Office of the Historian

329. Memorandum From the Director of the International Development Cooperation Agency (Ehrlich) to the Deputy Secretary of State (Christopher)1

Washington, January 7, 1980

SUBJECT

  • NSC Ad Hoc Committee on Population

Chris—2

As you know, we are trying to put into practical effect the President’s instruction that IDCA serve as principal coordinator and source of guidance on development policy and programs.3 In terms of specific sectors, we are concentrating particularly on agriculture, energy, population, and health.

To ensure inter-agency communication and collaboration in each of these sectors, my preference is to use the Development Coordination Committee. In the population area, however, the NSC Ad Hoc Committee on population already exists—chaired for the past few years by the State Department’s Coordinator for Population Affairs. Under the leadership of Dick Benedick, it proposes now to take a major look at U.S. population policy particularly concerning the third world, in preparation for its next annual report.

Rather than establish a separate DCC subcommittee on population alongside the NSC Committee or suggest the abolition of the NSC group, I suggest that IDCA co-chair the NSC Committee and that the Committee give the DCC full benefit of its findings. That way we can build on the useful work the Committee has done while fulfilling IDCA’s responsibility to the President. I have discussed this with NSC staff, who concur. Please let me know if this approach causes you any concern.

Tom
  1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Office of the Deputy Secretary—Records of Warren Christopher, 1977–1980, Lot 81D113, Box 10, Memos to WC from Agencies—1980. No classification marking.↩
  2. Ehrlich handwrote this salutation.↩
  3. See footnote 6, Document 328.↩