Communications submitted to the committee- Page Aldrich, Dr. Robert A., letter dated February 20, 1962. Cooke, Robert E., M.D., professor of pediatrics, Johns Hopkins Eliot, Dr. Martha M., letter dated February 12, 1962. Krausse, Fred J., executive director, California Council for Retarded 166 166 166 MacCracken, William P., Jr., letter dated February 14, 1962. Reilly, Dr. William A., chief, radioisotope service, Veterans' Adminis- tration Hospital, San Francisco, Calif., letter dated February 5, 1962__ 170 172 169 Rusk, Dr. Howard A., telegram dated February 15, 1962- 166 170 Additional data submitted to the committee- Child population is increasing rapidly, graph submitted by Dr. Robert Health, Education, and Welfare: American teachers and scholars sent abroad under DHEW-admin- Background data on selected health problems of children.- Budget of the World Health Organization and U.S. participation therein, calendar year 1961, table--- Comments to the House Appropriations Committee by NIH Contributions of foreign scientists to the health of the American Estimated increase in employment, fiscal year 1962- Examples of some recent achievements in medical research_ Funds available to Department of Health, Education, and Wel- fare for international activities, 1958, 1961, 1962 (table)_. Statistics on foreign trainees and visitors serviced by DHEW. Summary tables-Foreign currency program, by country and Illegitimate births, statistics furnished by Dr. Stewart H. Clifford.. CHILD HEALTH INSTITUTE H.E.W.-Additional Assistant Secretaries TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1962 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND SAFETY, COMMITTEE ON INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:15 a.m., in room 1301, New House Office Building, Hon. Kenneth A. Roberts (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. The subcommittee will please be in order. This morning the Subcommittee on Health and Safety begins hearings on several administration bills. The first of these, H.R. 6839, which was introduced by the chairman of our full committee, Mr. Harris, at the request of the administration would authorize an additional Assistant Secretary in the Department of Health, Education, and welfare. While the bill does not specify the functions to be assigned to the additional Assistant Secretary, Secretary Ribicoff's letter to Chairman Harris makes it clear that it is intended that the new Assistant Secretary will have primary responsibility for advising and assisting the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the field of international affairs in which the responsibilities of the Department have grown materially in recent years. At this point in the record there will be included a copy of the bill H.R. 6839, and a copy of the letter dated May 16, 1960, from Secretary Ribicoff to Chairman Harris outlining in detail the purposes of this legislation. (The documents referred to are as follows:) [H.R. 6839, 87th Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To authorize an additional Assistant Secretary in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there shall be in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, in addition to the Assistant Secretaries now provided for by law, one additional Assistant Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The provisions of section 2 of Reorganization Plan Numbered 1 of 1953 (67 Stat. 631; 5 U.S.C. 133z-15 note) shall be applicable to such additional Assistant Secretary to the same extent as they are applicable to the Assistant Secretaries authorized by that section. 1 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE, May 16, 1961. Hon. OREN HARRIS, Chairman, Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: This letter is in response to your request of May 8, 1961, for a report on H.R. 6839, a bill to authorize an additional Assistant Secretary in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. This bill embodies a legislative proposal submitted to Congress by the President on April 17, 1961. The bill, as in the case of the two existing Assistant Secretaryships, does not specify the functions which are to be assigned to the additional Assistant Secretary proposed by the bill. As stated in the President's communication, it is intended that this additional Assistant Secretary "have primary responsibility for advising and assisting the Secretary in the field of international affairs," in which the responsibilities of this Department have vastly increased in recent years, but it may be necessary from time to time to assign additional functions to this Assistant Secretary and he should therefore not be precluded from assuming such additional functions. There is enclosed herewith a copy of our letter of April 6, 1961, to the President, which outlines in some detail the pressing need for an additional Assistant Secretary in this Department, as proposed by H.R. 6839. In view of this need, we urge enactment of this bill. Sincerely yours, The PRESIDENT, (Signed) ABRAHAM RIBICOFF, Secretary. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE, April 6, 1961. The White House, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: I am enclosing for your consideration a draft of a bill to establish a position of Assistant Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. The bill establishes a position of Assistant Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in addition to the two Assistant Secretaries provided for by Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1953, and the Administrative Assistant Secretary established by section 202 of Public Law 86-568. The incumbent of the new position will be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and shall receive compensation at the rate provided by law for Assistant Secretaries of executive departments. Although it is intended that this Assistant Secretary shall function primarily in the field of international affairs this is not specifically mentioned in the bill in line