"Through the centuries nations have sent their youth armed for war to oppose their neighbors. Let us in this day look on our youth, eager for a larger and clearer knowledge, as forces for international understanding; and send them, one nation to another, on missions of peace."

The President's special international cultural exchange program has so far failed miserably to include young people from our colleges and universities in its program. Yet I am assured by Dr. Howard Hanson, president and chairman of the board of the National Music Council, that student groups "will contribute even more importantly to the cultural exchange program than the exchange of commercial professional groups."

I have introduced legislation to provide the massive interchange which President Eisenhower has called for, and this legislation has been cosponsored by my good friend and colleague from New Jersey, the Honorable Frank Thompson, Jr. At the same time, the Department of Defense--which sends college and university talent abroad to entertain our troops-could schedule them to appear before students of those countries where our troops are stationed. Such a step would be a highly significant addition to our Nation's foreign policy and would be the most important step to implement the President's suggestions at Delhi University which has been made to date.

At the same time, the administration should abandon its plans to destroy the historic buildings on Lafayette Square in the Nation's Capital just across the street from the White House. These buildings could be utilized for educational and cultural purposes in the expansion of the massive interchange the President has called for. Congressman Frank Thompson and I have sponsored legislation-H.R. 11678 and H.R. 11691-for this purpose, too. Similar legislation has been cosponsored by Senators Kennedy, Morse, Humphrey, Douglas, Hennings, Gruening, Mansfield, and Murray.

(I include as part of my remarks a speech on the subject of "The Arts and Sciences and International Understanding," which I made on April 11, 1960, to the members of the University Women's Club of Washington, D.C.:)

THE ARTS AND SCIENCES AND INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING

I am happy to have this opportunity to discuss with you the Nation's need to further develop its creative resources. This country is richer than we know in artistic achievement. The Communists, however, are telling people around the world that Americans are hardhearted materialists interested only in making money. This is strange talk from the irreligious materialists of Moscow, but it is sometimes a convincing argument to people around the world who know little of our cultural achievements. This type of Communist propaganda makes it obvious that today the United States is involved on a new front in its struggle to win the support and understanding of the world for democracy. We face a committed, energetic, formidable competitor in the Soviet Union. The Communist cause is stretching out to reach millions of persons around the world. We must compete more actively if we are to reach the minds and hearts of the youth of other countries who are to be the leaders of tomorrow.

Experience has demonstrated that military, political, and economic diplomacy, although practiced so effectively in the past, are no longer enough to win peoples' understanding. In a world whose political and military geniuses are stalemated by the discoveries of scientists, we have learned that negotiations over the green baize tables of diplomacy are only one way for nations to try to reach an understanding. Direct contacts between our people and people of other nations are essential to help dispel some of the misconceptions they have concerning the philosophy and goals of the United States.

We must provide new avenues by which we can demonstrate the American imagination and its creative force to many more of our own citizens as well as to people throughout the world. An intensified encouragement of our participation in the arts would make it manifest that cultural endeavor is an integral -part of this Nation's way of life. We need to establish a cultural breakthrough at both the national and international levels. A concerted effort must be made to better display America's cultural image.

In the field of music alone, how many people realize, for example, that Americans in a recent year spent more money at the box office for concerts than they -spent for baseball games; that we support in this country 1,000 symphony orchestras and 450 opera-producing groups; that over 255 educational institutions offer degree courses in music and advanced level musical training. We have a plentiful reservoir of artistic talent in this country. We should place this talent in the spotlight.

If we are going to take significant steps toward making far-reaching contributions in the cultural field, the task before us is a great one. Today, I want to discuss some of the specific actions which should be taken to accomplish these ends. If the United States is to be able to establish a cultural and scientific breakthrough around the world, we have to take definite action.

President Eisenhower gave top priority to massive interchange of mutual understanding in his speech at Delhi University last December. At that time the President said:

"More enduringly than from the deliberations of high councils, I believe mankind will profit when young men and women of all nations and in great numbers study and learn together. In so doing, they will concern themselves with the problems, possibilities, resources and rewards of their common destiny. "Through the centuries nations have sent their youth armed for war to oppose their neighbors. Let us in this day look on our youth, eager for a larger and clearer knowledge, as forces for international understanding; and send them, one nation to another, on missions of peace."

