840 



look into the matter. The Draper Committee was impressed with the 

 fact that in one country after another U.S. aid was being overtaken 

 by burgeoning populations. As a result, the Draper Report to the 

 President, published in 1959, recommended that the United States 

 assist countries requesting aid in formulating their plans for dealing 

 with rapid population growth.^^^ Questioned at a press conference 

 about this report, President Eisenhower replied that as long as he 

 was President the government would support no birth control pro- 

 grams, because "that is not our business." ^" 



Although the Administration did not respond positively to the 

 Draper suggestions, the recommendations in that report did call pub- 

 lic attention to the fact that population growth was a hindrance to 

 development so that the issue was opened up for examination. In 

 December 1962 the United States voted for a General Assembly resolu- 

 tion, the first in the history of that body to recognize the relationship 

 between population and economic development. It proposed that the 

 United Nations encourage and assist the governments of the under- 

 developed countries "in obtaining basic data and carrying out essen- 

 tial studies of the demographic aspects" of their development prob- 

 lems.^^* 



In that same year. 1962, AID began to work on the outlines of 

 potential IT.S. programs to assist family planning in the LDCs. AID 

 analysts, along with others, had noted that population growth was 

 ham leering development, but because of previous U.S. policy con- 

 straints there had been no encouragement to develop programs to meet 

 this situation. IIowe\'er, by 1962 it seemed appropriate to proceed with 

 such plans. 



The following year, the Congress passed and the President signed a 

 foreign aid bill which contained an authorization for fimding popula- 

 tion studies. In the same year this country granted $500,000 to the 

 World Health Organization in support of population research. The 

 United States strongly supported another U.N. resolution calling for 

 a study of the population problem. AID missions were directed to 

 assist host governments, at tne latter's recfuest, in responding to ques- 

 tionna ires circul ated by the UN's Popul ation Commission. 



In January 1064 AID established a special population unit in its 

 Latin American Bureau, the first time this had been done by the 

 agency. Training programs were set up for AID's staff. The Latin 

 Anipncan Bureau then moved to establish population and family plan- 

 niii<j: programs within the framework of existing health institutions. 

 The agency's missions in Latin America were instructed to explore 

 the attitudes of officials in the host countries toward such programs. 



THE STRENGTHENING OF U.S. POLICT 



Although its actions in 1962-1964 indicated that the U.S. Govern- 

 ment was becoming alert to the dangers of the ongoing population 

 explosion in the LDCs, U.S. policy may be said to have really turned 



»-»U..«?. President's Committee to Study the United States Military Assistance Program. 

 "Interim Report." (Washington, 1959.) 



'" Sep page 9 above. 



i^TT.N. doc. A/C.2/L.657. ai5 revised. Reprinted in "Department of State Bulletin," (Jan. 

 7. lOO.-'.). pages 19-20. 



