EXPORT ADMINISTRATION ACT AMENDMENTS OF 1979 (57 TO PROVIDE FOR PARTICIPATION OF THE UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL ENERGY EXPOSITION TO BE HELD IN KNO TENNESSEE IN 1982 (H.R. 5079) OTE THE FOREIGN POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES BY THENING AND IMPROVING THE FOREIGN SERVICE OF THE STATES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES (H.R. 6790) TED Mr. BROOMFIELD Mr. JAVITS ELLIGENCE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1981 (S. 2597) deration of matters within the jurisdiction of the Armed Services Come under clause 1(c) of Rule X House Conferees Senate Conferees ORD Mr. BOB WILSON he Committee on Post Office and Civil Service. onal conferees solely for the purpose of the consideration of section 113. Solely for consideration of such provisions of sections 408 and 409 and modification thereof as fall within the jurisdiction of the Foreign Affairs Committee under clause 1(h) of Rule X E. DATES OF MEMBERS' APPOINTMENT TO THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS Mr. Zablocki, Jan. 18, 1949 (Became Chairman, Jan. 19, 1977) II. OPERATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS A. Committee Origins and History The Committee on Foreign Affairs traces its origins to November 29, 1775. It was on that date that the Continental Congress by resolution created a committee "for the sole purposes of corresponding with our friends in Great Britain. Ireland, and other parts of the world." The members chosen for this committee were Benjamin Franklin-who served as chairman and guiding spirit-Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Johnson, Jr., John Dickinson, and John Jay. Known at first as the Committee of Correspondence, the committee itself soon changed its name to the Committee of Secret Correspondence. That committee was the first institution created to represent the United States in the foreign affairs field. The Committee on Foreign Affairs (as well as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee) is a lineal descendant of the Committee of Correspondence. Franklin's committee quickly entered into communication with various persons in Europe for the purpose of ascertaining sentiment there toward the Colonies and obtaining any other information which might be useful in the struggle with England. It even designated its own secret agents abroad. By the spring of 1777, the specialized nature of the committee's work had been recognized and its title was changed to "Committee for Foreign Affairs." Special problems in foreign relations, however, were sometimes dealt with by select or temporary committees appointed for the purpose. After the Congress of the United States was organized under the Constitution, select committees to deal with foreign affairs were appointed. In 1807, during the Jefferson Presidency, a House committee was established in response to predatory actions by both the French and British against American commercial shipping. Following the seizure and search of the U.S. frigate Chesapeake 10 miles off the Virginia coast by a British ship, the House appointed a special Foreign Relations Committee which was also known as the Aggression Committee. That committee had an active role in foreign policy considerations through the War of 1812 and in 1822, renamed the Committee on Foreign Affairs, was designated a standing committee of the House with a membership of seven. The 150th anniversary of that event was celebrated by the committee in 1972. Because the House is the organ of National Government closest to the citizenry, the Committee on Foreign Affairs may truly be said to have been the voice of the American people on issues of international significance for more than century and a half. Although this important role has remained the same, the name of the committee was changed on March 19, 1975, by a resolution (H. Res. 163) sponsored by 22 members of the committee, to the Committee on International Relations. The change resulted from the extensive discussions by the members that were undertaken in relation to the reorganization of the subcommittee structure of the committee. It was the consensus that the change in the name of the full committee would more accurately reflect the organization of the committee as it had been agreed upon by its own members at that time. Subsequently, at the beginning of the 96th Congress, the committee again reorganized its subcommitttee structure and agreed to the introduction of H. Res. 89. sponsored by 30 Members, to return to the committee's original name "The Committee on Foreign Affairs." The resolution was agreed to on February 5, 1979. Throughout its history, the committee has been composed of some of America's most able legislators and statesmen. Two American Presidents have served on it: James K. Polk, from 1827 to 1831, and John Quincy Adams, who became chairman in 1842 after he returned to the House following his term as the Chief Executive. Many former chairman of the committee have written their names into the history books. Among them was Edward Everett of Massachusetts, chairman in the 20th Congress, who also served as Secretary of State, was a Whig Vice Presidential candidate in 1860, and is remembered as one of America's greatest orators. Francis W. Pickens, who chaired the committee from 1839 to 1841, later became Governor of South Carolina and authorized the firing on Fort Sumter which precipitated the Civil War. Serving as chairman in the aftermath of World War I, Stephen G. Porter of Pennsylvania came to be one of the most influential figures in the determination of American foreign policy in the early 1920's. In more recent times, Chairman Sol Bloom of New York and James P. Richards of South Carolina have been recognized for their contributions to America's leadership in the immediate post-World War II period. The longest tenure as chairman in the history of the committee was that of Hon. Thomas E. Morgan of Pennsylvania, who served in that position from 1959 until the end of the 94th Congress. The present chairman, Hon. Clement J. Zablocki, has represented the 4th District of Wisconsin in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1949. Other former members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs-men like Tom Connally of Texas, Champ Clark of Iowa, and J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, Mike Mansfield of Montana, and Jacob Javits of New York, Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, and Abraham Ribicoff of Connecticut-went to the U.S. Senate where they established reputations for their work on international affairs legislation. Moreover, committee experience has provided a beginning for numerous men who have gone on to distinguish themselves in the diplomatic service of the country. Among them was Perry Belmont, chairman in the 49th and 50th Congresses, who was U.S. Minister to Spain in 1888-89 and a noted author of works on international policies. His successor as chairman in the 51st Congress was Robert R. Hitt of Ohio who was chief of the U.S. Legation in Paris from 1874 to 1881 and |