As a corollary to this idea we must make certain that many more of America's talented young artists are included in the President's special international cultural exchange program. To achieve this end I have proposed legislation to create an actual two-way exchange program since no such cultural exchange now exists. So far, the major, if not the entire, emphasis of the program has been restricted to large professional groups and individual professional artists. Moreover, the price of tickets of admission in many instances has been beyond the pocketbooks of most people in other countries. There is some doubt that the program as presently administered is as much of a success as some of its proponents would have us believe. Under the present program the large professional groups and distinguished American artists perform in opera houses and great halls and usually for only limited engagements because of the expense. Why should we display only that portion of America's artistic talent which draws huge impersonal audiences? Why should we play only to a world of gilded mirrors and red plush? Truly these performances do not reach the man in the street, the university student with limited funds, and the student artists in the countries around the world. It is the individual whom we must reach. Our international cultural exchange program must include our students and their teachers, community groups, and university and conservatory groups. There is not only a vast audience abroad for every one of them, but also a vast reservoir of friendship for them to tap. In addition to the professional artists, we should be most certainly sending our talented young artists and art groups on a university circuit all over the globe.

It

My proposal envisages an actual two-way cultural exchange program. would support the performances of individual artists, choral groups, youth orchestras, and drama groups from other countries on their tour of the university circuit in the United States. Thus, young artists from around the world would have a chance to see this country, to learn something of our way of life on university campuses and, what is most important, have a chance to talk with other young people who have similar interests and talent. The merits of this type of exchange are undeniable for, as Isaac Stern declared at the recent International Music Conference, the most effective penetration in cultural exchange is at the youth level, on both sides.

Recently I returned from an inspection tour of the operations of the mutual security program in some 20 countries in Asia, Africa, and southern Europe. I was impressed especially by the fact that the leaders in many of these nations are very young, under 30 years of age in many cases. It is my firm belief that we can best reach the young people in other countries through a cultural exchange program such as I have described.

Van Cliburn made the most significant cultural breakthrough in the last decade, yet he received absolutely no financial help at all from the President's special international cutlural exchange program.

Van Cliburn's expenses were paid with funds raised by the Institute of International Education from the Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund. Many others of our highly talented young people who could help to carry the message of international goodwill have not been able to secure such distinguished private patronage. Furthermore, the door of the Government's cultural exchange program has been closed by administrators in the Department of State who seem surprisingly unaware of the tremendous potential of the young talent in our colleges and universities.

So far the President's special international cultural exchange program has devoted almost its entire congressional appropriations to sending major professional groups abroad. The State Department overlooks the opportunity of utilizing young talented American artists in this program. This shortsightedness must be corrected if we are going to effect a massive interchange of mutual understanding through student exchanges. The legislation which I have proposed would make permanent the inclusion of young American artists in our cultural exchange programs. No longer would this endeavor be subject to the whim of individual officials or of any political administration in Washington. The enactment of this legislation would insure that a specific provision for young artists has the support of the Congress which is vital if we are to enhance America's cultural image.

In addition to the need for the Federal Government to place a broader emphasis on the arts in direct connection with international cultural activities, we should provide a means to promote among more of our own citizens a knowledge of and interest in the creative arts. For example, I believe we should establish in Washington, D.C., a national showcase program to display the very excellent fine arts programs of our institutions of higher education. The primary purpose of the showcase would be to encourage the further development and growth of all the arts in colleges and universities. The time is right to establish a permament program to encourage our young people with interest and talent in the arts, instead of leaving their discovery-as in the case of Van Cliburn-to the U.S.S.R. As R. L. Bruckberger emphasized in his recent book "The Image of America," “America does not always give its own creative minds the recognition due them, indeed it sometimes ignores them altogether. This is so often the case that an observer as casual as the average European traveler in America finds it only too easy to assume that in certain fields there are no creative minds. * * * In their hearts, Americans do not believe that there could ever be found among them men of such stature as Stravinsky, Picasso, and Bergson."

