890H.64a/6: Airgram

The Secretary of State to the Minister in Afghanistan ( Engert )

A–18. The Department has procured and submitted to the Afghan Minister81 the names of seven Americans who it is believed are highly qualified for teaching positions in Afghanistan. Delay in the final selection of the men has been occasioned, however, on two grounds: (1) The men were selected as qualified to teach specific subjects as enumerated by you, but the Minister here wished to communicate with his Government to ascertain precisely the various subjects in which each man would be expected to be competent. He has only now received a reply from Kabul. It is feared of course that because of the delay some of the men chosen may have accepted other positions. (2) As it is felt that the salaries offered by the Afghan Government will not induce men of the proper qualifications, including those tentatively selected, to accept the positions, the number which can be provided will probably depend upon the sum available in this country to augment the Afghan salaries. The Department has recently learned that the sum originally promised for this purpose will not be forthcoming and as the Department has been unable thus far to secure definite information as to the amount which may be available, it has been unable to urge final selection of the men desired by the Afghan Government. Efforts are now being made to procure the necessary sum from the President’s Emergency Fund, and a decision as to the amount of [Page 60] money, if any, to be available for the purpose envisaged is expected shortly. If the Bureau of the Budget should not concur in the Department’s recommendation, however, and funds to augment the Afghan salaries should thus not be available, it is possible that no teachers of suitable qualifications will be willing to accept the positions offered.

A somewhat similar situation exists with regard to the engineers, except that no moneys for use on their behalf can be expected from the President’s Emergency Fund, and except that it was ascertained before submission of the latter’s names to the Minister that funds originally promised from another source might not be forthcoming. Accordingly no names of engineers have as yet been placed before the Minister and the matter had not been discussed with him pending the ability of the Department to determine exactly which, if any, engineers might be made available.

The Minister recently informed the Department, however, that he had received a cablegram from his Government instructing him to endeavor to secure the following: “1. One Chief engineer with experience of at least twenty years in hydraulic and irrigation engineering, river control and regulation, and in design and construction of low and high dams of various categories. 2. Two structural engineers, specialists in the design of large canal structures such as syphons, drops, check gates, etc. 3. Four first class surveying engineers.”

No reference was made by the Minister to any desire of his Government to secure engineers of the other types mentioned in your A–8 of March 17 and your 85 of April 20. However as substantial augmentation of the engineers’ salaries is even more essential than is augmentation of the teachers’ salaries if highly qualified men are to be supplied and as it now appears highly unlikely that the necessary funds can be procured from any source, the Department is doubtful that the positions can be filled in the United States. Efforts in that regard are, nevertheless, being continued.

The Department is fully aware of the desirability of sending these men to Afghanistan as a means of strengthening friendly relations between the two countries and has been strenuously endeavoring to make the necessary arrangements since your first suggestion with regard to the matter. Were it not for the difficulties encountered because of the inadequacy by current American standards of the Afghan salaries and the lack of any specific funds available to the Department for the purpose envisaged, the arrangements would long since have been completed at least in so far as possible action by this Government is concerned.

The Minister has been informed that the salaries offered by his Government may not be sufficient to attract men of the desired qualifications and hence that augmentation may be necessary from an [Page 61] American source. He has informally agreed to such change in the contracts as may be necessary in this regard.82 Your suggestion that the men be employed by the United States Office of Education or the Department of Agriculture cannot be followed as existing law is not sufficiently comprehensive to permit civilian employees of this Government to accept pecuniary remuneration from the Government of Afghanistan. Such funds as may be furnished from an American Governmental source must therefore be dispensed as grants in aid.

The Minister has stated that his Government cannot agree to make payment in dollars but he claims that the Bank of Afghanistan will readily arrange for remittance to the United States of any part of the salary when requested by the individual recipient. In view of this statement would original payment in Afghanis or pounds sterling be a satisfactory arrangement in your opinion?

It may be added that the general question of contracts may occasion further difficulty. The Minister has now stated that the contract as submitted with your despatch 184 of May 27 rather than the contract transmitted with your despatch no. 157 of April 2083 will be required for teachers as well as for engineers. The Legal Division of the Department was asked to examine the contract as transmitted with your no. 184 and has informally expressed the opinion that the wording is so unfavorable to the employee and would give the Government of Afghanistan such arbitrary powers in its relations to the employee that the Department should in no circumstances encourage American citizens to sign it. The Department is therefore informing the Minister that it can assist him in procuring the services of Americans only if a new contract is drawn up, and is suggesting that he procure local counsel with a view to providing a contract which would be satisfactory both to the Government of Afghanistan and to such American citizens as might be desirous of securing employment with the Government of Afghanistan.

Hull
  1. Abdol Hosayn Aziz.
  2. Such augmentation of salaries would be made possible by drawing upon funds provided for the Department’s cultural relations program, and apparently before this airgram was sent the approval of the Bureau of the Budget for an expansion of funds was obtained.
  3. Neither printed.