THE NEED FOR A FOREIGN SERVICE ACADEMY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP61-00357R000100150002-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 1, 2013
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: March 5, 1959
• Content Type: MISC

Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/08/01 : CIA-RDP61-00357R000100150002-3
House of Representatives
The House met at 12 o'clock noon.
Rabbi Isadore Gruen, Haym Salomon
Synagogue and Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.,
offered the following prayer:
Our Father, sovereign of the universe,
as we gather here this day to perform
the sacred tasks of government, we
humbly invoke Thy blessing. Grant Thy
guidance and inspiration unto those who
are charged with the great responsibility
of directing the affairs of our Nation.
May Thy holy spirit dwell richly within
them, as they work for freedom, justice,
and peace. Continue to imbue them with
wisdom, courage, and strength, so that
their deliberations, when translated into
action, reflect well upon our country and
help achieve the noble principles upon
which this Nation is founded.
Almighty God, bless all the inhabitants
of our land. Unite them for goodness
and peace, so that' by virtue of their
working together in brotherhood, the
United States of America will remain a
great citadel of freedom from which light
and hope shall be sent forth to those liv-
ing in darkness and despair.
Gracious God, may the biblical ideals
of liberty, justice, and equality, enshrined
in the American Constitution, become the
heritage of all the peoples of the earth.
May this be Thy will. Amen.
THE JOURNAL
The Journal of the proceedings of yes-
terday was read and approved.
COMMITTEE ON RULES
Mr. McCORMACK. Mr. Speaker,
ask unanimous consent that the Com-
mittee on Rules may have until midnight
tonight to file certain privileged resolu-
tions.
The SPEAKER. Without objection, it
is so ordered.
There was no objection.
JOINT MEETING TO RECEIVE THE
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF
EL SALVADOR
Mr. McCORMACK. Mr. Speaker, I
ask unanimous consent that it may be in
order at any time on Wednesday, March
11, 1959, for the Speaker to declare a
recess for the purpose of receiving in
joint meeting the President of the Re-
public of El Salvador.
The SPEAKER. Without objection, it
is so ordered.
There was no objection.
ADJOURNMENT UNTIL MONDAY
NEXT
Mr. McCORMACK. Mr. Speaker, I
ask unanimous consent that when the
THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 1959
House adjourns today it adjourn to meet
on Monday next.
The SPEAKER. Without objection, it
is so ordered. ?
There was no objection.
DISPENSING WITH CALENDAR
WEDNESDAY
Mr. McCORMACK. Mr. Speaker, I
ask unanimous consent that the call of
the Calendar on Wednesday next be dis-
pensed with.
The SPEAKER. Without objection, it
Is so ordered.
There was no objection.
VACATING SPECIAL ORDER
Mr. DAVIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker,
I ask unanimous consent that the special
order granted me for today be vacated.
The SPEAKER. Without objection, it
is so ordered.
There was no objection.
UNWARRANTED ATTACKs,
(Mr. DAVIS of Georgia asked an was
given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. DAVIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker,
I noticed an attack upon me in today's
Washington Post.
Mr. Speaker, it is almost as great a
compliment to be attacked by the
notoriously radical Washington Post as
it iattye a tacked by the Daily Worker.
THE NEED FOR A FOREIGN SERVICE
ACADEMY
(Mr. RODIN? asked and was given
permission to extend his remarks at this
point in the RECORD.)
Mr. RODIN?. Mr. Speaker, I re-
cently have introduced a bill (H.R. 417)
to provide for the establishment of a
United States Foreign Service Academy
similar to the academies operated by the
Army, the Navy, and the Air Force.
I believe that this bill incorporates a
built-in solution to a two-fold current
problem. The establishment of a For-
eign Service Academy would both pro-
vide the Foreign Service with an espe-
cially excellent source of qualified
candidates and also insure the effective
training and education of the prospec-
tive officers in the languages and cul-
tures of the areas of assignment as well
as in the necessary functional skills.
My bill provides for the establishment
of a Foreign Service Academy in or near
the District of Columbia under the
supervision of the Department of State.
