1033 



pate in technical assistance cooperative programs or in distinctly polit- 

 ically motivated programs devoid of a potentially fruitful scientific 

 outcome. Another difficulty is that scientists do not possess language 

 fluency, or cannot find the time to spend learning a foreign language 

 well enough to work with their colleagues in other countries.^^^ 



The United States has no clearly defined international science 

 policy. Nevertheless, recent and expanded encouragement of bilateral 

 scientific agreements indicates that the executive branch views such 

 agreements as a significant policy device and as a useful mechanism 

 for fashioning diplomatically and scientifically useful relationships 

 between the United States and other countries, particularly those 

 which are technologically disadvantaged. ^^^ 



However, the history of recent programmatic activities for foreign 

 and international science and technology exchanges, as developed 

 in this study, and scholarly documents reviewing the general topic 

 of international technological relations,^^* suggest that achievement 

 of the complex scientific and diplomatic goals behind some of these 

 programs might be served better by a multilateral alternative. 

 A variety of factors, in addition to those cited above regarding 

 the imeven quality of scientific participation in these programs, 

 support this view. Most important is the fact that bilateral scientific 

 and technological links alone may no longer be sufficient in a world 

 increasingly interdependent in harnessing the fruits of science and 

 technology and in solving the problems they generate. 



For instance, Victor Basiuk recently reviewed U.S. scientific 

 programs in Europe, especially with respect to their contributions 

 to strengthening transatlantic economic, technological, and military 

 cooperation. He concluded that bilateral programs, notably in West- 

 em Europe, do not effectively meet present requirements: 



Present American scientific and technological policy ... is largely ad hoc 

 and unfocused. There is concentration on individual countries and programs, 

 on 'targets of opportunity.' But there is no over-all view which would take into 

 consideration the nature and requirements of upcoming technologies, especially 

 their large scale and high cost. As a result, the United States has been drifting 

 in the direction of bilateral cooperation with European rations .... This 

 course is not adequate. To meet the requirements of the large-scale technology 

 of the future and of the immense costs associated with it, Western Europe must 

 develop a large market and cohesive internal institution. Compartmentalized 

 bilateral relationships between the United States and individual Western Euro- 

 pean nations bypass this objective.*^* 



"A wiser American policy," Basiuk continues, would place high 

 priority on initiating cooperative scientific and technological programs 

 with Western Europe as a whole, rather than with individual 

 countries." ^^^ Basiuk concluded by saying that the absence of multi- 



«22 The U.S. General Accounting OflSce recently released a study on the need for improved foreign language 

 competence among U.S. officials who serve abroad. See: U.S., Comptroller General, Need to Improve Lan- 

 guage Training Programs and Assignments for U.S. Chvernment Personnel Overseas (Washington, Jan- 

 uary 22, 1973), Report B-176049. 



«" The Department of State's list of bilateral or intergovernmental interagency agreements for scientific 

 and technical cooperation, released December 6, 1971, numbers 23. This does not include some of the more 

 recently concluded agreements administered by the National Science Foundation. An extensive list of other 

 U.S. agreements for scientific and technical cooperation is included in: Congressional Oversight of Executive 

 Agreements: Hearings, op. cit. 



«4 For instance see: Eugene B. Skolnikofl, The International Imperatives.of Technology: Technological Devel- 

 opment and the International Political System, (University of California Press, Research Series No. 16, 1972), 

 passim. 



M« Victor Basiuk, "Perils of the New Technology," Foreign Policy, 2 (Spring 1972), p. 67. 



K« Ibid., p. 66. 



