60. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (McIntyre)1
SUBJECT
- BIB (RFE/RL) FY 1980 Budget Request
In reference to your Overview summary of the Foreign Information and Exchange portion of the FY 1980 Budget (as well as BIB Chairman John Gronouski’s letter to you of November 16, 1978 commenting on your office’s proposals for reduction in the BIB’s budget request), I am disturbed by the concluding statement on page 3 of the Overview which states:
[Page 196]“The above ranking reflects the Division’s belief that activities of ICA, which are designed to build long-term mutual relationships worldwide, are more important and represent a better investment than BIB activities which are unilateral and geographically limited.”
This is not a valid reflection of the Administration’s policy toward ICA and BIB operations. They are not competitive but complementary. BIB requests should not be subjected to sharper reductions than those of ICA. Major elements in the BIB are sums for non-recurring staff rejuvenation, funds for program improvement, for acquisition of AP news service and for money which the President approved in March 1977 and which is now well underway.
I hope you and your colleagues will take the foregoing into consideration as you review the budgets of the above.
Regards,
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 9, Board for International Broadcasting (RFE, RL, VOA): 1/78–4/79. No classification marking. The closing is handwritten. Henze forwarded a draft to Brzezinski under a November 30 covering memorandum and commented: “OMB did its detailed homework sloppily, cutting positions that had already been eliminated and misreading amounts requested for travel, recruitment and training of new personnel and certain other items.” He concluded: “OMB has recommended cutting the very items most needed to enable the reorganization of RFE/RL to be effective.” (Ibid.)↩