The Secretary of State would prescribe
a course of instruction and training for
diplomatic cadets equivalent to the cur-
rieulum prescribed by accredited col-
leges and universities as a prerequisite
to the granting of the degree of bachelor
of arts. Special emphasis would, of
course, be placed on the study of the
history, culture, customs, folklore, and
language or languages of the nations in
which diplomatic cadets may elect to
serve. H.R. 417 would also provide for
field studies in such nations.
Competitive entrance examinations
would determine the selection and ad-
mission of cadets to the Academy, and
those in attendance would be entitled
to quarters and subsistence. There also
would be appointed each year a Board
of Visitors consisting of five members
from the Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations and five members from the
House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
And, perhaps most important of all,
preference would be given to the For-
eign Service Academy graduates in the
appointment of permanent officers to
the Foreign Service Corps.
Mr. Speaker, I have introduced this
bill because, in my opinion, the increas-
ingly crucial role and growing training
needs of this career professional Foreign
Service Officer Corps require immediate
attention and legislative action. There
are about 3,400 of these officers, both men
and women, currently serving the inter-
ests of their country in some 200 posts in
approximately 80 foreign countries.
America's expanding interests and re-
sponsibilities in world affairs since World
War II have necessitated increasing de-
mands on the Foreign Service Officer
Corps, and the response in most cases has
been commendable. The dedication of
our diplomatic corps, even under the
most difficult circumstances, has been
essentially unquestioned.
There are, nevertheless, a large num-
ber of Foreign Service personnel who are
being called upon to assume responsibil-
ities for which they are not fully pre-
pared. Through the press and perhaps
most recently through the discussions
prompted by the growing popularity of
"The Ugly American," the American
public is becoming more aware of the
deficiency of qualified overseas personnel
in many critical areas.
We need more specialists, for example,
in the cultures and languages of Asia,
Africa, and the Middle East as well as of
Europe and Latin America. We need, in
short, a better trained and more highly
skilled diplomatic corps to translate the
foreign policy of our Nation into action
in the many day-to-day diplomatic rela-
tions with the peoples and officials of
other governments. Indeed, the very
preservation of the free world hinges on
the effective activity of such a corps.
I am convinced that the establishment
of a Foreign Service Academy would
3055
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/08/01: CIA-RDP61-00357R000100150002-3
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/08/01 : CIA-RDP61-00357R000100150002-3
3056 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD ? HOUSE March 5
mark an important step forward in the
development and improvement of the
caliber and effectiveness of our diplo-
matic corps. Such an Academy would
help to provide the service with the num-
ber of qualified area specialists which our
increasing overseas commitments re-
quire. Because of its specially designed
curriculum, the Academy would be able
to provide the prospective officers with
the combined advantages of, first, the
highest level of formal academic instruc-
tion in the study of international rela-
tions and other closely allied fields; sec-
ond, an extensive and intensive foreign
language training program; third, the
knowledge and understanding which can
be acquired best through the field work
program; and fourth, the benefit of the
instruction of and discussions with ex-
perienced Foreign Service officers.
Also the provision of quarters and sub-
sistence might well encourage many of
our capable young men and women, who
might otherwise be unable to afford such
specialized education, to obtain a high
level of education beyond the high school
and to use this background in represent-
ing their country abroad. Finally, the
establishment of a Foreign Service Acad-
emy would contribute to a greater recog-
nition of the diplomat as an individual
performing services of vital importance
to his fellow citizens and as one well
qualified in all respects to represent the
interests of his Nation abroad.
It has been said that "at the root of
the work of the Foreign Service is diplo-
macy, which is the art and practice of
conducting negotiations between na-
tions." In addition to his role as nego-
tiator, of course, the Foreign Service offi-
cer also serves as an? on-the-spot ob-
server and reporter for our Government.
He is also called upon, in many in-
stances, to perform various consular
functions for American businessmen and
other American residents of the area.
Favorable interpretation and represen-
tation of the democratic way of life and
the building of good will with the people
of the other nation are also among an
officer's most vital and demanding re-
sponsibilities.
It is clear that such tasks require not
only many people with many skills op-
erating at various levels of generaliza-
tion and specialization but also that of-
ten they may depend on a single person
who combines the abilities of both the
generalist and the specialist. The de-
mands of an increasingly complex inter-
national scene, in other words, call for
persons who not only know a little bit
about many things but who also know a
good deal about a particular geographic
area, language, or people. This broad
knowledge also should encompass an
understanding of the political, military,
scientific, and economic interests of the
host nation as well as of its cultural af-
fairs and certain other policies. Such
knowledge and understanding are neces-
sary for the kind of on-the-spot reports
which often are designed to assist the
Secretary of State in the preparation of
recommendation S to the President.
