him—won’t handle any bills or hold hearings on it unless we get it through the Senate first. Went into a long harangue about how hard he’d worked on the other legislation, getting it through the House, only to have it die in the Senate, where Pell³ really tied it up (because he didn’t like the selecting out thing). If we get it thru the Senate, then he might be willing to consider it. ELR said he’d read the history of that legislation—but said that we didn’t have in mind any legislation at least at this point; said he wanted to understand the whole situation better before doing anything—and would simply like to get Hays’ views of the problems and opportunities.

Hays said he’d be glad to see him any time—said he had made his own position clear to Bill Macomber about legislation on this subject; he’s fed up with the Senate doing things like that—said the staff of the FRC⁴ was sympathetic to his position and the bill’s position, but couldn’t get it through Pell.

ELR reiterated that we don’t have any legislation in mind right now—maybe by the first of the year, we might have some suggestions that ought to be embodied in legislation, but certainly now we had no such thoughts.

Hays reiterated that he’d sit down any time w/ELR.

1. Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Richardson Papers, Box 104, Telcons. No classification marking. Hays (D–Ohio) was Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on State Department Organization.
2. For information on the Hays bill, H.R. 6277, which was passed by the House in September 1965 but failed of enactment in the Senate, see Foreign Relations, 1964–1968, volume XXXIII, Organization and Management of Foreign Policy; United Nations, Document 38 and footnote 4 thereto.
3. Senator Claiborne Pell (D–Rhode Island).
4. Reference is to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.