Mr. BROWNSON. Dr. Johnson, in view of the importance of foreign popular reactions and attitudes to the United States foreign and security policies, what reports will be made by USIA to the Defense Department and to the Congress? Dr. JOHNSON. Well, in the first place, we will make any reports that Congress would like to have us make. I feel very strongly, and I told this to Senator Mundt the first week I was here, that I would like a committee of people in the Congress who were interested in our program to meet with me every month, if possible, and give me their views and advice and help. I want to work with the Congress. He suggested a few people that were particularly interested-Congressman Judd was one of them, and Congressman Kersten-and we have had a few little luncheons already. I would like some day to have that formulated so I will have a continuing bipartisan group to meet with us. This is a big problem, and I really feel that unless we do a topnotch job in this agency, whether it is in the State Department or out, we will be in the third world war in 3 years. Mr. BROWNSON. Well, I think, Dr. Johnson, that one of the greatest difficulties in the past has been not only many instances of questionable behavior on the part of our information service, but also the fact that they didn't keep Congress properly informed of what they were doing. I think there has been an area of misunderstanding together with the difficulties that have arisen Dr. JOHNSON. I think so, too. Mr. BROWNSON. Which have proved in many cases that Congress was right in its suspicions of some of the activities. Dr. JOHNSON. That is right. Mr. MERSON. Mr. Chairman, it is apropos at this point to mention that one of the early suggestions which Dr. Johnson made in the informal discussions with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was a request that if it could be done we would like very much to have a joint select committee of both Houses similar to that which the Atomic Energy Commission enjoys. We would like very much to meet regularly with such a general committee and keep them advised of our activity and our plans for the future. Mr. BROWNSON. Will any of your training programs, Dr. Johnson, be handled by the State Department or the Department of Defense, FOA, or the Board of Psychological Warfare, and so forth? Dr. JOHNSON. In the training of people? Mr. BROWNSON. In the training of personnel; yes, sir. Dr. JOHNSON. We are studying the whole area. If it can be done by the State Department or any other department on the basis of our paying for it, better than we can originate our own program economically, we are eager to do it. I might say I have been here only 312 months, and it is such a big picture, and that is one of the areas we haven't gotten into very much. I know it isn't fair to our country to send people abroad without better training than we have given them in the past and expect results, so that whole subject is being reviewed right now. Mr. BENDER. When I was in Europe and Africa I was depressed by the fact that a good many Americans sport big cars and put on a big show, and I am wondering, from that standpoint, if we couldn't create better public relations by displaying greater modesty, and emphasizing the phase of American life that is real in this country and not that Dr. JOHNSON. Pretense. I agree very strongly, and I think it is not only bad that we have had so many officials running around Europe in big cars, but the tourists don't behave too well. I have been mortified occasionally. Mr. BENDER. If there is some way of doing something about that Dr. JOHNSON. I have been trying to find out if Mrs. Shipley would permit a booklet to be sent out with every passport. I found she wouldn't permit it. I think it would be well if we could get out a booklet, a guidebook-Opportunities To Make Friends for America; Do You Realize You Yourself Are an Ambassador? We are probably sending 3 million people abroad as tourists, and if each person made only 2 friends for America that would be a total of 6 million. Mr. BENDER. This morning one of the best singing societies in my district left Cleveland for Europe. We have had a most trying experience to make arrangements for this group, traveling at their own expense, to appear before Europeans as good-will ambassadors. Why should it be so difficult for young people coming from average American homes to get the people of Europe and other parts of the world to see us at our best and to get a taste of American culture which is entirely foreign to them? Dr. JOHNSON. I am sorry to hear that, and I will brag a little bit now. The Temple University choir has been selected as the outstanding university choir in the United States by UNESCO, and we are going abroad next week. They have 5 or 6 colored people, some Jewish people, and so forth, and I think it is going to do us much good because the Europeans will see with what harmony they work together. It is wonderful, but these Cadillac classes Mr. BROWNSON. Sort of following up the trail that was blazed by the Purdue Glee Club. Dr. JOHNSON. That is right. Mr. BROWNSON. Doctor, I am anxious to get these 2 or 3 