Foreign Relations of the United States, 1917–1972, Volume VII, Public Diplomacy, 1964–1968

126. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs (Frankel) to Secretary of State Rusk¹

Washington, January 19, 1967

SUBJECT

• Meeting of January 20 with trustees of Education and World Affairs—BRIEFING MEMORANDUM²

I understand that you are to meet on Friday, January 20,³ with a group of trustees of Education and World Affairs⁴ to discuss relations between the Administration and the academic community. After your meeting, in which Secretary McNamara and Walt Rostow will join you, the EWA representatives will have a meeting with the President.

It occurs to me that the following “talking points” may be useful both for your meeting and for that with the President. They affect long-range matters,⁵ rather than the immediacies of policy such as Viet Nam, student protests, etc. I mention them because, as a consultant, I drew up the first broad policy and program statement for EWA after its formation, and I believe I know the sorts of special issues that are on the EWA trustees’ minds.⁶

Talking Points⁷

1. One major source of tension between government and the academic world comes from the contract procedures and ad hoc grant arrangements through which government has secured the services of universities and individual academics.⁸ The universities have felt that government has depleted their resources or distorted their programs without taking compensatory steps to strengthen the universities.⁹

This administration has been extremely conscious of this problem, and has taken steps to deal with it.¹⁰ Thus:

a. John Gardner’s recommendations to David Bell on AID and the Universities¹¹ have almost all been adopted by AID.

b. The International Education Act provides for long-term back-up support to universities that should allow them to build international activities into their own institutional structure and programs.¹²

c. The new Center for Educational Cooperation in HEW will be advised by an Advisory Committee that should provide for constant and intimate liaison¹³ between Government and the educational community.

d. The President has directed that a new corps of Education Officers,¹⁴ representative of the educational community, be created.

2. Academics have complained that they are called upon to do jobs to implement government policy, but they are not part of the planning and consultative process that leads to the development of policy.¹⁵

Measures like those mentioned above¹⁶ are designed to remedy this state of affairs.

In addition, we in State (CU) have changed procedures with regard to the development of our plans and programs in the field of educational exchange. We have created advisory teams of scholars,¹⁷ whose members are nominated by the major U.S. learned societies. These teams meet with counterpart teams in foreign countries, and are now engaged in recommending coherent 5-year programs for exchanges,¹⁸ based on a review of the educational needs of the U.S. and the country concerned. Each team works in a specific country. We now have about ten of these teams in operation or active formation.¹⁹ More will follow.

3. Another set of difficulties have been caused by worries about CIA influence, classified research, etc.²⁰ These are very complex issues, but, as the representative of State, I have convened meetings with important representatives of the academic community and had a number of candid and useful exchanges of views.²¹ The academic community itself is not of one mind on these matters.²² I have indicated to them that they themselves would do well to discuss these matters systematically and dispassionately, and see whether, through their organizations, they have any definite advice to give the Administration.

4. Special difficulties have been caused by reductions in the budget for exchange activities.²³ The absence of appropriations to support the new International Education Act has also aroused concern.²⁴ These events would create problems under any circumstances. They cause special problems now because the President has made statements, and announced the initiation of programs, which have caught the imagination of many leaders of the university world. The let-down is all the greater when there is no follow-up.²⁵

Whatever Congress may do, I think the President would be well advised to promise his strong personal support for these programs. This would do much to demonstrate the importance he attaches to educational and intellectual matters. It would also help a bit to alleviate anxieties about Viet Nam if these programs, which comparatively cost so little, were also strongly supported.

1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Files, Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs Subject Files, 1966–1967, Lot 70D190, Entry UD UP 176, Box 17, East-West Center—House Appropriations Committee Investigation EDR. Limited Official Use. Sent through S/S. Rusk initialed the top right-hand corner of the memorandum.
2. An unknown hand underlined the subject line.
3. Secretary Rusk, along with McNamara, Rostow, and Linowitz, met with the trustees of Education and World Affairs at the White House beginning at 10:30 a.m. on January 20. (Johnson Library, Dean Rusk Appointment Books, 1967) President Johnson, along with Cater, joined the meeting from 11:53 a.m. to 12:11 p.m. The trustees were Herman B. Wells, Chancellor of Indiana University; T. Keith Glennan, President of Associated Industries, Inc.; John A. Hannah, President of Michigan State University; William W. Marvel, President of Education and World Affairs; Frederick Seitz, President of the National Academy of Science; and Logan Wilson, President of the American Council on Education. (Johnson Library, President’s Daily Diary)
4. Education and World Affairs was a nonprofit educational foundation established in 1962 through funding from the Ford Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation. For additional information, see Theodore M. Vestal, International Education: Its History and Promise for Today (Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers: 1994), p. 24; “AID—The University’s Role,” New York Times, February 13, 1966, p. 175.
5. An unknown hand underlined from “following” to “matters.”
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7. An unknown hand underlined “Talking Points.”
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9. An unknown hand underlined from “universities” through the end of the paragraph.
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11. The recommendations from Gardner to Bell have not been further identified. An unknown hand underlined “a.” and “Gardner’s recommendations to David Bell on AID and the Universities.”
12. An unknown hand underlined “International Education Act” and “long-term back up support to universities.”
13. An unknown hand underlined “Center for Educational Cooperation in HEW” and “should provide for constant and intimate liaison.”
14. An unknown hand underlined “new corps of Education officers.” The President proposed this in his February 2, 1966, address to Congress, see footnote 3, Document 89.
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16. An unknown hand underlined “Measures like those mentioned above.”
17. An unknown hand underlined the first sentence through “scholars” in the following sentence.
18. An unknown hand underlined “engaged in recommending coherent 5-year programs for exchanges.”
19. An unknown hand underlined “about ten of these teams in operation or active formation.”
20. An unknown hand underlined “worries about CIA influence, classified research, etc.”
21. An unknown hand underlined “as the representative of State, I have convened meetings with important representatives of the academic community and had a number of candid and useful exchanges of views.”
22. An unknown hand underlined “academic community is not of one mind.”
23. An unknown hand underlined “reductions in the budget for exchange activities.”
24. An unknown hand underlined “absence of appropriations to support the new International Exchange Act has also aroused concern.”
25. An unknown hand underlined “special problems now because the President has made statements, and announced the initiation of programs, which has caught the imagination of many leaders of the university world” and the following sentence.