842 



1967. There were a number of cosponsors for S. 1676 in the Senate, and 

 a companion bill was introduced in the House. 



While no specific legislation emerged from the Gruening subcom- 

 mittee hearings, they were notable for the depth and breadth of the 

 information they elicited. One of the purposes of the hearings, in the 

 chairman's words, was : 



* * * to help our Nation and all other nations determine the extent of the popu- 

 lation problem, to inaugurate meaningful programs, and to provide man with the 

 technical, medical, and sociological knowledge for implementing self-determined 

 policies.^ 



In bringing together so much information in one place, and making 

 it available for dissemination, the Subcommittee helped substantially 

 to alert the public to the dimensions of the problem. Information de- 

 veloped by tne Subcommittee may have helped persuade Congress to 

 incorporate specific provisions dealing with the population explosion 

 in both foreign aid and PL 480 legislation. 



In 1966, legislative action was finally taken when the Foreign Assist- 

 ance Act of that year provided that U.S.-owned or U.S.-controlled 

 foreign currencies, accumulated primarily through the sale of U.S. 

 commodities abroad, could be used to aid friendly foreign governments 

 and ])rivate non-profit U.S. organizations to carry out voluntary fam- 

 ily planning programs in countries requesting such assistance. The act 

 lequired that the President receive assurances that no one was to re- 

 ceive family planning assistance unless he desired it. The Food for 

 l^eace Act, as previously noted, also contained provisions for the use 

 of excess U.S.-owned currencies to assist in population control pro- 

 grams in the LDCs. However, at first the programs supported under 

 these authorities were modest in scope and effect. U.S. aid was used for 

 such activities as specialized training, the dissemination of informa- 

 tion, and the manufacture of medical supplies. Programs seeking to 

 limit family size received no direct U.S. help. 



In May 1967 AID took the innovative step of making contraceptives 

 eligible for financing under assistance programs, along with equipment 

 for their manufacture. Contraceptives had previously been ineligible 

 as foreign aid items. In September of that year it was announced that 

 the first shipment would go to India, at its request. 



The importance of this step went beyond the fact that contra- 

 ceptives were to be made available through AID financing. For the 

 fact that this action was taken with only the barest show of protest 

 signalled a major change in public attitudes from those of only a 

 few years before. This display of initiative on the part of AID may 

 have been a factor influencing Congress to pass the liberalized legis- 

 lation which was adopted in the same year. In any event, 1967 saw the 

 enactment of Title X, which amended the basic Foreign Assistance 

 Act of 1961 by authorizing the appropriate foreign aid agencies and 

 the foreign aid program itself to help developing countries and insti- 

 tutions carry out programs relating to population and family plan- 

 ning. This is the crucial congressional authorization for the policies 

 which the country follows today. 



But the Foreign Aid Act of 1967 not only put the stamp of approval 

 on U.S. assistance to family planning programs in the LDCs; it also 



m r''>r,iin!ttpp on Government Operations. "Population CrlRls," hearlncs. Part 1. op. clt., 

 page 11. 