questions in the open hearing, and then we will go into executive session. The Voice of America is regarded in some countries as handling propaganda as such and has been so labeled. When we begin MSĂ and TCA information programs together with our Voice of America and our press and publication programs, do you feel that will have any serious effect on TCA's and MSA's representations or the publicinformation programs? Dr. JOHNSON. I wouldn't think so, sir, particularly if we continue to do what I am doing now, which is more or less the technique of telling the news, and commentaries, and so forth. I think, as a matter of fact, it might give broader appreciation of what we are doing in our Point 4 and these other programs. Mr. RIEHLMAN. I just asked the chairman how much longer we are going to continue. I think he has only two more questions to ask of the doctor and then we will go into executive session. Mr. BROWNSON. Dr. Johnson, on pages 7 and 8 of your prepared statement you have outlined the new personnel system. After reading pages 7 and 8 of the prepared statement it appears to me you will have essentially the same basic system as the Department of State, with some minor changes, which looks to me as if it might complicate rather than streamline your personnel system. Now, will you have one of your staff members prepare for us for inclusion in the record at this point a little more detailed discussion of this personnel system and your reasoning Dr. JOHNSON. I would be delighted to. Mr. BROWNSON. And your reasoning behind it, so we may have that explained in a little more detail. I realize it is a technical subject. Dr. JOHNSON. How much time do we have to prepare that? Mr. BROWNSON. I would like to have it tomorrow night, if we can. Dr. JOHNSON. Mr. Clark, do you want to take that? Mr. CLARK. Yes. Dr. JOHNSON. He made more or less of a study of that. Mr. BROWNSON. That is what I figured. (The information above referred to is as follows:) STATEMENT OF DR. JOHNSON REGARDING PLANS FOR THE PERSONNEL OPERATIONS OF THE NEW INFORMATION AGENCY As indicated in my prepared statement, there are two basic personnel systems in use in the Department of State and applicable to the present International Information Administration-the civil-service system for employees in the United States, and the Foreign Service system for overseas employees. References to "using the same basic personnel systems" for the new Information Agency were intended in the technical-legal sense, inasmuch as the personnel systems of any new agency created by action under the reorganization act must be based on existing legislative authority. The civil-service laws are the legal authority currently used for personnel operations relating to Department of State employees in the United States in the information program. Therefore, it is planned that the domestic personnel operations of the Information Agency will be administered under the authorities of the civil-service laws. The Foreign Service Act of 1946, as amended, is the legal authority currently used for personnel operations relating to the Department of State employees overseas in the information program. Therefore, it is planned that the overseas personnel operations of the Information Agency will be administered under the authorities of the Foreign Service Act. As stated in the President's message on the reorganizations, in accomplishing this the authorities of the Secretary of State under the Foreign Service Act, with the minor exceptions noted in my prepared statement, will be made available to the Director of the Information Agency to enable the Director to operate a separate overseas, personnel program with respect to Foreign Service reserve, staff, and alien personnel in the Information Agency. In a strictly technical and legal sense, therefore, there is no change in the basic personnel systems to be provided to the new Agency. The significant difference is not a change in systems, but is the fact that, as head of a separate agency, the Director will be enabled to exercise these personnel authorities himself in the direction and supervision of the Agency's personnel operations. In the Department of State, all technical personnel authorities with respect to information-program employees as well as all other employees, both domestic and overseas, are exercised by the central office of personnel under the general direction of the Department's Under Secretary for Administration. The International Information Administration operates as only one of many components of the Department, and its Administrator has no authorities to determine, administer, or accomplish personnel action. He is limited to requesting or recommending that the central Personnel Office take certain actions; and then, at that point, he loses command control of the personnel processes, must rely on channels outside his direction for the accomplishment of action, and must abide by regulations applicable to the worldwide Foreign Service program even if such regulations are not always most advantageous for the information program. In contrast to this current lack of personnel authority that exists for the