1641 



These same points would still be stressed in such a study today. 

 The emphasis would probably be essentially the same, although 

 some space might be given to the arguments and counterarguments of 

 those who say that there is enough arable land to support a far 

 larger population than now inhabits the globe. 



EAKLT CONGRESSIONAL RECOGNITION OF PROBLEM 



The study pointed out that Congress had recognized the problem 

 •of controlling population growth as early as 1963, and that Congress 

 was equally responsible with the executive branch for assigning the 

 highest priority under the U.S. Foreign Aid Program to family planning 

 and population activities. Given current conditions, a similar assess- 

 ment of priorities would appear in order. The study also pointed 

 out that it would be advantageous for the United States to search 

 out and exploit every available opportunity to establish a solid, 

 scientific, factual base of information about the food/population 

 equation, for individual nations, for the regions of the world, and for 

 the world as a whole. The study pointed out certain fundamental 

 "weaknesses in the data on food and population, and since those 

 weaknesses have not, apparently, been remedied. Congress should 

 still be interested in ways to strengthen the basic stock of information 

 about these subjects. In addition, recent shortfalls in production, 

 combined with natural disasters, have produced several instances of 

 "famine, thereby thrusting the question of food export policy to the 

 front rank of congressional concerns. 



In general, the study identified problems for the Congress that still 

 exist. The complexity of the problem area was emphasized, as was 

 its central position in the entire process of development. The crucial 

 Tole of technology with respect to both food production and the limita- 

 tion of family size was highlighted. The study also identified the 

 problems remaining in agricultural production as a result of the 

 "Green Revolution, and raised the issue of U.S. foreign agricultural 

 policy in relation to the less-developed countries. The social and 

 psychological barriers to the effective use of present technology in 

 the field of birth control were emphasized, as was the extreme sen- 

 sitivity of the issue as a matter of bilateral diplomacy. It was sug- 

 gested that in this field a more hopeful route might lie through 

 multilateral action. 



The foregoing observations could serve to stimulate thinking in 

 Congress should legislation in the food/population area be under 

 -consideration. The questions to which they might give rise are as 

 "valid now as they were when the study was in preparation. 



Some Illustrative Questions 



What factors are relevant in determining the optimum population 

 numbers on a global basis? If infinitely continued growth is physically 

 impossible, should circumstances be allowed to determine the point 

 At which growth should stop? Or, should the determination be made 

 as a result of a conscious policy decision? By what criteria should 

 such a decision be made? Are the criteria the same for all countries 

 and for all time? Who should decide? How is the decision to be given 

 practical effect? What are the implications of these questions for 

 U.S. diplomacy and long-range diplomatic planning? 



