175. Memorandum From the Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs, International Communication Agency (Ilchman) to the Director (Reinhardt)1
SUBJECT
- USICA Leadership in Federally Supported Exchanges
There have been in the past few days two occasions on which USICA was conspicuously active in carrying out the mandate that the Agency serve as the coordinator of U.S. Government exchanges policy.
Tuesday morning2 I met with the 60 American senior faculty and graduate students who will spend a year in the PRC. It was a stimulating session. The point is that through careful hard work, a clear eye, [Page 506] and the appropriate expertise both in Washington and, increasingly, at the posts, USICA has emerged as the lead agency. It is true that the legislation fits well with us and that we have some of the most flexible money. Nonetheless, you will remember that six months ago the Federal agencies were in great disarray about both receiving scholars from China and sending Americans to work there. In this two-day orientation given by the executive agent, the Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People’s Republic of China, most of the speakers were scholars or persons with intimate knowledge of the field conditions in the PRC. The representatives from the Federal Government were all from USICA: I gave the opening talk, Norris Smith handled the questions of assistance from the USICA posts and relations to the Embassy, as well as relations to the other Federal partners (NEH, OE, NSF, NIH), and they were to meet with Ted Liu who will, of course, be very important to them. I think at the moment USICA, as the convener of Federal agencies, and the CSC are an effective team. It will be important to preserve this leadership and expertise, to develop it in additional persons, and to try to have in key roles persons who can negotiate an orderly leadership status for USICA when that is important. I think it is important in the China field.
The second event was the U.S./Egyptian Joint Working Group talks, where the responsibility for leadership rests in USICA. David Nalle served as the American chairman, and other Federal partners at the table included OE, the Smithsonian, and the people who have such abundance of money that it skews what would ordinarily be an agenda for such an educational and cultural working group. This, of course, is AID. They have approximately $16 million to spend in this channel. It is a moment of particular opportunity, however, with the revival of the Fulbright Commission3 and a talented group of officers in Cairo. The team sent by Egypt was very high level and competent: two former members of Sadat’s cabinet and several university or research institute presidents. The big opportunity for new money in exchange is, of course, the Peace Scholarships, 500 a year to young Egyptians in development subjects, broadly construed. What is different about these fellowships, which are sponsored by AID, is that they will use selection criteria more nearly like those used in private academic exchange programs and that the arrangements will be made through the Fulbright Commission in Cairo. AMIDEAST is the placement agency on this side. Here is an opportunity to exercise leadership by using USICA’s rapport with some particularly imaginative and inventive AID staff to capture [Page 507] significant amounts of money for mutual education and cultural understanding type exchange programs.
It is difficult for USICA to be a coordinator—except as a data collector—in a vacuum. But given particular opportunities, or seizing opportunities such as the above, coordination can be an effective way to lead.
- Source: National Archives, RG 306, USIA Historical Collection, Subject Files, 1953–2000, Entry A–1 1066, Box 52, Educational Exchanges, Educational and Cultural Affairs, 1978–1981. No classification marking. Drafted by Ilchman. The date on the memorandum is stamped. Printed from an unsigned and uninitialed copy. Nalle initialed the memorandum, indicating that he saw it.↩
- July 17.↩
- For more on the Fulbright program, see Document 7.↩