Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XXXVIII, Part 2, Organization and Management of Foreign Policy; Public Diplomacy, 1973–1976

99. Memorandum From the Chairman of the National Security Council Under Secretaries Subcommittee on International Exchanges (Richardson) to the Chairman of the National Security Council Under Secretaries Committee (Ingersoll) and the Executive Chairman of the National Security Council Interdepartmental Group for Inter-American Affairs (Rogers)¹

Washington, November 26, 1974.

Latin American Initiatives: Review of Cultural and Exchange Activities

To give reality to Secretary Kissinger’s goal of an inter-American dialogue which will go beyond government officials, and “involve our peoples, catching their imagination and liberating their abilities,”² the Subcommittee (of the Under Secretaries Committee) on International Exchange has reviewed the programs of the principal agencies of the Federal Government active in this field in Latin America. The results of this interagency review are presented in the attached report.³ The Subcommittee, after discussion, also recommended to its member agencies the concrete additions and adaptations to USG educational, cultural, and exchange activities related to Latin America which are set forth in the recommendations memorandum, also attached.⁴

The Subcommittee prepared this report and these recommendations in the cultural and exchange field as a contribution to the overall Latin American policy review now being conducted in support of The Secretary of State’s initiatives for that region.

In a separate communication to Mr. Ingersoll, the Subcommittee discusses several additional steps which it believes would also further the Secretary’s goals in Latin America, but which would probably necessitate shifting funding and staff resources toward Latin America from other parts of the world. These proposals are being dealt with separately because several agency representatives believed that, before the Subcommittee made recommendations with that type of consequence to its member agencies, clarification was required from a higher policy level that such inter-regional shifts in favor of Latin America are in fact called for by current global foreign policy.⁵

The Subcommittee has requested its staff to remain in communication with its constituent agencies about implementation of the recommendations presented here, and to report back to the Subcommittee in February of 1975 on which recomendations are being carried out, which ones are not proving feasible, and on the conclusions which can be drawn from the pattern that emerges. As needed, we will inform you further of developments in this field.

1. Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 59, Records of the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Subject Files, 1960–1976: Lot 78 D 184, Latin American Initiatives (NSDM 143), 1974. No classification marking.
2. Kissinger stated a desire to establish a “new dialogue” among “our peoples” in his February 21 address before the Conference of Tlatelolco. The address is Document 28, Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, vol. XXXVIII, Part 1, Foundations of Foreign Policy, 1973–1976.
3. Not found attached.
4. Attached but not printed.
5. Richardson’s November 26 memorandum conveying the recommendations to Ingersoll is in the Washington National Records Center, RG 59, Records of the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Subject Files, 1960–1976: Lot 78 D 184, Latin American Initiatives (NSDM 143), 1974.