Administrator of the International Information Administration in the Deparment, the Director of the new Information Agency would have under his com mand control a personnel office responsible directly to him for personnel action. In an operational sense as distinguished from the legal connotation, the Director of the new Agency would therefore have a personnel system considerably more streamlined and more immediately responsive to the needs of the information program because it would be concerned with and adapted to personnel operations for the information function only. The Director would no longer have to operate within the limitations of the present personnel system that must serve all activities of the Department of State at home and abroad. Within the legal framework of the civil service system and the Foreign Service system, the Director of the Information Agency will be able to accomplish direct, decisive, and prompt action to appoint, transfer, promote, and separate personnel and to take all other necessary personnel action to meet the specific requirements of the information program. The Department of State and the Information Agency will independently administer their respective personnel programs, but both will use the same basic statutes as their legal authorities. If the Director of the Information Agency had to recommend action to the Secretary of State in order to employ civil service personnel and Foreign Service personnel for the information function, he would be deprived of executive control over his major resource-manpower-for the successful conduct of the Information Agency. I am convinced that such a procedure would prove completely unworkable both for the Secretary of State and for the Director of the new Agency. I am further convinced that, as a separate agency, the information function must be provided with the legal mechanism for establishing a sound and effective and separate personnel program, and that the personnel effort must be under the control of the Director of that Agency so that it may be responsive in its entirety to the specific requirements of the information function. Mr. CLARK. Mr. Chairman, on that point, handling the highly complicated problems of personnel demonstrates the advantages of a new agency-to have its own personnel system. Mr. BROWNSON. We were a little worried about your interrelationship with foreign service, how that is going to work, and whether or not it is going to be a clean-cut division or whether or not it is going to muddy the waters. Mr. CLARK. The personnel problem is one of the basic reasons for setting up the agency. Mr. BROWNSON. On page 6 of your prepared statement you say the information agency structure will parallel the structure of the State Department and similar provision will be made to facilitate coordination with the FOA. Does this mean that the organization structures of USIA and the Department of State and FOA will be divided about the same as to regional bureaus and functional bureaus and that type of thing? Dr. JOHNSON. That is right. We have to have a man particularly interested in Europe and one for the Near East and one for the Far East, and each will be in very close touch with his opposite number in the State Department. Mr. BROWNSON. As long as you don't form a committee out of the three of them, I think it will work. Dr. JOHNSON. Don't worry. Mr. BROWNSON. Those are all of the questions we have for the open session, and it is the plan of the chairman to go into executive session. very briefly with Dr. Johnson, and then we have two brief statements from the Bureau of the Budget, which will conclude the hearings. On the record at this time I want to thank you very much, Dr. Johnson, for coming here, and thank you for the frankness and candor and information you and your associates have given us. We appreciate it. Dr. JOHNSON. Thank you. It has been a great pleasure to meet with you. Mr. BROWNSON. Our witness for the few brief remaining questions on this series of hearings will be Mr. Finan of the Bureau of the Budget. Will you give your full name and title for the record, please? STATEMENT OF WILLIAM F. FINAN, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION, BUREAU OF THE BUDGET Mr. FINAN. William F. Finan. I am the Assistant Director for Management and Organization of the Bureau of the Budget. Mr. BROWNSON. There has been a great deal of interest on the part of several of the commitee members and many of our colleagues in the House as to the question of whether or not Reorganization Plans 7 and 8 extend the life of such agencies which were conceived as temporary agencies as, for instance, the Mutual Security Administration in any form, or any of the other agencies involved. What would be your comment from the standpoint of the Bureau of the Budget? (The attached table is submitted by the International Information Administration, Department of State, at the request of Mr. Lantaff, member of the Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives, for insertion as an appendix to the testimony given by Dr. Robert L. Johnson, Administrator of the IIA, before the committee on June 24, 1953.) |