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4526506
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House Floor Speech United States Information Agency, August 1, 1973
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4526506
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document
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House Floor Speech United States Information Agency, August 1, 1973
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Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers
Speeches
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U.S. Information Agency. (8/24/1982 - 10/1/1999)
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1973-08-31
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8
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1973
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1973-08-01
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8
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1973
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The original documents are located in Box D35, folder "House Floor Speech United States
Information Agency, August 1, 1973" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary
and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box D35 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
Remarks by Rep. Gerald R. Ford on the House floor, Wednesday, August 1, 1973.
Mr. Speaker, tod ay is the 20th birthday of the United States Information
Agency, the Federal agency which tells the American story abroad.
It Was on August 1, 1953, that
the late President Dwight D. Eisenhower
signed an executive order establishing USIA as an independent agency with the
responsibility for overseas information activities previously carried out by the
Department of tate and the Mutual Security Agency.
USIA operates 169 posts in 100 countries, communicating U.S. policies through
a variety of means. The Voice of America, USIA's broadcasting arm, produces and
broadcasts radio programs in 36 languages, broadcasting 858 hours per week. The VOA
provides 250 newscasts daily, disseminating reliable and authoritative news.
In the United States, USIA provides assistance to foreign journalists covering
public affairs
in this country.
Theodore C. Streibert served as USIA's fir st director. He was followed by
Arthur Larson, George V. Allen, Edward R. Murrow, Carl T. Rowan, Leonard H.
Marks, Frank J. Shakespeare, and the agency's present director, James Keogh.
Mr. Speaker, I salute the USIA on the occasion of its 20th anniversary for
doing a fine job of communicating our ideas, our policies and our institutions to
overseas audiences. The work of the USIA is vital to the succe So of our nation's
diplomatic
efforts and is helping us build a lasting
structure of
"
world peace.
President Nixon has issued a statement marking the 20th
anniversary of
the USIA. The President's message is as follows:
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
July 26, 1973
Twenty years ago, President Eisenhower signed the reor-
ganization plan which established a separate United States
Information Agency to communicate the objectives and
policies of the United States to the people of other nations
and to increase mutual understanding between the people
of the United States and other peoples of the world.
For two decades, the USIA has presented to the world reliable
information about our people, our culture, our aspirations
and our policies. As the relationships among nations have
changed and as we have moved from an era of confrontation
to a new and challenging period of negotiation, USIA's efforts
take on new importance. In a climate of lessened tensions
and increased negotiations, international relationships are
more complex and the issues more complicated. To succeed,
our policies must be understood, our motives made clear and
our ideals articulated. Truly there is a need today for a com-
munications effort in support of our diplomatic initiatives to
build a durable structure of peace in which those who would
influence others will do so by the strength of their ideas, not
by the force of their arms.
On this twentieth anniversary year of the United States
Information Agency, I extend to its staff serving at home and
abroad congratulations for a job well done and my best wishes
for the future.