These themes are mentioned throughout the report and are addressed especially in the sections dealing with the National Science Foundation and in relation to negotiations for specific bilateral agreements.

There are other examples of appropriate consideration of the foreign policy and scientific and technical implications of activities addressed. One is the section on National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) activities in the three areas of: (1) the implementation of the U.S.People's Republic of China Telecommunications Protocol; 2) telecommunications infrastructure development in the Caribbean and Micronesia; and 3) the U.S. Telecommunications Training Institute (USTII), (p. 16-17.) Among the topics discussed are development, trade, foreign policy, and science and technology objectives and implications.

Another illustration in this regard is the assessment of the

politicalization of such an international organization as the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which originally was established as a scientific and technical body, but which is being forced by Soviet bloc countries, into considering political questions relating to disarmament.

However, for the most part the report does not always include such kinds of analyses about the political and technical implications of an issue. For instance the following statement appears to be correct but incomplete:

With respect to high energy physics, international collaboration is expected to be a significant element in the Superconducting Super collider (SSC), approved by President Reagan in January 1987. The SSC will be the largest particle accelerator ever built for the study of the fundamental properties of matter and is ideally suited for international collaboration. Wide international participation in this momentous undertaking will be invited.

This excerpt does not note that an international site (U.S.-Canada) was rejected and that there are significant obstacles (including national pride,

bureaucratic red tape, scheduling, etc.) to international cooperation and collaboration in operating a large science facility.

Concluding Observations

The 1987 Title V report on "Science, Technology, and American Diplomacy" summarizes highlights of selected official bilateral and multilateral relationships in which science, technology, and foreign policy interface. Changes in the organization and contents of the report this year resulted in abbreviated assessments of some of the activities discussed and in an enlargement of the appendix, which lists data about selected aspects of bilateral and multilateral activities. The report provides useful information about some activities, and presumably serves readers interested identifying current highlights of major science, technology, and foreign policy.

the following shortcomings were observed:

However,

only selected items were discussed in any detail and the report does not identify criteria used for determining which Federal agency programs, international agency programs, or current policy issues received attention;

the information in the report does not appear to be adequate to meet the statutory language regarding reporting on personnel training needs, funding, and evaluation of activities;

it might be helpful to the reader seeking additional information if future Title V reports identified the executive agency or agent for bilateral agreements in science and technology and gave the bibliographic information for other governmental reports issued regarding these programs;

reporting on the scientific and foreign policy implications of these activities is often illuminating and useful, but usually is uneven and inconsistent; and

it may be that the duplicate listing, arranged by both country and agency in the appendix, may not be warranted.