with the policy of permitting the Secretary freedom to prescribe the functions of his principal subordinates. This additional Assistant Secretary would be primarily responsible for advising and aiding the Secretary in the field of international affairs. The activities of the Department in the international field have increased greatly in scope, importance, and complexity in recent years. The responsibility of this Assistant Secretary, working closely with the Secretary, would include: (1) working with the Department of State in developing U.S. foreign policies and programs in the field of international social affairs; (2) within the foreign policy objectives of the United States, giving leadership to international activities of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; (3) representing the United States, at the request of the President or the Secretary of State, at various international conferences concerning economic, educational, health, welfare, and cultural matters; (4) representing the Secretary in discussions of significant international program and policy problems with top level officials of the Department of State, U.S. Information Agency, the International Cooperation Administration, the Departments of Labor, Commerce, and Agriculture, and the private and public organizations directly concerned with international social programs. During the 8 years of the Department's existence, its involvement in international activities has increased very greatly and now is so extensive as clearly to demand the type and level of leadership within the office of the Secretary as can only be provided by a full-time Assistant Secretary for this purpose. Some of the Department's many responsibilities in the international field are: 1. Assistance to the State Department, ICA, and USIA: (a) The Department furnishes experts to serve on U.S. delegations, international advisory groups, ad hoc working groups, and for foreign technical assistance assignments. (b) The Department participates in the preparation of U.S. position papers and related documents for U.N. and specialized agency activities. (c) The Office of Education acts as agent for the State Department in the recruitment of American teachers for the teacher exchange program, and the administration of the training program for foreign visiting teachers. The Office also recruits and services American educators who go abroad under ICA technical assistance programs. (d) The Public Health Service provides direct technical liaison with the World Health Organization, and makes available to ICA appointments in the Public Health Service commissioned corps to assist ICA in the recruitment of health personnel. (e) The Department provides technical materials and consultation for USIA exhibits and other information programs. 2. Departmental participation on interagency groups: (a) Interdepartmental Committee for International Health Policy. The Secretary is Chairman, the Surgeon General a member. The Committee provides advice to the Secretary of State on U.S. policy in the international health field. (b) Interdepartmental Committee on International Educational Organization activities. The Commissioner of Education is Chairman. It is concerned primarily with U.S. positions in the educational programs of UNESCO, and similar bodies. (c) International Committee of the Federal Council on Science and Technology. The Department has membership on this group which is concerned with international activities in the scientific field. 3. International education programs: (a) Consultation with Department of Justice on approval of schools for nonimmigrant aliens. (b) Development of foreign language institutes for teachers, and language and area study centers under title VI of the National Defense Education Act. (c) Comparative studies of education in foreign countries. (d) The Commissioner serves on the Board of Foreign Scholarships which has responsibility for the Fulbright program. 4. International health research (including rehabilitation): (a) Regular NIH grants for research in foreign laboratories. (b) Grants for research and research training in various fields, especially rehabilitation, in foreign laboratories, using foreign currencies. (c) Foreign research fellows working in U.S. laboratories. (d) Visiting scientists for the National Institutes of Health. (e) U.S. research fellowships in foreign laboratories. (f) East-West scientific exchange programs with the U.S.S.R. Special laboratories in Panama at Gorgas Memorial Laboratory and the Middle-America Research Unit. (h) Worldwide exchange of scientific information through the National Library of Medicine. 5. Other: (a) Exchange-visitor program-Department reviews annually applications of more than 1,200 foreign students wishing to remain in this country after completion of studies. (b) Foreign quarantine program. The Public Health Service examines immigrants, visitors, and returning citizens either abroad or at ports of entry, or both. The 1961 budget for the above and other related activities, including the use of foreign currencies abroad and funds transferred from ICA is approximately $50 million and in 1962 will exceed $62 million. Health, education, and welfare programs are of particular concern to newly emerging and other undeveloped nations. The Department of State looks to this Department to provide much of the professional and technical competence in these fields. There is, consequently, a pronounced increase in requests for direct technical assistance and cooperative international aciton in the social field. The United States should unquestionably make full use of its technical skills and other resources in these humanitarian programs as a positive demonstration of our interest in world peace and the well-being of all peoples. An additional Assistant Secretary (there are now two Assistant Secretaries, a special assistant to the Secretary for Health and Medical Affairs and an Administrative Assistant Secretary) is clearly needed to provide the necessary top-level |