It is my firm conviction that we do have talent which can be encouraged through the showcase program by giving national recognition and encouragement to young American artists. The bill I have introduced is sponsored also by Representative Carl Elliott, of Alabama; Representative Edith Green, of Oregon; Representative Frank Thompson, of New Jersey; and Senator Wayne Morse, of Oregon. It would inaugurate an International Olympiad of the Arts and Sciences. This program, to be held every 2 years, would present high quality international exhibitions, productions, festivals, and programs in these fields. I am sure that such an enterprise would greatly strengthen the mutual understanding of the peoples of the world.

I have often been asked how I would expect the International Olympiad of the Arts and Sciences to be initiated, organized, and operated. Here are some answers to the questions that have been raised.

The President of the United States would communicate with the heads of all the nations in the world, inviting them to send representatives to Washington for a conference. This meeting could be under the chairmanship of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, who would be responsible for practical arrangements. The President would address this conference, calling upon the nations to join with the United States in competitions in the arts and sciences.

Following this conference I would expect that most of the nations would set up committees which would be responsible for arranging participation in the competitions. An American committee would work through the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, under appropriate guidance from the Department of State. Distinguished private citizens would be appointed by the President to serve on this committee.

As I mentioned before, my bill calls for an International Olympiad of the Arts and Sciences to be held every 2 years. I would hope that the first Olympiad might take place in the new Lincoln Center in New York, and that our proposed National Cultural Center in Washington would be completed in time for the second. If a cooperating nation extended an invitation for the Olympiad, I think that this invitation should be carefully considered and accepted if approved by a meeting of representatives of all participating countries. Pending the assurance that there would be facilities for the competitions overseas, I believe we should continue to hold them at 2-year intervals in the Nation's Capital.

As I see it, the Olympiad of the Arts and Sciences could include competitions in five main fields.

First, I should like to see an international folk festival, where the nations of the world would compete in dancing and folk singing, and in displaying native handicrafts including fabrics, woodcarving, and other traditional crafts. This would help to preserve the folk heritage of mankind, a heritage which is rapidly being dissipated around the world. The industrialization of the modern world is seriously diminishing the interest of many in the folk arts. It would be a tragedy if these noble traditions were to be lost. I believe that the International Olympiad program would be a strong influence in preserving this inheritance from man's past.

Secondly, there could be a festival of drama and the dance which would involve competition in the presentation of assigned classical plays, such as Shakespearean tragedy; competition in the presentation of original plays; competition in the presentation of national theatrical forms such as the Kabuki and plays of Japan; and finally, competition in classical dance forms such as the ballet. The difference between these dances and those which might be presented under the folk festival is that there are certain types of dances which are common to a variety of cultures and competition here would be on the basis of national interpretation of these classical dance forms.

There could be a music festival which would involve individual competition in all of the principal instruments in use today around the world. We should have competition in piano, the stringed instruments, the brasses, and the woodwinds. Special categories for national instruments which would make it possible for the world to become acquainted with the unique musical heritage of various cultures could be included.

There could also be a competition in painting and sculpture. Here an international body of critics might set up the appropriate categories, and select qualified judges. I hope there will be several categories, including both the classical and modern schools, and the traditional art of the world's civilizations.

The fifth competition might be in the sciences. A group of distinguished international scientists could decide upon the type of competitions to be held. It might be patterned after the science talent search and National Science Fair, which are sponsored by Science Service.

The International Olympiad could follow the tradition of the sports olympics with the lighting of the traditional flame, the reciting of the Olympic oath, and the awarding of medals.

However, I believe that the winners in the Olympiad should receive additional prizes, such as opportunities for concert tours, gifts of musical instruments, and opportunities for additional exhibits of their artistic or scientific achievements. Many benefits are to be derived from these contests. First, there would be an opportunity for young artists or scientists to win distinction. Secondly, people would have a chance to learn that Americans are not materialistic money-minded individuals. Finally, the world would be enriched by this exchange of artistic and scientific ideas.

