1388 



6. When an imporlanl scientific discovery, paper, technological advance, etc., is 

 produced in the host country, how does it come to your attention and what do 

 you do about iff How frequently has this occurred in the last eight months? 

 If your attention is called to such a development by a communication from the 

 United Stales, what process follows? 

 Since the following of such matters or developments do not have high priority 

 in the Attache's area of resiwnsibilities, it is generally assumed such matters 

 will be duly reported or publicized in the professional journals. Such develop- 

 ments usually come to the attention of the Attache through newspaper or journal 

 publication and informal word-of-mouth contact. 



FoUow-up process varies with situation and extent of probable interest to 

 the U.S. If requested by communication from the U.S. to follow-up, additional 

 reports are gathered and forwarded to requestor. 



6. What yardsticks are available to you to draw comparisons between the level of 



technical sophistication in the host country and that in the United States, in 

 any given discipline or technology? 

 Primarily through the professional training of the Attache, the technical 

 literature available to him, and assisted by comments from qualified U.S. and 

 foreign scientists. 



In general these comparisons do not justify the effort necessary to assemble the 

 data since such comparisons are not usually relevant to the job work requirements 

 of the Scientific Attache. 



7. What responsibilities, if any, does the attache hove for "overseeing" the adminis- 



tration of formal U.S. foreign and international Science and Technology pro- 

 grams in the country? (This might include, for example, the role of the U.S.- 

 France agreement for exchange of scientists, or the role of the Mexican attache 

 in the U.S.-Mexico bilateral — which includes provisions for exchange of scien- 

 tists as well as cooperation between agencies of the U.S. and Mexican government 

 in cooperative projects. The role might include monitoring of the activities in 

 the foreign or host country and assistance in determination of project priorities.) 

 The Attache is the local coordinator and "overseer" of U.S. cooperative S&T 

 programs in his country of assignment. These responsibilities include the con- 

 tinuous monitoring of the program to ensure that it continues to support the 

 purposes for which it was established. Also included are the appropriate foreign 

 liaison and negotiating responsibilities relative to the carrying out of the program. 

 The Attache plays a key role for the Ambassador in dealing with questions 

 of content, substance, and priorities set for such programs where such factors 

 may influence U.S. foreign policy objectives. 



8. What contacts, if any, does the science attache have with Federal agencies who 



have 5 <fcT programs in the foreign country (in foreign, countries where we do not 

 have bilateral agreements) — for instance, EPA or HUD activities e.g. in United 

 Kingdom, Fulbright-Hays activities, and the extensive NSF support activities 

 which involve foreign activities? 

 Contacts and liaison are usually arranged through the State Department com- 

 munications channel based on instructions or requests originating in the other 

 agencies. Since the Attache is often called on by other agencies to assist in ne- 

 gotiations or in obtaining foreign government agreement to cooperative efforts 

 the contacts are often close. 



In some countries such agencies cannot operate except through the Embassy 

 and therefore the contact and liaison between the Attache and the other agency 

 is very close. 



9. Does the Attache have a role in the exchange of information between the U.S. and 



a foreign country — e.g. we frequently have visitors from other countries who 

 despair of the difficulties in trying to get information about executive agency or 

 congressional publications in S & T? They say they have only the resources 

 of the US IS to use. Does the Attache have, in his office lists of bibliographic 

 sources such as the GPO catalogue, NTIS bibliography, or hard copies of 

 documents? 

 Limited resources sometimes restrict what might be immediately available. 

 When the Attache does get a request for information not available in his office he 

 sends a telegram to -OES in the Department which obtains the necessary infor- 

 mation or forwards the request to the appropriate U.S. agency. 



USIS and commercial hbraries at Embassies are also>'ery useful in handling 

 such requests. The Attache does not ordinarily have bibliographies or an ex- 