One current deficiency in the Foreign
Service which has received considerable
attention recently is that of foreign Ian-
guage ability. According to one study,
that is, of ambassadorial appointments,
both noncareer and career Foreign Serv-
ice, deficiency in foreign languages is
"the major flaw in the U.S. Embassies
and Legations overseas." A survey made
in 1957, moreover, showed that less than
half of the then approximately 4,000
Regular and Reserve Officers and Staff
Corps had a "useful knowledge" of
French, German, or Spanish. The num-
ber of those trained in eastern European,
Asiatic, or African languages did not
even meet at that time the "minimum
basic requirements of the Department."
It has also been estimated that about
70 percent of the new officers admitted to
the corps do not have a practical knowl-
edge of any modern foreign language.
A more recent survey?completed in
October 1958?of the language skills of
Foreign Service Officers also indicates
that about 40 percent of all Foreign Serv-
ice officers do not have what the De-
partment considers "the necessary for-
eign language proficiency in both speak-
ing and reading one or more foreign
languages to meet representation and
professional work requirements." More
than 15 percent of all Foreign Service
officers were estimated in this survey
as not having even the basic knowledge
of one or more foreign languages suffi-
cient for routine social and office re-
quirements.
In trecognition of the need for more
and tter language training, the De-
parOltint of State has progressively
been proving and expanding its train-
ing facilities. This is typical, I might
add, of the Foreign Service's continuous
history of progress and development in
step with America's expanding role in
international affairs. Language needs
are being given considerable attention
and a long-range program of expanded
training is currently in operation. All
Foreign Service officers are also re-
quired to have a language check-up ap-
proximately every 2 years as part of the
Department's mandatory language test-
ing program. This periodic inventory
of language proficiency is considered an
additional incentive for language train-
ing.
The fact still remains, however, that
many attempts at Foreign Service train-
ing improvement are still in the experi-
mental stages or, even where in actual
operation, include only a relatively small
number of officers. The Foreign Serv-
ice Institute simply does not provide an
in-service training program comparable
to those offered by the armed services.
- The fine area study programs in Amer-
ican colleges and universities, of course,
offer a wide variety of high level aca-
demic training. Such programs, how-
ever, are not always adequate in number,
in geographic accessibility, and in cur-
ricular content to provide the level and
extent of formal instruction and field
work desirable and even necessary to fill
our Foreign Service needs.
Lack of knowledge about the peoples
and cultures of other countries is an-
other unfortunate area of deficiency
among Americans abroad. It was re-
ported, for example, that in 1957 Prime
Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, of India,
made a few eye-opening observatio. is be-
fore a group of several hundred U.S.
point 4 technicians which may well be
applicable to many such situationi.
After thanking the U.S. representa-
tives for the help they had given to India,
he reportedly told the American Ambas-
sador, who was also present, that the
United States did not have to send so
many technicians, but that it might send
fewer but better ones. The Prime Min-
ister mentioned condescension in dealing
with nationals and an apparent lack of
respect for the oldLy4way of doing things
as possible areas of improvement.
Not long ago Dean Harlan Cleveland,
of Syracuse University, who has been
conducting a study for the Carnegie
Foundation on the training of Ameri-
cans for working abroad, said he hoped
that before long a 1- or 2-year immer-
sion in a foreign culture abroad, perhaps
during the college years, would be a re-
quirement for all persons planning to
work overseas. Such an experience, it
is believed, would increase greatly the
number of Americans building good will
with foreign nationals. Effective Ameri-
can activity abroad clearly depends upon
this so-called cultural entity, or, as one
Brazilian is reported to have expressed it:
To teach American baseball to Brazilians
you first have to learn how Brazilians play
soccer.
This skill for cultural entity was rated
by Dean Cleveland even above language
skills. There are already too many
Americans abroad who are considered
"fluently arrogant," he observed.
In December 1958 the State Depart-
ment announced the reestablishment of
its overseas science officer program.
