Office of the Historian

293. Memorandum From the Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Environmental Affairs (Herter) to Secretary of State Rogers1 2

Washington, March 9 1970.

SUBJECT:

  • First Meeting of the International Standing Committee of the Cabinet Committee on Environment, March 17, Tuesday, 10:30 a.m., Secretary’s Conference Room - ACTION MEMORANDUM

Background

The President has directed the establishment of a Standing Committee within the Cabinet Committee on the Environment under your chairmanship to serve as a focal point for effective United States participation in international consideration and activities concerned with environmental quality. Memorandum 3 of February 2, 1970, from Dr. Lee DuBridge (at Tab B) sets up the membership of the Standing Committee and outlines its responsibilities.

Discussion

You have tentatively set aside an hour at 10:30 am, on Tuesday, March 17, for the first meeting of the Standing Committee. We anticipate from fifteen to twenty attendees.

Your personal participation in this inaugural meeting will be of great assistance in establishing the leadership role of the Department of State in international aspects of environmental activities. The future work of the Committee would be carried out by a group of alternates composed of policy-level designees of the principals under the chairmanship of Christian A. Herter, Jr., your alternate for the activities of this Committee. The parent Committee [Page 2] of Cabinet members would meet only when you personally called a meeting. For an initial period, the group of alternates will meet regularly, beginning in early April.

The March 17 meeting will be devoted to:

(a)
Your opening remarks (talking points at Tab C)
(b)
Status reports on NATO/CCMS, ECE and UN environmental initiatives by Messrs. Moynihan and Herter;
(c)
Brief outline of future Committee activities by Mr. Herter.

Recommendation

That you sign the memoranda to Standing Committee members and invited observers and the letters to Dr. DuBridge and Mr. Moynihan (Tab A) requesting their attendance at the March 17 meeting.

  1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970-73, SCI 41. No classification marking Sent through Pollack (SCI) and Eliot. Drafted by William C. Salmon (SCI/EN) on March 5. Tabs A-C were attached but not published.↩
  2. Herter briefed Rogers on the first meeting of the Standing Committee within the Cabinet Committee on the Environment.↩