Now, a quarter of a century later, the situation is very different.

Our relations with the Soviet Union, the Peoples Republic of China, and the other communist nations have changed significantly. The colonies that constituted much of Africa and Asia have become emerging and important nations. The relationships between the United States and other nations of the world have become increasingly interdependent. To be sure, we still seek to protect our interests and to present our point of view to the rest of the world, but more and more, we must build bridges between our people and the. peoples of other nations. In the President's words, "Only by knowing and understanding each other's experiences can we find common ground on which we can examine and resolve our differences." This change in the world and our view of it has lead us to conclude that we have far more to gain by fostering and encouraging the interchange of information and experiences between all aspects of our society and all aspects of other societies than by engaging in a one-way propaganda exercise to sell a monolithic, rosy view of the United States.

The mission of the Agency for International Communication will thus be twofold:

To tell the world about our society, including our
policies, in a manner that demonstrates the diversity
of experience and opinion within this country and our
commitment to free speech.

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To learn about the other peoples and nations of the
world, so as to enrich our own culture and enable
ourselves to address more effectively the problems
that may arise among nations.

Several additional principles underlying this Plan
They were

are closely related to the idea of mutuality.
emphasized in the President's message and I restate them

here:

The nonpolitical character of the educational and
cultural exchange programs must and will be maintained.
The independent Board of Foreign Scholarships, which
is selected by the President and which in turn selects
those who will participate in the academic exchange
program, will be retained. The leadership of the Board
has been one of the major reasons for the high quality
and distinguished reputation of the educational ex-
change program. In addition, the President has in-
dicated his intention to nominate an Associate Director
one of four in the new agency who will be respon-
sible for the educational and cultural programs.

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The news gathering and reporting functions of the Voice of America must and will be independent and objective, and VOA will be solely responsible for the content of its news broadcasts. The VOA charter, which Congress enacted into law last year, provides that "VOA news

will be accurate, objective, and comprehensive;/
that VOA will present U. S. Policies "clearly and
effectively, and will also present responsible dis-
cussion on these policies"; and that VOA will "present
a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant
American thought and institutions." This reorganization
does not alter that charter in any way. It reaffirms
in particular the charter's guarantee of news indepen-
dence. As is the case with regard to the educational
and cultural exchange programs, the President has in-
dicated his intention to nominate an Associate

Director of the new agency who will be responsible for

the VOA.

Let me address briefly the functions that are transferred to the Director of the new agency by section 7 of the Plan: Section 7 (a) (1) transfers the functions vested in the

United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, commonly referred to as the Smith-Mundt Act (22 U.S.C. 14311479). This statute constitutes the basic authority under which USIA operates, though State has retained responsibility for some of the functions. Paragraph (1) retains in the President his existing authority to regulate representation allowances, to approve the use of the services, facilities and personnel of other Government agencies in carrying out this Act, and to

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appoint members and a chairperson of the advisory commission. Section 7 (a) (9) transfers functions under the Smith-Mundt Act that were vested in the Director of USIA by Reorganization Plan No. 8 of 1953 (22 U. S. C. 1461 note).

Section 7 (a) (2) transfers the functions under the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, commonly known as the Fulbright-Hays Act (22 U. S. C. 2451-2458a). Those functions not delegated by paragraph (2) relate to programs not within USIA or the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, or to functions retained by the President or the Secretary of State, or to support functions for HEW programs.

Section 7(a)(3) transfers USIA's basic personnel authority, Public Law 90-494 (22 U. S. C. 929-932, 1221-1234), to the new agency, and section 7 (a) (4) places the new agency in the same position as that of State and USIA in the Foreign Service grievance machinery (22 U. S. C. 922(3), 1037a(1), and 1063(a) (4)).

Section 7 (a) (7) transfers the funding authority for the East-West Center to the new agency (22 U. S. C. 2054-2057).

Section 7 (a) (8) transfers to the Director existing functions of the Secretary of State relating to visas for

individuals participating in educational and cultural exchange programs (8 U. S. C. 1101 (a) (15) (J) and 1182 (e)).

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The remaining provisions of section 7 transfer additional

minor functions, including memberships of the Secretary of Defense on various boards and commissions relating to educational

and cultural affairs.

Section 9 of the Plan abolishes the U. S. Information Agency, the existing advisory commissions to the USIA and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (which are combined into a new advisory commission by section 8 of the Plan), the inactive Advisory Committee on the Arts, and one of the 13 offices of Assistant Secretary of State. Various functions of these two commissions that were not included in the new commission are abolished by section 9 (a) (5). These are the requirement of quarterly reporting to the Secretary of State and semiannual reporting to the Congress (replaced by reports to the Congress, the President, the Secretary and the Director annually and whenever else the commission wishes to report) and the requirement that not more than three members of the Advisory Commission on Information be of the same political party (replaced by a provision for nonpartisan appointment, as is now the case for the Advisory Commission on International Educational and Cultural Affairs). Since State will no longer conduct educational and cultural programs, the

Secretary's authority to transport the bodies of individuals who die while away from home participating in such activities is abolished by section 9 (a) (7). Finally, various obsolete or