891 



Chapter 2 



STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS 



THE U.S. DECISION TO WITHDRAW FROM UNESCO 



The Secretary of State notified the Director General of UNESCO on 

 December 29, 1983, that the United States would withdraw from UNESCO 

 on December 31, 1984. This letter of notification charged that UNESCO 

 had "extraneously politicized virtually every subject it deals with; 

 exhibits hostility toward the basic institutions of a free society, 

 especially a free market and a free press; and demonstrated unres- 

 trained budgetary expansion, "1 



Assistant to the President for National Security Robert C. McFarlane 

 noted, in a memorandum of December 23, 1983, to the Secretary of State, 

 the President's approval of notification of withdrawal, but also his 

 desire to promote meaningful changes in UNESCO during 1984.2 p^ second 

 memorandum of February 11, 1984, from McFarlane proposed a strategy 

 including an action plan and the mobilization of international support 

 to assist the effort to promote changes in UNESCO during 1984.3 



A U.S. Monitoring Panel, comprising 15 eminent citizens knowledge- 

 able in UNESCO's various areas of activity, was established in March 

 1984. It was instructed to report to the Secretary of State near the 

 end of 1984 on the degree and kinds of change that might have occurred 

 in UNESCO in the interim, with a view to assisting tha Secretary in 

 determining whether to recommend revision of the decision to with- 

 draw. 4 



Nonetheless, the State Department has stressed the fact that its 

 decision to withdraw is firm. Barring unforeseen changes and develop- 

 ments, it is assumed that the United States will no longer be a member 

 of UNESCO as of January 1, 1985. The Administration has also stressed 

 that the United States would continue to participate in programs that 

 meet the original goals of UNESCO and thereby "pursue international 

 cooperation in education, science, culture, and communications by 

 shifting our contribution to other appropriate bilateral, multilateral, 

 or private institutions. "5 jt should be noted, with reference to 

 pursuing UNESCO types of international cooperative activities through 

 other channels, that the current level of total U.S. mandatory contri- 

 butions to UNESCO is on the order of $50 million per year, with science 

 activities funded at about $14 million per year. 



During the period preceding the December 1983 announcement of the 

 decision to withdraw, a wide-ranging review of UNESCO activities was 

 carried out under the auspices of the Department of State. This review 

 drew on the views of a number of U.S. public and private institutions 



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