297. Presidential Review Memorandum/NSC 331
TO
- The Vice President
- The Secretary of State
- The Secretary of Defense
- ALSO
- The Secretary of the Treasury
- The Secretary of the Interior
- The Secretary of Agriculture
- The Secretary of Commerce
- The Secretary of Labor
- The Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare
- The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
- The Secretary of Energy
- The Director, Office of Management and Budget
- The Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers
- The Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs
- The Administrator, Agency for International Development
- The Director, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
- The Director of Central Intelligence
- The Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- The Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy
- The Director, National Science Foundation
SUBJECT
- Science and Technology in Developing Countries (U)
The PRC/NSC should develop options for Presidential decision concerning political and economic objectives, criteria for balancing objectives, new initiatives, as well as possible legislation and administrative action regarding U.S. scientific and technological relationships with various developing country groups. The review should provide:
—basis for reports on these matters called for in recent legislation,2
—policy guidance for the U.S. position at the UN Conference on Science and Technology for Development,3 and for
—the U.S. position on related issues in other international forums, including the consideration of a Technology Transfer Code of Conduct at the UN Conference on Trade and Development,
[Page 926]—options for implementation of Presidential decisions on foreign assistance strategies, and
—an evaluation of the level of support of international science and technology assistance and cooperation extended by U.S. agencies.
Among the basic questions that should be considered are:
—An assessment of the political and economic implications of providing scientific and technological resources, both private proprietary as well as public, to various developing country groups, including the upper-tier. The assessment should include consideration of transfer of dual-use technologies.
—An assessment of the developing countries’ requirements and interests for U.S. scientific and technological resources, including analysis of areas of convergence or conflict with current U.S. policies and programs.
—An assessment of the scientific and technological resources which the U.S. Government could mobilize for the benefit of developing countries, through such efforts as research and development, science and technology assistance and cooperation, and education and manpower training. Special attention should be given to the provision of resources for development of and experimentation with technologies that are appropriate to developing countries’ technical, economic, and social environments.
—An assessment of the benefits and risks of government action regarding private proprietary technology transfer to developing countries. This should include analysis of possible policy measures and their impact on capital flows, market access, and labor displacement.
—An assessment of the implications for other OECD countries and for the Communist countries of expanding U.S. scientific and technological relations with developing countries. The assessment should include analysis of opportunities for multilateral policy coordination in the areas of trade and technology transfer with OECD countries.
—An analysis of the relationship between U.S. scientific and technological relations with developing countries and a range of global issues, such as energy and natural resource supply and demand, nuclear proliferation, food and population, and others.
The review should draw on related PRM materials and other studies. It will be chaired by the Secretary of State. It should be submitted for PRC discussion by June 1, 1978.