Seven distinguished scientists were ap-
pointed to serve in this capacity. It is
significant to note that these men were
selected not only for their experience
and reputation as educators, research
scientists, and administrators but also
for their knowledge of the status of
science and their acquaintance with
scientists in the country of assignment.
And last, but not least, each also had
a facility in the language of the country
of assignment.
Mr. Speaker, I am certain that the
Members of this House are well aware
of the importance of a qualified and
effective diplomatic corps to serve and
represent this Nation abroad. A Com-
munist strategy of frightening propor-
tions is threatening the free peoples of
the world. A well-fought battle on the
diplomatic field could easily be the de-
cisive factor in determining whether the
strategic forces of democracy or com-
munism will ultimately succeed.
For this reason, I call on the Members
of the House to support the program
outlined in H.R. 417. There are, sur-
prisingly enough, no specific formal edu-
cation or job experience requirements
for Foreign Service officers. Successful
candidates, of course, usually have at
least the equivalent of the bachelor's de-
gree, and many also hold advanced
degrees.
The fact remains, however, that we
are sending too many of our representa-
tives abroad without the specialized
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/08/01 : CIA-RDP61-00357R000100150002-3
1959
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/08/01 : CIA-RDP61-00357R000100150002-3
00-
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD ? HOUSE 3057
preparation necessary for the unique de-
mands that will be made on them.
Broad general knowledge is no longer
enough to "wage the peace," nor do
short training and indoctrination pe-
riods at the Foreign Service Institute
always provide an adequate background
for the men and women who play such a
strategic role in the work of the Service.
A program combining a uniformly high
level of academic instruction with the
distinct advantages of on-the-job train-
ing is urgently needed.
' My bill prOvides for such a program
through the establishment of a Foreign
Service Academy. I call the immediate
attention of the Congress to this matter
and urge the early consideration of HR.
417.
WIDOWS' BENEFITS, SOCIAL SECU-
RITY ACT
(Mr. SANTANGELO asked and was
given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. SANTANGELO. Mr. Speaker, I
have introduced today a bill to amend
title II of the Social Security Act to re-
duce the eligibility age for widows' bene-
fits from 62 to 50. I stress the word
"widow."
This bill would carry out the original
purpose of the social security law and
eliminate a hardship which has devel-
oped in its application. The cost would
not be great, and the benefits would be
many.
In the years since the passage of the
Social Security Act, Congress has con-
sistently and determinedly made efforts
to improve and expand the social secu-
rity program. In this prOte.s.5, however,
we have learned that these efrolts,must
continue to be made if we are to main-
tam n the program on an equitable basis.
Our social security problems are far from
being solved.
We made a start in alleviating the
problems of the widow in 1956, when
Congress abandoned the arbitrary age
65 requirement for widows by lowering
it to 62. It is already apparent, however,
that this action was not sufficient.
One of the most pressing problems
which faces us today, and one which I
believe this Congress must solve, is the
unjust and difficult position of the widow
under present provisions of the law.
While a wife enjoys the income which a
retired husband receives at age 65, she
loses it upon his death if she' has not
reached the age of 62. Under my bill,
if she has reached the age .of 50 years,
she will still receive social security bene-
fits notwithstanding the death of her
husband.
The arguments in favor of my amend-
ment are sound ones, and ones which I
believe far outweigh in importance any
consideration of the limited amount
which this liberalization would cost.
Primarily, however, I believe we must
view the amendment in the light of the
terrible hardship which a widow in this
country often faces.
More than a dozen widows In my dis-
trict between the ages of 50 and 62 have
asked my assistance because they found
themselves suddenly cut off from social
security benefits upon the death of their
husband. It is simple enough to close
our minds to the entire question, and
urge our older women to leave their
homes to find employment. This is, in-
deed, the solution that some widows have
necessarily found for themselves. But,
for too many of them, this is frequently
impossible.
Studies have clearly shown that once a
woman passes her 35th or 40th birthday,
her job opportunities are severely di-
minished. At an older age, it may well
be impossible for her to find employment,
especially when there are so many young-
er people unemployed and willing and
qualified to work. This inability to find
employment is especially true for the
woman who has spent most of her life in
the vital and creative task of caring for
her home and family. It is also true for
women who have had professional or
technical training and experience.
