162. Letter From the Director of the United States Information Agency (Marks) to Senator Fulbright1
I am delighted to be able to respond in detail to your letter of July 12 regarding the distribution of our English-language publications in non-English-speaking countries.2 We maintain a continuing review of requests from all of our USIS posts for printed media materials in all languages.
Basic to the question of distribution of pamphlets in English is the number of people around the world who have an English-speaking capability. At present, they total almost a half-billion persons.
Throughout the world, 285 million people speak English as their first language making it second only to Chinese among the world’s living languages. At least 200 million more people use English as an acquired idiom. It is our only international language, with one-sixth of the world’s population having a working knowledge of it.
Its importance to USIA cannot be underestimated in terms of its universality in reaching world opinion leaders. Although the Agency’s pamphlet program emphasizes production in languages native to recipients worldwide, there is a continuing need at all USIS posts for modest quantities of pamphlets in English. Eighteen of these countries, with a total population of nearly 95 million people, use English as an official or co-official language. These figures include eight countries in Africa, five in East Asia and the Pacific, one in Europe, two in Latin America, one in the Near East, plus Canada. Thus, the importance of English in USIA’s efforts in international communication cannot be overemphasized.
The pamphlet you enclosed with your letter—“Viet Cong Use of Terror Against the Vietnamese People”—was produced by JUSPAO in Saigon for distribution in limited copies in English to USIS posts [Page 493] requesting copies. Sample copies were sent by JUSPAO to USIS posts worldwide with a mimeographed order form containing a coupon to be returned to Saigon indicating number of copies requested. To date, 17 posts have responded and orders totaling 10,924 copies have been shipped. Of these orders, 7,300 were from countries where English either is the official or co-official language. The remaining 3,624 pamphlets were sent to non-English-speaking countries. The largest order—3,600—came from Canberra. Kuala Lumpur, where English is a co-official language, was second with an order for 2,000 copies. The remaining 15 orders were for comparatively small quantities.
Both the Agency and JUSPAO usually print a small number of pamphlets in English and send sample copies to all principal USIS posts with an offer to fill reasonable requests for additional copies. Non-English-speaking posts generally respond with requests for small numbers of pamphlets in English for distribution to the following groups: government officials, professors and students, editors and publishers, business leaders, and similar opinion leaders whose sophistication includes a knowledge of English. In addition, Fulbright students and teachers who have studied in America are always eager to receive publications in English, as are members of the foreign diplomatic corps, many of whom are fluent in English. USIS Libraries, Information Centers, Cultural Centers and Binational Centers all maintain English reading rooms frequented by scholars and students where these pamphlets are available for the asking.
Distribution of English-language pamphlets in Viet-Nam seldom exceeds 10,000 copies of any one of them. Approximately 7,000 copies are distributed to our Abraham Lincoln Library in Saigon and to the three other American Cultural Centers in Dalat, Can Tho and Da Nang. In each of these centers, there is a continuing demand for pamphlets in English since monthly attendance averages 18,000 patrons. Additional pamphlets are made available to the six Vietnamese-American Associations in Saigon/Cholon, Can Tho, Nha Trang, Dalat and Da Nang which conduct English-teaching programs with a total enrollment of 14,000 students. The other 3,000 pamphlets are sent to the Mission Press Center for distribution to more than 500 foreign correspondents, to diplomatic missions, to all official visitors, and to Vietnamese who have asked to receive these publications on a continuing basis. In some instances, as in the case of a pamphlet explaining USAID’s activities (“The View Beyond the Battle”), these publications are used by USAID and MACV/CORDS for briefing visitors to Viet-Nam and copies are made available to them for permanent reference.
As you requested, a copy of each of the Agency’s English-language pamphlets on Viet-Nam produced in Washington and Saigon is [Page 494] enclosed.3 Each pamphlet contains an insert showing country-by-country distribution in non-English-speaking countries.
If I can offer additional information on this subject, please call on me.
Sincerely,
- Source: National Archives, RG 306, Director’s Subject Files, 1967–1967, Entry UD WW 108, Box 2, Congressional Relations—A thru Z—1967. No classification marking. Drafted by Wade on July 31; cleared by Hays, Oleksiw, and Wright; cleared in draft by Reinhardt, Hitchcock, Schmidt, and Cannon; White cleared in draft for Ryan.↩
- In his letter to Marks, Fulbright commented: “In recent months other publications in English, supporting the administration’s position in Vietnam, have come to my attention. These are not marked as to source but I understand that they were published by your agency. I am unable to see the justification for publication and distribution of booklets of this nature in non-English speaking nations.” He requested that Marks “provide the [Senate Committee on Foreign Relations] with the reasons for distributing such publications in non-English speaking countries.” (Ibid.)↩
- Not found.↩
- Printed from a copy that bears his typed signature.↩