REPORT SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE MUTUAL SECURITY ACT OF 1959 Hon. SAM RAYBURN, Speaker, House of Representatives. DECEMBER 31, 1959. DEAR MR. SPEAKER: I transmit herewith, pursuant to the provisions of chapter VI of the Mutual Security Act of 1959, a report describing a plan and program for the establishment and operation in Hawaii of a Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West. The report presents both the role which such a Center could have in relations between the United States and the nations of Asia and the Pacific and the problems and needs involved in its establishment. Attention is called especially to the problem of Federal assistance, as described on pages 11 and 18. It is not considered that funds available under the Mutual Security Act of 1954, as amended, may be used for construction and operating costs of the Center. With warmest personal regards. CHRISTIAN A. HERTER. A PLAN FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT IN HAWAII OF A CENTER FOR CULTURAL AND TECHNICAL INTERCHANGE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST A report submitted to the Congress by the Secretary of State in accordance with the provisions of the Mutual Security Act of 1959, chapter VI 1. PROPOSALS AND PROCEDURES Legislative authorization The Mutual Security Act of 1959 declared that it is the purpose of the Congress to establish in Hawaii a Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West "primarily in support of the objectives of the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, as amended, and title III of chapter II of the Mutual Security Act of 1954, and other acts promoting the international educational, cultural, and related activities of the United States." For this purpose the Secretary of State was to submit a plan and program to the Congress on or before January 3, 1960. The plan and program were to include consideration of (1) the establishment of such a center; (2) grants, fellowships, and other payments as necessary to attract outstanding "scholars and authorities" from the Orient and the Western World to the Center; (3) similar payments, including scholarships, to attract students of similar origin; and (4) other arrangements to make the facilities of the Center available for study 149 to other qualified persons. (Mutual Security Act of 1959, Public Law 86-108, July 24, 1959, ch. VI. For full text, see pp. 1-2.) Formulation of a plan To help formulate the plan, the Department of State (Bureau of International Cultural Relations) with the cooperation of other agencies, established an Interagency Working Group in August 1959. It consisted of representatives of the agencies primarily engaged in the kind of activities which such a Center would promote. They were: Dr. Oliver J. Caldwell, Assistant U.S. Commissioner of Education for International Education, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (USOE-HEW); Dr. Robert Jacobs, Chief, Far East and South Asia Program Division, Office of Educational Services, International Cooperation Administration (ICA); Mr. N. Paul Neilson, Deputy Assistant Director for the Far East, U.S. Information Agency (USIA); and Dr. Francis J. Colligan, Director, Cultural Policy and Development Staff, Bureau of International Cultural Relations, Department of State (CU), who served as chairman of the group. The preparation of the plan fell into three parts: (1) a preliminary exploration of current and prospective activities, governmental and nongovernmental, which do or could contribute to the general objective, and ways and means of initiating or expanding them; (2) a survey of activities and facilities, present and prospective, in Hawaii, consisting primarily of interviews and discussions with Government officials, educational authorities, and civic leaders there (October 19-31, 1959); and (3) submission of a survey report by the working group and final preparation of the plan in Washington. A wide range of possible activities were considered by the group, activities which might be developed "primarily in support of the objectives" of the Smith-Mundt Act, the Mutual Security Act, and other acts with similar purposes. These included programs of the prospective Center, ways of attracting outstanding scholars and other qualified persons from Asia and the Pacific and the "Western" World, and the availability of facilities for other interested persons as well. Also considered were various possibilities for the greater utilization of the current and prospective resources of the university and of the State in much the same way as resources in other States have been utilized for similar purposes. These included, among other things, (1) the relevant activities and programs now being carried on in Hawaii by agencies of the Federal Government primarily involved in international cultural and technical activities; (2) ways and means in which they might be profitably increased to support or form part of an effective program for such a Center; (3) other avenues of possible support under existing legislation, and especially the current and prospective activities of other agencies of the Federal Government which might contribute to or be facilitated by the Center. (For some current Federal activities, see app. 5.) Role of other agencies Since the plan requested in the act was to include a consideration of possible "arrangements with public, educational, or other nonprofit institutions" (sec. 602), an attempt was made to determine not only the contribution which such a center could make to U.S. international objectives in terms of resources and facilities characteristic of Hawaii, but also the conditions under which the government of the State and nongovernmental foundations and other organizations and agencies might be willing to finance certain types of activities therein. "Consultation with appropriate public and private authorities", as specified in the legislation (sec. 602), was carried on as extensively as time permitted both in Hawaii and on the mainland, including