Unable to depend on employment
wages for sustenance, these widows gen-
erally lack an adequate income from any
other outside sources. Difficult though
their situation may be, they must wait
until they reach age 62 before they are
eligible for any payments through the
social security program. For many, this
may mean long years of virtual impover-
ishment and hardship.
Considerable injustice in the .nresent
age requirement also exists in that a
woman who has qualified for social se-
curity benefits as a widowed mother with
small children may suddenly have all
benefits stopped when the youngest child
reaches 18. No longer able to qualify for
a mother's benefit, she still may not have
reached that vital 62d birthday when she
would begin to draw benefits as an aged
widow. She is, thus, denied benefits at a
time when she most needs them and fre-
ently when her children are attend-
in hool. AS a consequence, children
are cdluelled to withdraw from their
education process to work to support a
mother who 1sjtoo young to receive bene-
fits and too ol to obtain employment.
I sincerely beliv, that the hardship
and injustice whiclixist under our
present legislation mdatk. be corrected.
The amendment which I propose today, I
believe, goes far in furthering this end,
and I urge favorable consideration of this
legislation.
MEMBER BANK RESERVE
REQUIREMENTS
(Mr. BROWN of Georgia asked and
was given permission to address the
House for 1 minute and to revise and
extend his remarks.)
Mr. BROWN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker,
I introduced yesterday a bill (H.R.
5237) to eliminate a long-standing in-
equity in the law relating to reserve re-
quirements for banks that are members
of the Federal Reserve System. Under
the Federal Reserve Act, member banks
are required to maintain reserves
amounting to certain percentages of their
net demand deposits; currently, the re-
quirements are 18 percent for central,
reserve city banks, 161/2 percent for re-
serve city banks, and 11 percent for all
other banks?commonly referred to as
"country banks." Today, each member
bank must maintain its required reserve
balance on deposit with its Federal Re-
serve Bank; it cannot count cash in its
vaults toward meeting its reserve require-
ment. This is inequitable because op-
erating conditions force some banks, par7
ticularly country banks, to keep larger
amounts of cash on hand than other
banks do. All banks should be permitted
to count their vault cash toward meeting
their reserve requirements because, as
the Federal Reserve Board has stated:
Vault cash holdings and reserve balances
at the Reserve Banks are interchangeable
and both serve the same purpose in in-
fluencing the volume of bank credit.
Accordingly, my bill would allow the
Federal Reserve Board to permit member
banks to count all or part of their cur-
rency and coin as reserves. It is neces-
sary to give the Board some flexibility in
putting this change into effect, because if
it were immediately put into effect in full
for all banks it would inflate the money
supply too drastically.
The Federal Reserve Act does not
specify the exact reserve requirements
for member banks, but rather authorizes
the Federal Reserve Board to establish
reserve requirements from time to time
with maximum and minimum limits pre-
scribed in the act. Today the act fixes a
floor of 13 percent and a ceiling of 26
percent for central reserve city banks;
my bill would change these limits to 10
percent and 20 percent, the same as apply
for reserve city banks. Finally, the bill
would give the Board wider discretion in
allowing banks in central reserve cities
or reserve cities to maintain the lower
reserves in effect for reserve city banks
or country banks, where the character of
the bank's business warrants such an
adjustment.
I am convinced that the bill's pro-
visions as to vault cash are sound and
necessary to give fair treatment to all
banks. While I realize that there may be
differences of opinion as to whether the
other provisions of the bill go too far or
not far enough in permitting the Federal
Reserve Board to eliminate distinctions
in reserve requirements as between
banks, I feel that this compromise pro-
posal worked out by the Board deserves
serious consideration by the Banking
and Currency Committee. I have been
assured by the chairman of the commit-
tee, the Honorable BRENT SPENCE, that
he will refer the bill to the subcommittee
of which I am chairman, so that early
hearings may be scheduled. Persons in-
terested in testifying on the bill should
write to me, in care of the House Bank-
ing and Currency Committee, room 1301
House Office Building, by March 20, so
that I may arrange a schedule of wit-
nesses on the bill.
NATIONAL PEANUT WEEK
(Mr. FLOOD asked and was given per-
mission to address the House for 1 min-
ute and to revise and extend his re-
marks.)
Mr. FLOOD. Mr. Speaker, for many
years I have been appealing to you in
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/08/01 : CIA-RDP61-00357R000100150002-3