LETTER TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE P. SHULTZ FROM DAVID M. ABSHIRE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP72-00337R000500270046-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 19
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 10, 2007
• Sequence Number: 46
• Publication Date: April 19, 1971
• Content Type: LETTER

or Release.2007/05110:: CIA-RDP72-003378000500270046-5
L ,P- ~ /~, - s/~ ~.r
The Honorable
George P. Shultz
Director, Office of
Management and Budget
Dear Mr. Shultz:
April. 19, 1971
There is transmitted herewith a draft bill "To
provide for the establishment of an American Council
for Private International Communications, Incorpora ted,
to grant support to the activities of private American
organizations engaged in the field of communication with
foreign peoples" for coordinated executive branch
clearance prior to submission to the Congress.
The basic purpose of the draft. bill. is to provide
a private channel for overt financing of broadcasting
abroad by American: organizations to foreign peoples.
The desirability of such legislation has been highlighted
by recent public discussion regarding financing of the
activities of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, and
the introduction by Senator Case of S. 18, which bill
would provide that those activities be financed solely
through appropriations pursuant to the United States
Tnformation and Educational Exchange Act of 1948.
The proposed bill has been prepared by the Office of
the Legal Adviser of the Department of State and the Office
of the General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency
in consultation and cooperation with an inter-agency group
including representatives of the National Security Council
staff, United States Information Agency and your office.
It has been considered and approved by the "40 Committee"
for submission for your consideration. The "40 Committee"
wishes, however, to withhold a final decision regarding
submission to Congress pending the results of preliminary
discussions with congressional leaders, which are now in
progress.
SECT
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SF~CRET
6Je enclose a draft letter for transmissi..on of the
proposed bi1.1 to the.Speaker of the House of Representatives
~anc~. the President of the Senate.
It' is ho~:ed that your office will be able to give
urgent priority consideration to the enclosed proposed
legislation. The Senate Fo,.~eign Relations Committee
officially scheduled hearings on Senator Case's bill
for April 2~. Recent inquiries of the Senator by Assistant
Secretary IIillenbraz~.d and myself indicate that we may be
able to delay such hearings but probably not beyond the
end. of Mary. In addition, we understand that the responsible
congressional committee chairmen are not inclined to approve
appropriations related to Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty
for fiscaJ_ year 1972 under the existing procedures for
funding the activities of these organizations.
Sincerely yours,
David M. Abshire
Assistant Secretary for
Congressional Relations
Enclosures:
1. Draft bill
2. Draft letter
SECRET
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DEPARTtU~N'T CF STATE
The I~onorable
Carl Alb~~~rt, Speaker
House of Rep??esentatives
The Honorable
Spiro T. Agnew, President
United Stat?s Senate
Dear (Mr. Speaker] [Mr. President]:
I have the honor to transmit herecaith for the
consideration of the [House of Representatives]~Sena te]
a bill "To provide for the establishment of an American
Council for Private International Communications,
Incorporated, to grant support to the activities of
private American organizations engaged in the field of
communication with foreign peoples" (hereinafter "the
Bill").
The specific purposes of the Bill, as reflected
in the "Congressional Declaration of Policy" recorded in
.Section I of-the Bill, are to aid implementation of the
right to freedom of opinion and expression, incl uding
the right to receive and impart information and ideas
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through any meth a and regardless of front ie.rs; to promote
open coznrrnznication among the peoples of the world as a
pos3_tive contributioz-z to international stability; and to
enhance other peoples` social, political, and materia l
well-bein and increase thea_r ac?~areness of the heritage
the5> share with other peoples, including i:he American
peop]_e, through a free flow of information and ideas.
At the present time there are established private.
organizations in the coz:uzzuna.cations field which have
demonstrated their effectiveness in furthering the
objectives just stated, primarily by radio broadcasting
of news and information programs in foreign languages to
Warsaw Pact states. In order to ensure that they may
continue their work of furthering these objectives, the
Bill would establish an American Council far Private
International Communications, Incorporated, as a non-
governmental, private, non-profit corporation. This
corporation would receive government appropriations and
distribute them to the above described private organizations,
provided they. receive no other appropriated funds of the
United States Government as the corporation specifies.
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TI7e Bill would authorize the appropriation of funds in an
amount not to exceed $40 million to support such activities
of the Council during the fiscal year 1972. It is considered.
that the proposed Council, which is modeled along the lines
of the existing Public Broadcasting Corporation .established
by the "Puhl?^ Broadcasting Act of 1967," would be most
suited to the achievement of the stated objectives.
The Corporation would be managed by a Board of
fifteen directors, all of whose members, including the
Chairman and Vice Chairman, would be chosen from private
life by the President of the United States with the advice
and consent of the Senate, and by a President, Executive
Vice President and such other officers as might be named
by the Board, which officers, other th an the Chairman and
Vice Chairman, would be engaged on a full-time basis.
The BiI1 would grant to the Council only those powers
and authorities necessary for the achievement of the
described objectives, would be subject to requirements of
an annual report to the President and Congress and an
annual audit, and. would be exclusively educational and
non-profit in character, its funding derived from direct
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government appropriations, as well as from money and other
properties from private donations, bequests and devises
without condition or restriction other than use for the
purposes of the Council. The Bill would grant the Council
the power, among other things, to prescribe terms and
conditions t~ govern expenditure of funds it grants to
private communications organizations and to develop and
apply the necessary procedures to ensure that such
expenditure complied with such terms and conditions.
The Department has been advised by the Office of
Management and Budget that from the standpoint of the
Administration's program there is no objection to the
submission of this legislation to the Congress for its
consideration.
Sincerely yours,
David M. Abshire
Assistant Secretary for
Congressional Relations
Enclosure:
Bi11
Approve or a ease - - -
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