134. Memorandum of Conversation0
Washington,
March 9, 1962.
SUBJECT
- Conversation with the President on AID Matters
PARTICIPANTS
- The President
- Mr. Ball
- Mr. Bell
- Mr. Dungan
- Mr. Hamilton
- Mr. Lingle
- Mr. Coffin
- Mr. Gaud
- Dr. Chenery
- Mr. Nicholson
- 1.
- Mr. Hamilton outlined the division of functions among himself, Mr. Lingle and Mr. Coffin1 and introduced Mr. Lingle.
- 2.
- Mr. Lingle made a brief statement about his approach to his new responsibilities in AID. He said that he intended to make it his first job to get the Agency properly staffed and organized. He thought it was important to have a clear understanding from the President as to the nature of the job that AID was supposed to do, particularly in relation to the Alliance for Progress.
- 3.
- The President inquired about the distinction between programs and operations. There were statements by Mr. Coffin, Dr. Chenery and Mr. Lingle to clarify the nature of the programming process and the way in which programs were formulated in a specific case.
- 4.
- The President expressed concern about the way in which AID policies in certain countries would be presented to Congress, particularly for India, Poland, Yugoslavia and Ghana. He suggested that Ambassador Galbraith should testify on the Indian situation. He expressed a desire to discuss the policy in the other countries with Mr. Hamilton and [Page 294] Mr. Hutchinson2 before they testified before the Congressional Committees on this subject.
- 5.
- There was an extensive discussion of the Alliance for Progress and the difficulties in getting it properly organized. Mr. Lingle stressed the need for a clear directive from the President to AID so that responsibility would flow in a direct line through the Office of the Administrator to the Coordinator of the Alliance (and a definition of responsibilities for the Alliance within the Department of State). The President explained his reaction to the chaotic picture that was presented in the previous meeting on the Alliance two weeks ago,3 but agreed with Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Lingle as to the desirability of the Alliance remaining within AID. It was agreed that the Alliance should be visible as a separate entity but not otherwise become a separate agency. The President said that the other AID regional bureaus would have to recognize the special position of Latin America in the AID program at this time and not feel neglected because of the emphasis being put on the Alliance. It was generally agreed that the main problem in getting the Alliance organized was to find a strong deputy for Mr. Moscoso4 who could take over most of the administrative work and leave him free for program decisions, negotiations, and external representation of the Alliance. The possibility of Mr. Nicholson’s5 being available as a Special Assistant to Mr. Hamilton to help organize the Alliance for Progress was discussed.
- 6.
- Mr. Bell outlined his understanding of the way in which the activities of the Export-Import Bank, Food for Peace and other U.S. agencies engaged in foreign assistance should be coordinated by AID. He stated his understanding of the Executive position that the focus of the responsibility to put together the various agencies’ positions in a particular country and coordinate the U.S. action should be the Administrator of AID and the regional Assistant Administrators. The President asked Mr. Ball for comments on this point, and Mr. Ball agreed with the statement made by Mr. Bell. Mr. Bell was asked to prepare a directive which would clarify this relationship.
- Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 286, AID Administrator Files: FRC 65 A 481, White House, FY 1962. Confidential. Drafted by Chenery on March 10 and approved in the White House on April 20. The meeting was held at the White House. Attached to the source text is a note from Easum to Hamilton, March 20, indicating that a draft of the memorandum of conversation had been approved with minor changes by Lingle and Coffin, and Easum initialed clearance for Hamilton on the note. An attached undated memorandum from Battle to Dungan indicates that the memorandum of conversation had also been approved by Ball.↩
- Walter L. Lingle and Frank M. Coffin were Deputy Administrators, AID.↩
- Presumably Edmond C. Hutchinson, Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Europe-Africa, AID.↩
- Reference may be to a February 16 meeting of several senior administration officials with the President on the Alliance for Progress. (Memorandum of conversation, February 16; Department of State, Presidential Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 66 D 149, January-July 62)↩
- Teodoro Moscoso, U.S. Coordinator of the Alliance for Progress.↩
- Presumably James T. Nicholson, member of the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Assistance.↩