Office of the Historian

347. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rusk to the Chairman of the Policy Planning Council (McGhee)1

Washington, July 22, 1961.

SUBJECT

  • Population Problem
1.
The Policy Planning Council’s paper of June 162 is an excellent presentation of the population problem, although it could use certain filling out at particular points. Nevertheless, I generally agree with the main lines of the presentation.
2.
I am sure that the Policy Planning Council recognizes that the policy issue goes far beyond religious, political and social attitudes in the United States. It would be easy to be naive on this matter. Nor is it helpful to project population curves into “standing room only” on the earth a century or two hence. Both population growth and the development of resources have many variables. The territory of the United States was probably more overpopulated at the time of the landing of the first white man than it has been at any time since. But even today, if one thinks of the Paley Report,3 we would be overpopulated were we not able to suck into our productive system vast resources from other continents. I am also troubled by the question which arises if some nations take action in this field and others do not. A distortion of the make-up of the human race could occur which would not necessarily be in the interest of the American people.
3.
My suggestions with respect to the recommendations are: [Page 773]
1.
Approved, but requires some spelling out.
2.
There should be an officer in IO who gives a good deal of attention to such matters as our backstop for the United Nations Population Commission.
3.
Throwing a lot of money into research programs does not necessarily speed up the right answers. The National Academy of Sciences, with the financial support of the Rockefeller Foundation, has had for thirty years a committee for research on sex which has stimulated basic research on the physiology of reproduction. Similarly, the Population Council in New York is engaging in specific, basic and applied research directly related to population control. My impression is that the bottleneck is not money but ideas. These two organizations might be consulted by S/P to get their assessment of the research situation.
4.
Agree.
5.
I would not agree at this time. In a certain sense, the policy question does not arise because we have no satisfactory answers to provide these other countries. Private organizations which have been working in this field have encountered economic and sociological obstacles which are unlikely to be overcome until present and rather promising research comes up with more effective answers for the individual family. In some countries means are being adopted which would be contrary to our own public policy, such as abortion and sterilization. If foreign governments are interested (and a number of them are), it is relatively easy for them to get “information regarding human reproduction and population problems” without involving AID.
6.
A good idea, but too simply stated. Again, there are private agencies which are working intensively with governments which show an interest in the problem.
7.
It is easy to agree in principle but more difficult to agree about what would be the right and wise thing to say.

Let me conclude with the remark that this is not a problem for which the answers are merely inhibited by religious or political considerations. There are some real problems as to what the right answers are.

Dean Rusk4
  1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Rusk Files: Lot 72 D 192, Chron. File, July 1961. Confidential.↩
  2. Reference is to a report entitled “Foreign Policy Implications of the World Population Explosion.” (Ibid., S/P Files: Lot 67 D 548)↩
  3. Not further identified.↩
  4. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