182. Minutes of a Meeting of the Subcommittee on International Exchange1
Introduction
Opening remarks were made by Assistant Secretary Richardson. He noted that this Administration takes an active interest in international exchanges and that all indications are this interest will continue. The Subcommittee should be one oriented towards effective action.
Timing of Meetings
Mr. Richardson suggested that meetings of the Subcommittee be held as needed, rather than on a regularly scheduled basis. This proposal was accepted by the participants.
Staff for the Subcommittee
Mr. Richardson said a small staff for the Subcommittee will be supplied by CU. This staff will be charged with coordinating the work of Subcommittee Working Groups and with insuring that meaningful questions are brought to the attention of the Subcommittee. No objections to CU providing staff for the Subcommittee were expressed.
Observer Attendance
Mr. Richardson stated he believed attendance at Subcommittee meetings in general should be limited to representatives of the agencies making up the Subcommittee. Observers should be asked to attend only if their presence is required by their expertise or by their specific interest in a subject being considered. This suggestion was approved.
Organizational Statement
Mr. Richardson drew the attention of the participants to the Organizational Statement and invited comment. He noted it is the intention of the Department of State to request that the fact of the existence of the Subcommittee be declassified. Mr. McLaughlin of AID said declassification could pose a psychological problem if mention is made of the Subcommittee’s relation to the NSC. People would be concerned over the “hidden” meaning of the Committee on exchanges being tied to a [Page 471] national security mechanism. Another suggestion was that in a declassified version of the Organizational Statement less stress should be given to U.S. Government focus on leadership in exchanges. It was also suggested that reference to the Exchange Study be eliminated. Such reference would lead people to ask questions about the exchange study which is classified Secret.
Mr. Richardson said a revised version of the Organizational Statement will be prepared, incorporating suggestions made at the meeting. The revised Organizational Statement will be sent to the participants for comment prior to any action being taken on declassifying it.
Working Groups
Mr. Richardson said a working group on agenda and project coordination should be established. This would be a working group of the whole, chaired by Mr. Richard L. Roth. This proposal was accepted by the participants.
Mr. Richardson also suggested that a Working Group on scientific exchanges be established. This suggestion was accepted.
Mr. Roth commented that participants should feel free to suggest topics for the consideration of the Agenda Working Group. They should not be limited to suggested areas of concern appearing in the Exchange Study.
Briefing on Data Bank
Mr. Roth spoke briefly on plans for the creation of a data bank, describing the system for collecting and analyzing information from exchange (J) visa applications. There was general agreement that data should be collected as of the present only because of the infeasibility of obtaining data covering the past. Miss Horn commented that recovery of data on past DOD activities was possible. However, such an effort would be so costly it could not be justified in terms of benefits derived. Mr. Hoffman stressed that we should not discard past records altogether and that some effort should be made to retain whatever we have in the way of historical material covering exchanges. The question was asked whether there was an intention to set up a data bank for non-government sponsored exchanges. Mr. Richardson said this was one of the anticipated objectives of the proposed Private Council referred to in NSDM 1432 but that it would be a monumental undertaking which might have to be approached eventually through a variety of data banks operating on different elements of the private sector.
[Page 472]Briefing on Exchanges with the PRC
Mr. Richardson briefed the group on exchanges with the PRC, following which he drew their attention to the need for financial support for the Committee on Scholarly Communication with the PRC.
Status Report on the Implementation of NSDM 143
Mr. Roth informed the group of the NSC’s request for a status report on the implementation of NSDM 143. He said the due date was December 8 and requested that all participants do their best to meet this deadline. In this connection, Mr. Austin noted the difficulty HEW was experiencing because of legislative and other constraints in responding to the NSDM 143 emphasis on leadership.
- Source: National Archives, RG 306, Office of the Director, Office of Public Information, Records Relating to a Study of International Exchange Programs, 1970–1975, Entry A1–37, Box 1, 143—Committee Meetings. Confidential. No drafting information appears on the minutes.↩
- See Document 154.↩