669 



events. If our policy is to embody a coherent vision of the world and a rational 

 conception of America's interests, our specific actions must be the products 

 of rational and deliberate choice. We need a system which forces considera- 

 tion of problems before they become emergencies, which enables us to make our 

 basic determinations of purjMJse before being pressed by events, and to mesh 

 policies.^ 



"With respect to the Western Hemisphere Nations (emphasized in 

 the message) , the President offered the beginning of a comprehensive 

 program with a substantial technological content. He urged that bi- 

 lateral relations be replaced by a multilateral approach, developed 

 multilaterally. Other points were an increase of trade, eased AID 

 restrictions, establishment of the post of Under Secretary of State for 

 Western Hemisphere Affairs, the support of regional cooperation, and 

 easing of the burden of debt. "To help turn science to the service of 

 the hemisphere," the President proposed : 



We will contribute to the support and financing of initiatives in these fields, 

 including research and development, regional training centers, and transfer of 

 technology. 



We are developing a program for training and orientation of Latin American 

 specialists in the field of scientific and technical inform'ation. 



The 0[rganization of] A[merican] S[tates] will sponsor a conference next 

 jear on the application of science and technology to Latin America."^ 



With respect to general foreign assistance, the President again 

 stressed the importance of multilateral rather than bilateral relations, 

 and of the need for the developing countries to take the initiative in 

 charting their own development strategies. He recalled that, Septem- 

 ber 18, in his address to the UN General Assembly he had suggested 

 a number of specific undertakings to that body, many of them, tech- 

 nological in essence. Then he declared : 



In an era when man possesses the power both to explore the heavens and 

 desolate the earth, science and technology must be marshalled and' shared in 

 the cause of peaceful progress, whatever the political differences among nations. 

 Innumerous and varied fields — the peaceful use of atomic energy, the exploration 

 and uses of outer space, the development of the resources of the ocean and the 

 seabeds, the protection of our environment, the uses of satellites, the development 

 of revolutionary transportation systems — we are working with others to channel 

 .the products of technological progress to the benefit of mankind."^ 



Within the broader context of national science policy, a presidential 

 advisory task force offered a prescriptive formula, April, 1970, for 

 "International Initiatives Utilizing Science and Technology." The 

 formula involved U.S. leadership in large projects, shared efforts on 

 mutual problems, technical assistance where appropriate, and the 

 building of national capabilities for scientific self-help. Excerpts : 



— The intrinsic nature of science results in imusual opportunities for inter- 

 national scientific cooperation and assistance. 



— Some technological enterprises — the space program, for example — offer 

 unusual opportunities for foreign policy and international initiative. 



— Universal human interests crossing all international boundaries — in agri- 

 culture, health, clean air and water, education, and communications— all 

 suggest similar though more diffuse opportunities. 



— . . . The Federal Government is presently making insufficient use of our 

 extensive sciemtiflc and technological capabilities as instruments of foreign 

 cooperation and understanding. 



131 U.S. President. (Richard Nixon.) "United States Foreign Policy for the 1970's, A 

 New Strategy for Peace." A report to the Congress, February 18, 1970. (Mimeograph), pages 

 3, 11-13. 



^ Ibid., pages 33-35. 



i» Ibid., pages 78, 82-83. 



