Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume XXX, Public Diplomacy

183. Memorandum From the Director of the International Communication Agency (Reinhardt) to the Associate Director for Programs (Schneidman)¹

Washington, September 13, 1979

SUBJECT

• USICA Research Precepts

In response to your memorandum of July 30,² and in light of our previous discussions, the following are the approved Precepts for the Office of Research. They seek to make this activity indispensable to our overall efforts. As you know, my continuing, detailed attention to this subject is born strictly of my conviction as to the importance of research to this Agency and its responsibilities, and my desire to see research perform to its full potential.

I am especially concerned that we not devote our limited staff and financial resources to acquiring any but the most essential knowledge and information.

Ours is a government-financed, practical research need. We will not be satisfied with research results that are simply “interesting”; our research findings must be “indispensable” for specified purposes and end-users. All of our research effort must be geared to providing essential knowledge, otherwise unavailable, on issues of primary policy and/or Agency program concern.

GOALS AND RATIONALE

The objective of USICA research is to acquire essential, usable, reliable knowledge about other societies and the communication process that is otherwise not available, specifically knowledge of:

—The issues and concerns of greatest salience to influential publics in countries and areas of importance to the United States, as well as the attitudes, opinions, and perspectives of these publics on these issues;

—What these publics know—and do not know—about the United States’ perspective and policies on these issues; what aspects of American life, thought, and social and political processes are of interest to them; how accurate their perceptions of U.S. society and policies are; what the important gaps are in their knowledge of U.S. society and policies;

—The relevant communication habits of these publics, in particular what media and other sources they rely on for knowledge and information about issues of primary concern to them and about U.S. society and policies.

The body of knowledge resulting from this line of inquiry will allow us to perform our advisory function, as described in the Executive Order of March 27, 1978, establishing USICA:

“The Director of the International Communication Agency shall be the principal advisor to the President, the National Security Council, and the Secretary of State on international informational, educational, and cultural matters . . . the scope of the Director’s advice shall include assessments of the impact of actual and proposed United States foreign policy decisions on public opinion abroad.”³

Of equal importance, it will inform this Agency’s communication efforts with other societies. It will provide valid, useful direction to field personnel and their support arms in Washington as to the important concerns, attitudes, aspirations, perceptions and misperceptions of those with whom we communicate overseas. This demands research activities which are pinpointed to provide essential information on clearly identified problems of overriding concern.

Special note should be taken of the Office of Research’s responsibility in meeting VOA research needs, which are clearly encompassed by the three above-outlined areas of inquiry. We are especially interested at this time in data which will aid VOA management in improving the quality of the Voice’s “Americana” broadcasts. Better information is sought on aspects of American life, thought and societal development that will both help foreigners to acquire a more accurate understanding of important aspects of American society and be of sufficient interest to them that they will listen. (I emphasize that I envision far more combing of existing literature and surveys in this effort than I do new work.)

OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES

Three basic operational guidelines apply to all Agency research activity:

1. Secondary sources will play a preeminent role in our efforts. They will be culled for relevant insights as the first and, hopefully, principal source in any project. I expect that a major portion of the kind of information we seek already exists in the literature and/or in projects in progress under non-USICA auspices, both here and abroad. Therefore, a major source for the “product” of the Office of Research will be the analysis and interpretation of relevant, extant data and literature. We will purchase extant data, if necessary, rather than undertake to collect it ourselves. Surveys and other contracts will be initiated only after we are satisfied that data essential to our purposes do not already exist. Wherever possible in such instances I expect our research arm to seek opportunities for sharing survey costs with others. A major responsibility is to utilize resources prudently. We will not undertake surveys that are only vaguely “promising.” We must have maximum reasonable assurance of ultimate utility before surveys are undertaken.

2. Envisioned action implications will be clearly identified in each project proposal. These proposals must describe how reliable, useful, and essential information will be supplied on specific subjects or issues of primary concern to precisely defined research consumers within and/or outside of the Agency.

3. Ideally, we would have the capacity to collect and articulate the kind of knowledge described above about all societies. Limited resources, however, require that we focus our attention first on those societies which are both highly important to American interests and most likely to yield the kind of information we seek given the methodologies at our disposal. The following 14 nations will be considered countries of concentration for Agency research during FY 1980: United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, India, Israel, Egypt, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, China, and the Soviet Union. (The latter two countries are included because of their importance, but any research proposals regarding them must conform to the same operational guidelines as proposals for the other 12 countries.) As very important needs and opportunities are identified in countries outside this group, USICA management will entertain proposals for projects elsewhere.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT

The Office of Research has a special responsibility to work with ECA in meeting its research needs. Important questions remain unresolved, however, as to ECA’s precise research needs and PGM/R’s proper role in helping to meet these needs. It is only because of this lack of adequate definition that I have not yet provided for ECA needs in the research goals specified above. The leadership of PGM and PGM/R should proceed immediately to consult with the leadership of ECA to determine what needs must be met, and who should properly meet them, in this area. The joint recommendations of ECA and PGM, together with any differences of view, should be submitted for my review and approval no later than October 15.

PROCEDURES FOR AUTHORIZATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

Because I feel that the work covered by these Precepts is so central to our responsibilities and because, in this initial phase, I want to give direct attention to the proper deployment of our research efforts, all research proposals must be provided by PGM to this office for approval in detail before they are initiated. This includes obtaining prior D approval of the specifics of all projects (questionnaires, methodology, etc.), even when approval has tentatively been given to a research concept.

1. Source: National Archives, RG 306, USIA Historical Collection, Subject Files, 1953–2000, Entry A–1 1066, Box 39, Research, General, 1979–1983. No classification marking.
2. Not found.
3. See footnote 1, Document 121.