Page images
PDF
EPUB

now goes some years back and I think the situation is still the same, the commercial service is given low priority within the Foreign Service. There are not many senior positions set aside for the commercial function in an embassy.

When I was in Government, we had a commercial counsellor in only four embassies in the world-one in Tokyo, one in Germany, one in England, and one in some other developed country. They were the four most senior commercial positions.

A counsellor is under a minister in rank in an embassy. So that, I think, is an indication of the seriousness given to the commercial function.

The commercial service did not offer much of a ladder to climb. There were very few slots at the top of the ladder once you got there. So it was not a viable option, really, for a Foreign Service officer who wanted to achieve a senior rank and a senior position within the Foreign Service.

I would hope that by establishing a separate commercial service, the function would be upgraded. And in upgrading the function, the GS level of the function will also be increased so that there will be many more senior positions available for people. This will encourage people to go into that service in the Commerce Department.

Mr. ERLENBORN. Do you see this as a rung in the career ladder of people who are in the Commerce Department? Or, is it more likely to become a nice way to spend a couple of years overseas for someone who has been in the Commerce Department in Washington and intends to come back here and continue his career. A kind of interlude?

Mr. MCNEILL. I would hope that they do not structure it that way. I would hope that they would structure it where they would indeed have some assignments, as Foreign Service officers do.

Mr. ERLENBORN. Do they think of this as sort of a separate foreign service career within the Commerce Department?

Mr. MCNEILL. Yes, sir.

Mr. ERLENBORN. And how many positions do you think there will be? Mr. MCNEILL. I have no idea.

Mr. ERLENBORN. I think the estimate is something like 160 to begin with.

Mr. MCNEILL. That sounds about right. That would not include local nationals employed in the commercial office of an embassy. That would be U.S. personnel.

Mr. ERLENBORN. Is it viable to have a separate career service of that size?

Mr. MCNEILL. It is a good start.

I don't know how many the Foreign Agricultural Service has, but it is that that I would hope the Commerce service would be patterned after.

Mr. ERLENBORN. Is there a separate career service apart from the Department of Agriculture?

Mr. MCNEILL. It is within the Department of Agriculture.

Mr. ERLENBORN. I mean the people. Do they move from the Department of Agriculture into the Foreign Agricultural Service and then back again?

Mr. MCNEILL. Yes, sir.

T

l

I

Mr. ERLENBORN. Rather than making a career out of FAS.

Mr. MCNEILL. The Department of Agriculture has an international side. It is within that international side that people will serve both domestically and abroad, as an agricultural attaché when abroad and as a foreign agricultural international specialist when at home. Mr. ERLENBORN. Again, I will say that I have reservations about that.

I have heard some criticism of our already existing system where there are too many people who really work for somebody other than the State Department and who are within our embassies. Our ambassadors find it a bit difficult to manage with so many independent people under their wing.

Mr. MCNEILL. Yes. I have friends who are ambassadors who are still trying to find out who on their own staff are the CIA people. [Laughter.]

Mr. ERLENBORN. That's right.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you, Mr. McNeill.

Mr. BROOKS. I want to thank you very much. We appreciate your testimony.

Mr. MCNEILL. Thank you, sir.

Mr. BROOKS. Our next witness is Mr. Ronald Shelp. Mr. Shelp is vice president and director of the American International Underwriters, a New York-based insurance company with operations in the United States, Canada, and 135 foreign countries and jurisdictions.

He previously served as the executive secretary and chief executive officer of the Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America and is executive secretary of the International Insurance Advisory Council of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and trustee of the Pan American Development Foundation. He is a director of the Public Affairs Council, a member of the Advisory Board of the Council of Americas, and a member of the Foreign Policy Association in the Carnegie Center for Transnational Studies.

He appears today in his capacity as chairman of the International Service Industry Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. ERLENBORN. Mr. Chairman, we have a recorded vote on the floor. Mr. BROOKS. We will proceed with your statement as soon as we make that vote, Mr. Shelp.

[Recess taken.]

Mr. BROOKS. The subcommittee will come back to order.
The gentleman is recognized.

STATEMENT OF RONALD K. SHELP, CHAIRMAN, INTERNATIONAL
SERVICE INDUSTRY COMMITTEE, U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE;
ACCOMPANIED BY GORDON J. CLONEY, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

Mr. SHELP. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

After that very gracious introduction and the whole committee then walked out, I didn't quite know what to think, but I will proceed. [Laughter.]

With me is Gordon Cloney who is the executive secretary of the International Service Industry Committee.

The committee represents a broad spectrum of all those U.S. service industries who operate in international markets, ranging from transportation services to consulting firms, financial firms, advertising, and so forth.

With your permission, I would like to attach a list of the committee members, so you will have an indication of who we represent. Mr. BROOKS. Without objection, it is so ordered.

[The material follows:]

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[graphic]
[blocks in formation]

Hugh Donaghue
Vice President

Control Data Corporation

901 So. Highland Street Arlington, Virginia (703) 979-3532

Thomas Fain

President

American Institute of Marine

Underwriters

14 Wall Street

New York, New York 10005

(212) 233-0550

Harry Freeman

Senior Vice President

American Express Company

125 Broad Street

American Express Plaza, 39th Floor

New York, New York

(212) 480-3650.

James Gaffigan

Assistant Washington Representative American Hotel & Motel Association

1101 Connecticut Avenue, N. W.

Washington, D. C. 20036 (202) 223-6872

Lloyd Hackler

President

American Retail Federation

1616 H Street, N. W.

Washington, D. C. 20006

(202) 783-7971

Frederick K. Howard

Counsel

Johnson & Higgins

95 Wall Street

New York, New York

New York, New York 10004

(212) 747-6200

Royce Diener

President & Chief Executive Officer

American Medical International, Inc. 414 North Camden Drive

Beverly Hills, California (213) 278-6200

John D. Doherty, Jr. Second Vice President The Chase Manhattan Bank 900 17th Street, N. W. Room 706

Washington, D. C. 20006 (202) 833-1070

(212) 482-2000

Martin Hummel

Executive Vice President

S. S. C. & B.

One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza New York, New York 10017 (212) 644-5000

« PreviousContinue »