Unquestionably an appropriation would be required from the Congress to initiate these contests. However, I think that there would be enough public interest after the first Olympiad to warrant reliance upon public subscription to finance future American participation. The revenue from admission to various events would be very substantial, and should go a long way toward financing the entire project.

The arts and the sciences are a universal language. We should use this language to become better acquainted with our friends around the world, and to enable them to understand us.

The millennium will have to be achieved by hard work. The alternative may be the destruction of mankind. I believe the International Olympiad of the Arts and Sciences and the two-way cultural exchange program of young artists would be gigantic steps toward more effectively promoting international stability and mutual understanding of the world's peoples.

As we go about living our busy lives today, we think of and pray for peace in our time. And as we ask for divine guidance, we should remember that it is not enough just to ask for peace-we must work for it.

NATIONAL LEGISLATION AFFECTING THE ARTS

(Remarks of Hon. Harris B. McDowell, Jr., Congressman at Large, Delaware, to the 36th annual meeting of the National Association of Schools of Music, Palmer House, Chicago, Ill., second general session, Nov. 26, 1960)

It is a distinct pleasure to be with you of the National Association of Schools of Music. This is a wonderful opportunity for us who share a special concern for America's cultural destiny. Together we can consider in what direction this Nation is heading in the field of the arts and your particular role in shaping this course. As members of a professional organization dedicated to strengthening the quality of higher education in music, I know that you have a deep interest in efforts to insure a widespread recognition of the arts in this country. Since my election to the Congress, I have introduced and supported measures to advance this purpose.

You are already aware, I am certain, that throughout the country we are experiencing a stimulating growth in the arts. And the picture is getting better every year-despite the still prevailing fiscal undernourishment which, in my opinion, the Federal Government should help to remedy in the immediate future. I want to discuss with you today some of the efforts being made to further the national recognition and encouragement of the arts and artists. In the Congress some of these efforts have already achieved success. Others, I sincerely believe, will be accorded more serious consideration under the new administration.

I am firmly convinced that the immediate future holds great promise for recognition of the arts on the national level. Both of the presidential candidates, for example, recently assured citizens that they were aware of many of the needs relating to the arts and the Nation at home and abroad. Both thought that the Federal Government had a role to play in meeting some of those needs. Both concurred on the desirability of expending the present cultural interchange program. The two candidates, however, opposed the establishment of a Secretary of Culture of Cabinet rank and with broad authority in this field. Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Nixon expressed concern for maintaining the freedom of the arts and favored instead the creation of a Federal Advisory Council on the Arts. I am certain that such a council of experts would greatly assist in the evaluation, development, and expansion of the cultural resources of the United States. A bill (H.R. 7656) which would establish a Federal Advisory on the Arts was reported by the House Committee on Education and Labor during the past session of the 86th Congress. This Council would undertake studies and make recommendations relating to appropriate methods for encouraging creative activities, participation in and appreciation of the arts. It would be composed of 21 members appointed by the President from among private citizens who are widely recognized for their knowledge of, experience in, or their profound interest in one or more of the arts. The House committee reported that it

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** visualizes the Council as a national clearinghouse for the consideration of methods by which the Federal Government might appropriately and effectively act to encourage and stimulate both artistic endeavor and appreciation on the part of our citizens." 1

I am one of those who believe that the enactment of this legislation is long overdue.

In introducing one of the presentations of the candidate's views on the arts, which I mentioned previously, Irving Kolodin, music editor of the Saturday Review, makes the following observation:

"Among the subjects with which the next administration will have to deal is the claim of art and artists to Government recognition, encouragement, and assistance. Though not the gravest issue before the country, it is far from the least if our culture is to attain the growth of which it is capable ✶ ✶ ✶"2 As President-elect Kennedy so ably states:

"The encouragement of art, in the broadest sense, is indeed a function of Government.

H. Rept. No. 1660, 86th Cong., 2d sess. 2 Saturday Review, Oct. 29, 1960, p. 42.