numerous officials, educational authorities, civic leaders, and specialists on Asian and Pacific affairs. (For list of some persons consulted in Hawaii, see app. 2b.) Attention was focused throughout on the proposals of the Congress as contained in the Mutual Security Act of 1959 and on those submitted to the Secretary of State by the Hon. William F. Quinn, Governor of Hawaii. On October 19, 1959, the Governor addressed a letter to the Secretary of State submitting proposals for the formulation and execution of the plan which the Congress had requested of the Secretary. (For text of letter, see app. 2a.) His proposals represented the thinking of a community advisory committee which he had appointed to formulate suggestions for the plan. (For membership of the Committee, see app. 2b.) They envisioned, as the Governor stated, "Two programs, one dealing with higher learning and the other dealing with technical training. The programs are mutually supporting and complementary; each serves a different range of needs and interests." The latter, field training programs for Asian students, would be established both on an independent basis and in conjunction with instruction in the university. They would be administered by an “international agency". The other program, dealing with higher learning, would be carried on in an "international college" or institute, which would be administratively responsible for the development and expansion of all work within the university which could contribute to the objectives of the proposed Center, for example, English as a second language or Asian studies. As to administration, the Governor stated that he conceived "of the college and the other community resources being centralized in a center for cultural and technical interchange responsible to the Department of State and under the administration of the University of Hawaii.” The proposals from Hawaii were accompanied by two exhibits, one of which (A) was a painstaking and thorough inventory of university resources and possibilities proposed by a university committee; the other (B) was a comprehensive inventory of the facilities and resources available for the training of technicians from countries of Asia and the Pacific, covering numerous fields, including health, education, and agriculture. (For proposals of the Governor, see his letter of October 19, app. 2a; a summary of the recommendations and proposals, app. 3; and a summary of estimates and resources of the "international agency," app. 4.) The preparation of data by the university and the International Cooperation Center was noteworthy for both quantity and quality in preparing this report. 2. FAVORABLE FACTORS (a) Widespread interest and prospects of support The proposals set forth in the Mutual Security Act of 1959 and in the letter of the Governor of Hawaii reflect a long developing interest in having Hawaii serve as an effective bridge between the Orient and the Occident especially for our international educational, technical, and cultural activities. This interest has become widespread among the people of Hawaii. Officials and educational authorities there have long expressed the hope that the unique resources of Hawaii might be utilized fully in the administration of international programs, especially those with Asia and the Pacific area. Local initiative prompted several steps in that direction-for example, the sponsorship of various conferences and congresses, special summer courses for students from the Pacific area, and partial financial support or its equivalent of the International Cooperation Center in Honolulu of the International Cooperation Administration. The prospect and the attainment of statehood has intensified this interest. In 1959, it was reflected, not only in the Congress with its proposal for the Center and the proposed increase of $250,000 in the International Educational Exchange budget (Department of State) for use in or for Hawaii (eventually this amount was absorbed in the regular budget and earmarked for that purpose), but also in several steps which were taken by the Government of Hawaii, in addition to the preparation of the specific proposals and basic data already described. The territorial legislature, in its last session, earmarked $95,000 of the biennial budget of the University of Hawaii for programs in "Asian studies and oversea training," the purpose of which is to prepare Americans for oversea service especially in Asia and to encourage the study of Asian cultures among Americans. These programs are now underway. The legislature also authorized the appropriation of $534,000 for the first phase of the establishment of an international house at the university to accommodate foreign students and others. It was understood, however, that this proposed expenditure was one of many projects to be tentatively supported by a prospective bond issue to be authorized by the legislature of the new State, and that it was to depend upon financial support for the completion of this project from other sources, including, it was hoped, the Federal Government. In a joint resolution of June 1, 1959, the legislature requested the Congress to contribute to the construction of facilities for an "orientation center" at the university. The First Legislature of the State of Hawaii in its first session endorsed the provisions of chapter VI of the Mutual Security Act of 1959 in a concurrent resolution passed unanimously on October 26, 1959, and made the $534,000 tentatively allocated earlier a definite appropriation for use toward the erection of housing facilities. Shortly thereafter, the Governor released $60,000 of the money thus appropriated for the actual planning of such facilities. (For texts of legislative acts, see app. 1.) Similarly, private groups and leading citizens have voiced their support. For example, the Rotary Club of Honolulu and other local organizations have already offered scholarships to further the Center's objectives, the Aloha Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution |