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[ACTION] Action/Peace Corps (1)
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Records of the Office of the Chief of Staff (Reagan Administration)
James Baker's Memorandums
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Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Digital Library Collections
This is a PDF of a folder from our textual collections.
Collection: Baker, James A.: Files
Folder Title: [ACTION] Action/Peace Corps (1)
Box: 01
To see more digitized collections
visit: https://reaganlibrary.gov/archives/digital-library
To see all Ronald Reagan Presidential Library inventories visit:
https://reaganlibrary.gov/document-collection
Contact a reference archivist at: [email protected]
Citation Guidelines: https://reaganlibrary.gov/citing
National Archives Catalogue: https://catalog.archives.gov/
Corps
POSTAGE AND FEES PAID
U.S.MAIL
D.C. 20525
ACTION
©
Use, $300
Honorable Francis S. M. Hodsoll
Deputy Assistant to the President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
WHITE HOUSE MAID
RECEPTION & SECURITY
AUG 10 1981
informated
E-132
PRESERVATION.COPY
Tile
806 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
1961
PEACE
Washington, D.C. 20525
1981
CORPS
AUG 18 1981
Honorable Francis S. M. Hodsoll
Deputy Assistant to The President
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Frank:
I am delighted to bring you good news following my first
extensive domestic trip in support of the Peace Corps
under the leadership of President Reagan. The objectives
of my itinerary to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Denver
were fourfold:
- to continue to inspect and review our recruitment
program,
- to kick off major recruitment drives in each city,
- to continue this year's special 20th Anniversary
celebration, and
- to take the word to staff, former Volunteers, and
current recruits that the Reagan Administration
solidly and conscientiously supports a strong Peace
Corps.
At the well-known and prestiqious Commonwealth Club in San
Francisco, before an audience of nearly 500, I was proud
to be able to say that the Peace Corps is a government
program that works. Volunteerism being the lifeblood of this
Administration, I related to those Bay Area community leaders
that Peace Corps is a cost effective investment that pays
excellent dividends to the receiving countries and to the
United States alike. I am enclosing for you a copy of my
address. The speech represents my hopes and plans for the
Peace Corps.
-2-
In each of the three cities, I was on local television and
radio and met with editors and reporters, again imparting the
message that Peace Corps development assistance is needed in
the 1980's more than ever. A highlight was the Sixth Annual
Peace Corps Fair, held at the University of Denver. There,
local Peace Corps alumni and our recruitment office jointly
sponsored activities that included fifty country booths and
displays, dances, music and international food. More than 2000
Denver citizens attended. This sort of community initiative and
interest is one reason Colorado is the top provider of Peace
Corps Volunteers on a per capita basis. As I spoke at the Town
Hall of California, in Los Angeles, my newly confirmed Deputy,
Everett Alvarez, was off to San Diego to meet the media and
Peace Corps alumni, likewise stimulating our recruitment efforts.
While this trip was highly successful, it is but the beginning
of a concerted nationwide effort to boost recruitment, our
life's blood. Our organization is effective and respected by
host governments in direct proportion to the quality and
quantity of dedicated and well trained Volunteers America sends
overseas. Prime Minister Edward Seaga, of Jamaica, speaking
at our 20th Anniversary National Conference in June, called for
more agronomists. Africa needs more health workers today than
it did in the 60's. The world's rapidly shrinking forests call
for more and more Americans with forestry and natural resource
degrees. Latin American governments are requesting Volunteers
to help initiate beginning special education programs. The
public needs to know the severity and urgency of the development
problems that threaten peace, and it needs to know that Peace
Corps is alive and well in the 80's, working on these problems.
I will continue in the weeks and months to come to report to
you our success and improvements, as well as our challenges
and problems. I count on your leadership and guidance. I hope,
with your help, that we can rekindle in the public's mind the
enthusiasm and support for the Peace Corps that we need to con-
front these monumental development problems overseas.
Sincerely yours,
Los
Loret Miller Ruppe
Director
Enclosure
806 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
1961
PEACE
Washington, D.C. 20525
1981 CORPS
ADDRESS BY
LORET MILLER RUPPE
DIRECTOR
PEACE CORPS
COMMONWEALTH CLUB
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
JULY 24, 1981
1.
I AM VERY HAPPY TO HAVE BEEN INVITED TO ADDRESS THIS
ILLUSTRIOUS FORUM TODAY. WHENEVER I TOLD ANYONE IN
WASHINGTON DC THAT I WAS FLYING OUT HERE TO SPEAK TO
YOU ABOUT THE PEACE CORPS, THEY WERE IMPRESSED. AND
YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO IMPRESS WASHINGTON ABOUT
LIFE BEYOND THE BANKS OF THE POTOMAC
SO I COME TO YOU
TODAY WITH RESPECT AND I HAVE LOOKED FORWARD TO THIS
OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME TIME.
AS PEACE CORPS CELEBRATES ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY, THE
QUESTION ARISES, "WHY A PEACE CORPS IN THE 80'S?" IT'S
A QUESTION WHICH COULD NOT FIND A BETTER FORUM THAN HERE
TODAY, AND IT SHOULD BE TREATED AS ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS
TOPICS OF OUR DAY. SPEAKING OF TODAY, THE QUESTION OF
"WHY A PEACE CORPS IN THE 80'S?" SHOULD BE DISCUSSED ON
THE TODAY SHOW, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, AND I HOPE IN THE
MONTHS AHEAD, IT WILL BE. IT SHOULD BE ON DONAHUE, ON THE
TONIGHT SHOW, ON EVERY NEWS AND TALK SHOW. IT SHOULD
BE WRITTEN AND DISCUSSED IN EVERY NEWSPAPER, MAGAZINE, AND
JOURNAL IN AMERICA, AND I HOPE DURING THE COMING MONTHS
AND YEARS OF THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION, IT WILL BE. A
START HAS BEEN MADE DURING THIS 20TH ANNIVERSARY, TO RE-FOCUS
OUR IMAGE BUT MUCH OF THAT FOCUS WAS ON THE PAST. THE
FOCUS NOW MUST BE ON THE FUTURE, ON THE CHALLENGES OF
THE 80'S. THE PEACE CORPS' WAY OF VOLUNTEER, PERSON-TO-PERSON,
2.
SELF HELP PROJECTS SHOULD BE FOREMOST IN THE HEARTS AND
MINDS OF ALL AMERICANS, AND IN THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF ALL
LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD WHO HAVE SIMILAR INTERNATIONAL
VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS: GERMANY, JAPAN, CANADA, BRITAIN,
FRANCE, AND THE UN WITH ITS UNITED NATIONS VOLUNTEER PROGRAM.
PEACE CORPS'
AND OTHERS'
WAY OF HUMAN CARING AND SHARING
WHICH THE DEVELOPING WORLD HUNGERS FOR, AND WHICH SHOWS
"THE BEST THAT IS IN US" WHEN WE RESPOND THIS SHOULD HAVE
BEEN ONE OF THE PRIMARY TOPICS OF DISCUSSION AT OTTAWA, OR AT
ANY GATHERING OF WORLD LEADERS, AND WE HOPE TO BUILD
SUPPORT SO IT WILL BE, BECAUSE IF WE ARE TO LIVE IN A
WORLD TRULY AT PEACE, IT MUST BE.
I REPRESENT A GOVERNMENT AGENCY THAT HAS GREAT CREDIBILITY,
LIKE YOUR ORGANIZATION, BUT WHOSE FINE WORK FOR THE PAST
TEN YEARS OR SO, CONTRARY TO YOURS, HAS BEEN SUBMERGED
WITHIN THE MAINSTREAM OF AMRICAN LIFE. THERE ARE TOO
MANY PEOPLE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES WHO, WHEN PEACE CORPS
IS MENTIONED, SAY, "OH, IS THAT STILL AROUND? I HAVEN'T
HEARD OF IT IN YEARS." TO SAY THAT THIS IS A MATTER OF
CONCERN FOR US WOULD BE TO CHARACTERIZE IT TOO LIGHTLY.
IT IS OF GRAVE CONCERN. RECENTLY I ATTENDED AN EMBASSY
GATHERING GIVEN BY ONE OF OUR HOST COUNTRIES. I WAS TALKING
WITH A WELL-KNOWN COLUMNIST'S WIFE. I HAD MY PEACE CORPS
3.
BUTTON PINNED PROUDLY ON MY DRESS. SHE LOOKED AT IT AND
ECHOED THE QUESTION WHICH IS TOO PREVALENT TODAY: "PEACE
CORPS? IS IT STILL ALIVE? IS IT STILL AROUND?"
HOW CAN THIS BE? HOW CAN AMERICANS NOT KNOW? WHY AREN'T
THEY GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO STAND UP AND BE PROUD OF A
GOVERNMENT PROGRAM THAT HAS TAPPED THE SPIRIT OF AMERICA?
THAT BOARD SPIRIT OF VOLUNTEERISM, OF WHICH PRESIDENT
REAGAN SO OFTEN SPEAKS, CALLING IT "A SPIRIT THAT FLOWS
LIKE A DEEP AND MIGHTY RIVER THROUGH THE HISTORY OF OUR
NATION
"
THIS LOSS OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORK OF OUR VOLUNTEERS, I
FEAR, HAS MADE US LOSE SEVERAL GENERATIONS OF POTENTIAL
AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS AT A TIME WHEN THEY ARE NEEDED MORE
THAN THEY EVER WERE. WHEN I AM OUT IN THE FIELD TALKING
WITH VOLUNTEERS, I LIKE TO ASK THEM, "HOW DID YOU GET
INTERESTED IN PEACE CORPS?" THEY ALMOST UNIVERSALLY SAY
THEY STARTED THINKING OF BEING A VOLUNTEER FROM THE TIME
THEY WERE 13 OR 14 YEARS OLD. BUT YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY, AND
AMERICANS OF ALL AGES, ARE NOT AWARE OF THE FACT THAT RIGHT
NOW, OVERSEAS, THERE ARE 5400 OF THEIR BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
725 OF WHOM ARE FROM THIS GREAT STATE OF CALIFORNIA. THESE
5400 AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS ARE WORKING IN 60 COUNTRIES AROUND
THE WORLD, AT THIS VERY MOMENT.
4.
WHAT ARE THEY DOING? 45% TEACH SPECIFIC SKILLS OR ACADEMIC
SUBJECTS; 19% WORK IN HEALTH OR NUTRITION; 15% WORK IN
AGRICULTURE; 7% IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT; 5% IN ENERGY
CONSERVATION AND COMMUNITY SERVICE; 4% IN WATER SUPPLY
AND SANITATION. THEY ARE LIVING UP TO THE TRUE AND BASIC
MANDATE OF THE PEACE CORPS ACT PROMOTING WORLD PEACE AND
FRIENDSHIP BY SHARING AMERICA'S TALENTS AND SKILLS, ITS
TRAINED MANPOWER, WITH COUNTRIES WHO MORE AND MORE ARE ASKING
AMERICA FOR THESE VOLUNTEERS, AND WHO NEED THEM MORE NOW
IN 1981 THAN IN 1961 WHEN THE PEACE CORPS WAS BORN. THEY
NEED THEM MORE BECAUSE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, DUE TO INFLATION,
DUE TO THE ENERGY CRISIS, DUE TO GROWING POPULATIONS AND
SHRINKING FOOD SUPPLY, ARE PUTTING WORLD PEACE AND SURVIVAL
ON THE LINE.
SO I COME TO YOU TODAY, TO REAFFIRM THE PEACE CORPS, TO
PRAISE A GOVERNMENT PROGRAM, TO TELL OF THE WORK, THE
DEDICATION, AND THE COMMITMENT OF OVER 80,000 AMERICANS
WHO HAVE SERVED IN THE PAST TWENTY YEARS. 80,000 PEOPLE,
OVER 14,000 OF THEM FROM CALIFORNIA (THANK YOU!!), YOUNG, OLD,
IN BETWEEN, ALL RACES, ALL FAITHS, MEN AND WOMEN FROM
ALL WALKS OF LIFE--SOME HIGHLY SKILLED FROM A LIFETIME OF
HONING THAT SKILL IN THE MARKETPLACE SOME NEWLY GRADUATED
FROM COLLEGE WITH A PARTICULAR SKILL SOME WITH GENERAL
5.
SKILLS THAT WE CAN TRAIN IN AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES, BASIC
HEALTH, RURAL SANITATION, TO BECOME AN EFFECTIVE AGENT OF
CHANGE IN A COUNTRY THAT IS REACHING OUT TO IMPROVE THE
LIFE OF ITS PEOPLE, THAT SEES THESE AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS AS
A NECESSARY ELEMENT OF ITS BASIC DEVELOPMENT.
AFTER 20 YEARS, I AM PROUD TO TELL YOU AND THE PEOPLE OF
CALIFORNIA THAT THIS IS A GOVERNMENT PROGRAM THAT HAS WORKED.
THIS IS A COST EFFECTIVE VENTURE THAT YOU, AS AMERICAN
TAXPAYERS AND AMERICAN BUSINESS PEOPLE, CAN BE PROUD OF.
YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO ASK ME, "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT,
HOW CAN YOU SAY IT'S WORKED? I HAVEN'T HEARD OF THE PEACE
CORPS IN YEARS AND WHEN I HAVE HEARD OF IT, OFTEN IT'S
BEEN SOME INCIDENT
PEACE CORPS BEING ASKED TO LEAVE A
COUNTRY, OR PEACE CORPS BEING A BUNCH OF DRAFT DODGERS OR
LONG-HAIRED HIPPIES
"
WELL, LET ME TELL YOU THE REAL STORY. IN THESE MONTHS
SINCE TAKING OFFICE, I HAVE BECOME AN EXPERT
THOUGH I
WOULD BE THE FIRST TO SAY THERE IS ALWAYS MORE TO BE
LEARNED
DEVELOPMENT WORK IN A COUNTRY IS A LONG AND SLOWLY
EVOLVING PROCESS, AND DEVELOPMENT WORK OF A GOVERNMENT
DIRECTOR MAY TAKE EVEN LONGER!
BUT I AM BECOMING AN EXPERT
AT LISTENING TO THE SUCCESS STORY OF THE WORK OF OUR PEACE
CORPS VOLUNTEERS, MOVING FORWARD FROM THOSE FIRST VOLUNTEERS
6.
WHO GOT OFF THE PLANE IN GHANA IN 1961 SINGING THAT COUNTRY'S
NATIONAL ANTHEM IN TWI, GHANA'S NATIVE TONGUE, TO OUR
LATEST GROUPS OF TRAINEES WHO JUST LEFT FOR MALI, SIERRA
LEONE, AND SENEGAL, THIS VERY MONTH
AND A VERY SPECIAL
GROUP THAT JUST LEFT FOR GHANA, WHICH MAKES A 20 YEAR LINK
OF VOLUNTEER WORK WITH THAT COUNTRY.
IF YOU WERE TO ASK, "WHY A PEACE CORPS IN THE 80'S?"
WHO WOULD YOU GO TO TO GET A VALID REPORT? WOULDN'T IT BE
LOGICAL TO ASK AMERICANS WHO HAVE LIVED AND WORKED OVERSEAS,
OF THEIR IMPRESSIONS? IN WASHINGTON, ALL THE NEWLY APPOINTED
AMBASSADORS MAKE COURTESY CALLS ON THE HEADS OF WHATEVER
AGENCIES HAVE INPUT INTO COUNTRIES THEY REPRESENT. I
WANT TO REPORT TO YOU THAT I HAVE NOW HAD MEETINGS WITH
APPROXIMATELY TWENTY AMBASSADORS, WHO REPRESENT EXTENSIVE
OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE. EACH ONE HAS TOLD ME THAT THEY CONSIDER
OUR PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS AND THEIR WORK TO BE ONE OF
THE MOST POSITIVE AND APPRECIATED AMERICAN PRESENCES IN THE
COUNTRIES THEY HAVE SERVED IN
AND THEY ASK ME TO KEEP THE
SAME NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS, OR BETTER YET, SEND MORE.
WHERE ELSE WOULD YOU GO FOR A VALID REPORT. I HAVE MET
WITH EACH ASSISTANT SECRETARY AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT---
THEY EACH REPRESENT A REGION OF THE WORLD AND THEY TELL ME
THE SAME THING. THE REALIZATION THAT THE WORK OF THE VOLUNTEERS
7.
IS TRULY HELPING DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, EVEN IF AN INCH AT
A TIME. IT'S HAPPENING! TWENTY YEARS OF INCHES HAVE
PRODUCED A YARDSTICK OF POSITIVE RESULTS, AND HAVE MADE
PERMANENT BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP, IN MANY CASES KINSHIP
BETWEEN THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS AND INDIVIDUAL
VILLAGERS, FARMERS, EDUCATORS, BUSINESSMEN, AND GOVERN-
MENT OFFICIALS IN THOSE 90 COUNTRIES WHERE PEACE CORPS
HAS HAD PROGRAMS.
JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO, PEACE CORPS SPONSORED ALONG WITH
THE PEACE CORPS INSTITUTE AND THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF
RETURNED VOLUNTEERS, A 20TH ANNIVERSARY NATIONAL CONFERENCE
AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY IN WASHINGTON DC. NEARLY 2000 FORMER
PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS, FROM ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES,
ATTENDED. I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH PRESIDENT
REAGAN THE DAY BEFORE THE CONFERENCE. THERE, IN THE OVAL
OFFICE, WITH A PEACE CORPS BUTTON PINNED TO HIS LAPEL,
HE TOLD ME OF HIS DEEP INTEREST IN AND COMMITMENT TO THE
VOLUNTEER SPIRIT OF AMERICA.
THE PRESIDENT AND I TALKED ABOUT THE PEACE CORPS--TALKED
ABOUT HOW IT AND ACTION, THE DOMESTIC VOLUNTEER AGENCY,
ARE REALLY THE HEART OF THIS ADMINISTRATION. THERE IS NO
LESS A NEED FOR "HEART" IN 1981 THAN THERE WAS IN 1961.
IF YOU WERE RESEARCHING "WHY THE PEACE CORPS IN THE 80'S?"
WOULDN'T YOU GO TO COUNTRIES WHERE PEACE CORPS HAS PROGRAMS,
TO SEE WHAT THE LOCAL LEADERS AND PEOPLE SAY? I DID, AND
WHEN I WAS WITH PRESIDENT REAGAN, I TOLD HIM OF MY FIRST
TRIP ABROAD. IN MAY, I TRAVELLED TO GUATEMALA, HONDURAS,
AND ECUADOR. I BARELY WAS OFF THE PLANE IN GUATEMALA CITY
8.
WHEN I WAS DRIVEN QUICKLY TO THE NATIONAL BUILDING. THERE
THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE SPENT AN HOUR EXTOLLING THE WORK
OF THE VOLUNTEERS. HE WAS ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN OUR
FISHERIES PROGRAM.
ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR PROGRAMS IS FRESH WATER FISHERIES,
IT HAS SUCH QUICK RESULTS AND SUCCESS. WE CAN TAKE A
WELL-MOTIVATED AMERICAN
IT IS BEST IF THEY HAVE SCIENCE
OR BIOLOGY BACKGROUND
AND TRAIN THEM TO BE ABLE TO EN-
COURAGE VILLAGE FARMERS TO DIG A POND, FILL IT, STOCK A
FAST-GROWING FISH, AND WITHIN THREE MONTHS THEY CAN HARVEST
A CROP OF PROTEIN-RICH FOOD AND REFILL THE POND AND
START THE CYCLE ANEW. YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THAT WE ARE
PRIMARILY LOCATED IN COUNTRIES WHERE THERE MIGHT BE A
50 PERCENT INFANT MORTALITY RATE
50 TO 70 PERCENT MAL-
NUTRITION, A PER CAPITA AVERAGE INCOME OF $160 A YEAR.
TO PROVIDE SUCH A PLACE WITH A SYSTEM OF PRODUCTIVE
FISH PONDS GIVES A WHOLE AREA A SOURCE OF INCOME AND A
SOURCE OF PROTEIN. IT GIVES THEM A FUTURE.
A HIGH RANKING OFFICIAL WHO WAS AT A RECENT MEETING
BETWEEN PRESIDENT REAGAN AND PRIME MINISTER TRUDEAU,
QUOTED THE PRESIDENT AS SAYING:
9.
THE BEST WAY FOR DEVELOPED COUNTRIES TO HELP
"HAVE NOT" NATIONS IS TO TEACH THEM HOW TO FEND
FOR THEMSELVES.
AT THIS MEETING, THE PRESIDENT WENT ON TO SAY THAT HE
STRONGLY BELIEVES THAT
THE BEST THING WE CAN DO FOR THE LESS-DEVELOPED
COUNTRIES IS TO DEMONSTRATE TO THEM EXACTLY HOW
THEY CAN BRING ABOUT ECONOMIC ADVANCE AND GROWTH
ON THEIR OWN.
WHO IS BETTER EQUIPPED TO GIVE THAT DEMONOSTRATION IN 1981
THAN PEACE CORPS, OUR VOLUNTEERS, AFTER 20 YEARS OF
EXPERIENCE?
AT OUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE, PRIME MINISTER SEAGA
OF JAMAICA CAME TO WASHINGTON, DC SPECIFICALLY TO ADDRESS
US. HE IS A HARVARD EDUCATED ECONOMIST. HE KNOWS THE
PEACE CORPS, HE WAS PRESENT ÁT THE SWEARING IN OF THE
FIRST GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS IN JAMAICA, AND HE HAS FOLLOWED
OUR HISTORY CLOSELY. HERE IS WHAT HE SAID:
IN THIS WORLD OF ORDINARY PROBLEMS AND ORDINARY
FOLK, HELPING TO BUILD A WATER TANK, TEACHING
FARMERS IN THE FIELD, BRINGING LITERACY TO THE
UNSCHOOLED, ARE MIGHTIER MESSAGES OF INTERNATIONAL
FRIENDSHIP THAN THE TREATIES AND CONCORDS WHICH
RESOLVE CONFLICTS AND HOSTILITIES BETWEEN STATES.
10.
PRIME MINISTER SEAGA IS ONE OF OUR GREAT SUPPORTERS TODAY.
HE IS ASKING US FOR AGRICULTURALISTS, AGRONOMISTS, AND
OTHERS WHO CAN HELP TRAIN HIS TRAINEES. HE WANTSTO SEE
THE PEACE CORPS DO MORE OF THIS IN THE 80'S TO HAVE
MORE OF A MULTIPLIER EFFECT. THIS IS ONE OF OUR CHALLENGES
FOR THE 80'S AND I HOPE YOU CAN HELP US MEET IT.
TIME AFTER TIME, DURING MY TRIP TO CENTRAL AND SOUTH
AMERICA, IDENTICAL SUPPORT FOR THE WORK OF THE PEACE
CORPS WAS VOICED
BY PRESIDENTS, MINISTERS, LOCAL
OFFICIALS, HEALTH, EDUCATIONAL AND AGRICULTURAL LEADERS
THIS IS TRULY IMPRESSIVE
IT IS A TESTIMONIAL TO WHAT
HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. BUT WHEN IT ALL REALLY HITS HOME,
IS WHEN AFTER HOURS OF BOUNCING AROUND ON DIRT ROADS,
TRAVERSING MOUNTAIN SIDES WHERE NO SUCH THING AS A GUARDRAIL
EXISTS, YOU COME TO A SMALL VILLAGE WHERE ONE OR TWO
AMERICANS HAVE BEEN SERVING. THEY MIGHT COME FROM A
SMALL FARM TOWN NEAR SALINAS, OR ONE OF THE MANY CALIFORNIA
CAMPUSES THAT HAVE BEEN SO GENEROUS TO PEACE CORPS
SUDDENLY, THE WHOLE VILLAGE ASSEMBLES AT THE ADOBE SCHOOL
HOUSE AND YOU JOIN THEM, SITTING ON KINDERGARTEN CHAIRS ON
A DIRT FLOOR, NO GLASS IN THE WINDOW SPACES, LITTLE
CHILDREN, OLD PEOPLE, FARMERS, ANIMALS MINGLING AS FAMILY
THE ENTIRE POPULATION POURS IN, AND A SPOKESPERSON STANDS
11.
UP AND SAYS, "WE WANT TO THANK AMERICA FOR THIS HELPER
YOU HAVE SENT US. WE KNOW WE ARE POOR, BUT THIS PERSON
IS HELPING US AND OUR CHILDREN TO HAVE A BETTER LIFE."
HOW I WOULD LOVE TO BRING A FILM CREW WITH ME, AND BRING
THESE SCENES BACK TO THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER VIA NATIONAL
TELEVISION! THE TAXPAYERS DESERVE TO KNOW THAT THEIR GIFT
AND THE GIFT THESE VOLUNTEERS BRING IS APPRECIATED. I
KEEP TELLING PEOPLE I HAVE THE BEST JOB IN THIS ADMINISTRA-
TION. I GET TO WORK FOR WORLD PEACE, TO TRAVEL, AND
EVERYONE THANKS ME FOR THE WORK OF THE VOLUNTEERS!
WELL, I WANT TO THANK YOU BECAUSE IT IS THE SPIRIT OF
VOLUNTEERISM IN AMERICA AND YOUR TAX DOLLARS THAT MAKES THIS
ALL POSSIBLE.
EVERETT ALVAREZ, OUR NEW DEPUTY DIRECTOR, A NATIVE OF THIS
GREAT STATE AND THE LONGEST HELD PRISONER OF WAR IN
VIETNAM, GREW TO KNOW RONALD REAGAN WHEN HE WAS GOVERNOR
HERE. HE WAS WARMLY WELCOMED BACK FROM NEARLY NINE YEARS
IN A HANOI PRISON CAMP, AND GIVEN INCREDIBLE FRIENDSHIP
AND SUPPORT BY THE REAGANS IN THE EARLY '70'S. HE WANTED
TO WORK FOR PEACE IN THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION, AND HE CHOSE
THE PEACE CORPS. HE RECENTLY RETURNED FROM NORTH AFRICA
AND FOUND THE SAME STRONG SUPPORT FOR OUR VOLUNTEERS, AND
AGAIN, REQUESTS FOR MORE VOLUNTEERS.
12.
FOREIGN AMBASSADORS FROM PEACE CORPS COUNTRIES COME TO SEE
ME, AND THEY ECHO THIS ENTHUSIASM FOR AMERICA'S WORK. AM-
BASSADOR TAU FROM LESOTHO WAS IN MY OFFICE LAST WEEK; SHE
BROUGHT WARM GREETINGS FROM HER GOVERNMENT AND THEN SAID:
WE KNOW AMERICA HAS ECONOMIC PROBLEMS, BUT IT
IS OUR ENDLESS PLEA AND EARNEST REQUEST THAT YOU
DO NOT CUT DOWN ON THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS IN
MY COUNTRY.
IF ONE STILL ASKS, "WHY A PEACE CORPS IN THE 80'S?"
TO THEM I SAY, ASK TUNISIA
ASK MOROCCO
THAILAND,
THE PHILLIPINES
JAMAICA
ASK AMBASSADOR TAU
ASK
ALL OF OUR COUNTRIES WHERE OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE SERVING.
YOU LL CONTINUE TO FIND THAT OUR PROGRAM OVERSEAS HAS BEEN
A WISE INVESTMENT.
WHY DO I USE THAT TERM "WISE INVESTMENT?" BECAUSE THAT'S
WHAT IT HAS BEEN. DID YOU KNOW THAT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
HAVE BECOME THE FASTEST GROWING CUSTOMERS OF US EXPORTS,
TRIPLING THEIR PURCHASES SINCE 1973, AND NOW BUYING MORE
THAN ONE THIRD OF ALL US EXPORTS
?
ONE OUT OF EVERY THREE ACRES OF AMERICAN FARMLAND PRODUCES
FOOD FOR EXPORT, MUCH OF IT TO THE THIRD WORLD. ONE POINT
TWO MILLION AMERICAN MANUFACTURING JOBS NOW DEPEND ON EXPORTS
TO THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
13.
AND CONVERSELY, DEVELOPING NATIONS CURRENTLY SUPPLY US WITH
MORE THAN 40 PERCENT OF OUR IMPORTS.
THE UNITED STATES IS INCREASINGLY DEPENDENT ON THIRD WORLD
COUNTRIES FOR ESSENTIAL RAW MATERIALS VITAL TO OUR
ECONOMY AND SECURITY. WE IMPORT FROM DEVELOPING
NATIONS 85 PERCENT OF THE BAUXITE REQUIRED FOR ALUMINUM
PRODUCTS. WE OBTAIN 93 PERCENT OF OUR TIN FROM DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES. OUR COUNTRY EARNED MORE THAN $16 BILLION FROM
OUR DIRECT INVESTMENTS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD IN 1978.
THAT SAME YEAR, US FIRMS INVESTED NEARLY $6 BILLION IN
THAT WORLD.
THIRD WORLD DEVELOPMENT MEANS MORE TRADE AND MORE JOBS FOR
MORE AMERICANS. WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MORE TRADE AND
MORE JOBS FOR AMRICANS, BY HELPING COUNTRIES DEVELOP A
VIABLE ECONOMY, WHICH IN TURN MAKES LIFE MORE LIVEABLE FOR
ITS CITIZENS
THEN YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT A DOUBLY WISE
INVESTMENT
AN ECONOMIC INVESTMENT AND A PEACE INVESTMENT-
PETER MCPHERSON, A FORMER PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER AND NOW
ADMINISTRATOR OF THE AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT,
IS WORKING ON GETTING AMERICAN BUSINESS, THE PRIVATE SECTOR,
MUCH MORE INVOLVED IN THE THIRD WORLD. PEACE CORPS AND
AID OFTEN MESH RESOURCES ON PROJECTS ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
WE PROVIDE THE VOLUNTEERS AND AID PROVIDES THE FUNDS. FOR
14.
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. WE WANT THAT WORTHWHILE COORDINA-
TION TO CONTINUE AND TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS POSSIBLE. AND
ONE OF THE REASONS IT IS TRULY MORE EFFECTIVE NOW IS THAT
OVER 500 FORMER PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS ARE NOW WORKING AT
AID. THIS IS ANOTHER BENEFIT OF PEACE CORPS' 20 YEARS
AS AMERICA'S FINEST GRADUATE SCHOOL IN INERNATIONAL
UNDERSTANDING.
AND YOU KNOW, IT IS A SCHOOL, BUT WE NEED TO REMIND OUR
OWN COUNTRY OF A RESOURCE SO HIGHLY PRIZED ABROAD. DO
YOU REALIZE, FOR INSTANCE, THAT THE US TODAY IS EDUCATING
FEWER PEOPLE IN A LANGUAGE THAN IT WAS IN 1915??
THE PEACE CORPS HAS EDUCATED OVER 80,000 AMERICANS IN A
SECOND LANGUAGE AND THIS IN A STEADILY SHRINKING--
EVER MORE INTERDEPENDENT WORLD
ONE OF OUR PEACE CORPS' GRADUATES HAS EXPRESSED SOME
SPECIFIC IDEAS FOR UTILIZING MORE FULLY THE SKILLS OUR
VOLUNTEERS BRING BACK. CAL WILLIAMS, NOW 2ND VICE
PRESIDENT WITH CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, ADDRESSED OUR 20TH
ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE ON WAYS TO STRENGTHEN AN EXCHANGE
BETWEEN PRIVATE ENTERPRISE AND THE PEACE CORPS. YOU IN
THIS AUDIENCE CAN HELP US IMPLEMENT SOME OF HIS SUGGESTIONS
FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY:
15.
WE'D LIKE TO SEE RETURNED VOLUNTEER INTERNSHIPS,
IN PLACE, IN MAJOR CORPORATIONS:
WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE BUSINESS SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAMS SPECIFICALLY FOR RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS;
WE'D LIKE YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE FURTHER EXPANSION
OF SABBATICAL PROGRAMS AND LEAVES OF ABSENCE FROM PRIVATE
CORPORATIONS;
WE WANT TO BORROW THE EXPERIENCE OF MIDDLE
MANAGEMENT AND, FOR AN EVEN TRADE, GIVE THEM OVERSEAS
EXPOSURE THAT WILL DIRECTLY BENEFIT THEIR COMPANIES BACK
HOME HERE IN AMERICA.
THERE'S SO MUCH MORE WE CAN SHARE! CAL MADE ONE
STATEMENT WHICH SAID IT BEST: "THE VALUES EMBODIED IN
THE PEACE CORPS, AND THE DYNAMISM OF AMERICAN PRIVATE
ENTERPRISE, ARE TWO PILLARS ON WHICH TO BUILD A MORE
JUST WORLD."
PEACE CORPS NEEDS YOU AND YOUR HELP IN THE 80'S.
CAN YOU SHARE YOUR RECRUITING SKILLS WITH US? WE HAVE
BEEN UNABLE TO FILL ALL THE REQUESTS WE RECEIVE FOR PEOPLE
WITH MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND TECHNICAL EXPERTISE
WE WANT TO REACH OUT TO EARLY RETIREES WITH VOCATIONAL
AND MECHANICAL SKILLS
WE NEED MORE MINORITIES
MORE
OLDER AMERICANS
WE NEED FORESTERS, SCIENTISTS
TRADES-
PEOPLE
AND VERY IMPORTANTLY, WE NEED YOU TO COMMUNICATE
16.
THE PEACE CORPS STORY, TO PUT IT BACK IN THE MIND AND
HEART OF AMERICA, WHERE IT BELONGS.
I'D LIKE TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT SOME OF OUR PEACE CORPS
ALUMNI. WE HAVE TWO FORMER VOLUNTEERS IN THE SENATE.
WE HAVE 3 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. A FORMER PCV
WAS JUST MADE AMBASSADOR TO MALI
A FIRST FOR PEACE CORPS.
WE HAVE PETER MCPHERSON AND HIS DEPUTY ASSISTANT AND 500
OTHERS WORKING AT AID.
IN SAN FRANCISCO, WE HAVE BILL STRAWN
A
VOLUNTEER
IN THAILAND
NOW WORKING AS DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY
TO MAYOR DIANE FEINSTEIN. I WAS JUST GIVEN A BEAUTIFUL
PLAQUE BY YOUR MAYOR'S OFFICE, COMMEMORATING THE OFFICIAL
PEACE CORPS WEEK COMING UP JULY 27 THROUGH THE 31ST
WE ARE GOING TO PUT ON AN INTENSIVE RECRUITING DRIVE
DURING THAT WEEK
(THANK YOU MAYOR, AND BILL!!)
ROBERT HAAS, A VOLUNTEER FROM THE IVORY COAST, IS NOW
HELPING THE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT OF LEVI STRAUSS AND COMPANY
AS ITS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
SUSAN SILK IS HERE, BACK FROM
VENEZUELA DUTY AND NOW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE COLUMBIA
FOUNDATION
SUSAN'S WORK WITH THE FOUNDATION WILL HELP OUR
THIRD GOAL, TO EDUCATE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ABOUT THE
DEVELOPING WORLD
WE HAVE BETSY WHITE, A PAKISTAN VOLUNTEER
AND CURRENT LEADER AT THE ASIAN FOUNDATION, CONCENTRATING ON
WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT
BOB BUFFIN SERVED IN VENEZUELA, AND
17.
HE'S HERE NOW ON THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD.
AND CLAY COLE WAS IN COLOMBIA WITH PEACE CORPS
HE'S
NOW VICE PRESIDENT FOR ALL LATIN AMERICAN OPERATIONS FOR
WELLS FARGO BANK. AND FINALLY, HERE WITH US TODAY IS
BILL REESE, FROM LOS ALTOS HILLS AND STANFORD, AND CURRENTLY
OUR IN-HOUSE SUCCESS STORY FOR THE PEACE CORPS. BILL WORKED
EIGHT YEARS IN BRAZIL BEFORE TAKING ON HIS MOST RECENT
"24 HRS. A DAY DUTIES" AS DIRECTOR OF OUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY
ACTIVITES.
I COULD GO ON, AND ON. THE PEACE CORPS IS A MULTI-COLORED,
MULTIFACETED TAPESTRY IN THE FABRIC OF AMERICAN LIFE.
BUT LET ME END WITH THIS. THE ENTIRE QUESTION OF PEACE
THAT BEAUTIFUL FIVE LETTER WORD WHICH WE ALL TREASURE AND
SAY WE CRAVE FOR
IS UP FOR GRABS IN THE 80'S. A QUESTION
MUST BE ANSWERED ABOVE AND BEYOND THIS FORUM: IS PEACE
SIMPLY THE ABSENCE OF WAR, OR IS IT REALLY THE ABSENCE
OF CONDITIONS THAT BRING ON WAR? THE CONDITIONS OF HUNGER,
DISEASE, POVERTY, ILLITERACY, DESPAIR
WHEN 50 PERCENT OF THE CHILDREN IN A VILLAGE DIE
BEFORE THEY ARE FIVE
WHEN A CHILD DIES OF DYSENTARY OR MEASLES FOR LACK
OF MEDICAL ATTENTION
WHEN A WOMAN, FOR LACK OF A WELL, HAS TO WALK TWO
MILES TO A STREAM FOR WATER AND THEN SEARCH FOR
SEVERAL HOURS FOR WOOD TO COOK WITH
18.
WHEN A FARMER OR VILLAGER HAS NO SOURCE OF INCOME
WHEN A VILLAGE'S YOUTH AND MEN FLEE TO THE CITIES
WHICH HAVE NO JOBS FOR THEM
WHEN RAIN FORESTS ARE STRIPPED AND NO NEW PLANTING DONE.
WHEN INFANT MORTALITY HOVERS AT 50 PERCENT AND
MALNUTRITION BETWEEN 50 AND 70 PERCENT
WHEN MILLIONS OF REFUGEES LANGUISH IN SOMALIA,
SUDAN, AND BANGLADESH
THEN LET'S FACE IT, AMERICA, THE WORLD IS NOT
AT PEACE.
I THROW DOWN A CHALLENGE TO YOU THE CHALLENGE OF PEACE.
AND FROM MY VANTAGE POINT AS DIRECTOR OF THE PEACE CORPS,
REPORTING DIRECTLY TO PRESIDENT REAGAN, I SAY TO YOU:
"WHY THE PEACE CORPS IN THE 80'S?" BECAUSE IF WE HERE
IN THIS GREAT COUNTRY, SO BLÉSSED, DO NOT FULLY ACCEPT AND
STRONGLY SUPPORT THE PEACE MAKING ROLE OF VOLUNTEER DEVELOP-
MENT WORK, EPITOMIZED BY THE PEACE CORPS, THEN, TO PARAPHRASE
LINCOLN
TO "BIND UP THE NATION'S WOUNDS
" BUT IN THE 80'S
IT'S "THE WOUNDS OF THE WORLD" THERE WILL BE NO TRUE PEACE.
JOIN US, SUPPORT US, BE A VOLUNTEER FOR PEACE.
THANK YOU.
Peace Corps
Washington, D.C. 20525
Office of the Director
July 13, 1981
File Peace Cerpec
Honorable Francis S. M. Hodsoll
Deputy Assistant to the President
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Frank:
The Peace Corps began its celebration of its 20th Anniversary
on October 14, 1980, at the University of Michigan. During
the succeeding months many cities across the United States
and many countries overseas have held birthday celebrations
and there are more scheduled during the rest of the year.
These events have been planned not just to commemorate twenty
years of Peace Corps service but to highlight to our Returned
Volunteers, who now number over 80,000 and the American public,
just how effective this government program continues to be.
Peace Corps volunteer development type work is needed more
now in the 80's than in 1961 when it was started.
The central event planned for Peace Corps' 20th Anniversary was
to be a National Conference of Returned Volunteers, the first
held since 1964. I am pleased to report that it was a tre-
mendous success. Close to 2,000 Returned Volunteers, former
staff, panelists and special guests participated.
President Reagan sent a special message to the Returned Volun-
teers which I delivered in my welcoming remarks (a copy is
enclosed). It was warmly received.
Prime Minister Seaga was one of our honored speakers. This is
taken from his message
-2-
"80,000 volunteers have, in 20 years, become
missionaries to a common cause; helping people
to help themselves. In one single month the
Peace Corps affects the lives of more than one
million people in 60 different countries. This
unblemished success can only mean that in the
design of the Peace Corps a unique formula emerged,
defying social law, equivalent to an international
friendship perpetual motion machine. That formula
is in fact the theme of my address.
Other highlights included talks from Cardinal Kim Sou Hwan,
Archbishop of Seoul, South Korea; and Peter McPherson, Adminis-
trator of the Agency for International Development. In addition,
the registrants participated in a number of interesting and thought
provoking workshops which addressed the major issues facing the
developing world.
The media coverge was widespread and included The New York Times,
The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and CBS network news.
The reports were very positive.
Perhaps the greatest achievement of the conference was imparting to
the Returned Volunteers that the Peace Corps is alive and well
under the leadership of the Reagan Administration. They returned
to their communities with a renewed commitment to help recruit a
new generation of Peace Corps volunteers with the scarce skills
that so many of the Third World countries are asking us for now.
Again, thank you for your continued support of the Peace Corps.
Sincerely,
yours
Loret Miller Ruppe
Director
Enclosures (2)
The only negative report was an attach leveled by
Human Events three weeks after - written by someone
who did not attend the Conference r never tacked
to me to check on the truth.
Hope we can visit soon.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
June 18, 1981
During the past twenty years, more than 80,000
American men and women have left their families,
their jobs, and the security and familiarity of
their homes to help the people of other lands
under the banner of the Peace Corps.
For twenty years, these citizens have volunteered
their time, their talents, and their goodwill to
help others help themselves.
I congratulate the men and women of the Peace
Corps and Loret Ruppe, your new Director. May
this Twentieth Anniversary Conference on the
campus of Howard University underscore a con-
tinuing dedication to involved citizenship and
serve as an inspiration to all of us.
You have my best wishes for a successful
conference.
Ronard Reagan
STATEMENT BY THE HONOURABLE EDWARD SEAGA
PRIME MINISTER OF JAMAICA
TO THE PEACE CORPS CONFERENCE
HOWARD UNIVERSITY
WASHINGTON, D.C.
FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 1981.
IT HAS BEEN TWO DECADES SINCE THE PEACE CORPS WAS ESTABLISHED
BY THE LATE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY, IN 1961.
IN THAT PERIOD, A NEW DIMENSION OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS HAS
EMERGED WHICH HAS CREATED A CHAIN OF PEOPLE TO PEOPLE LINKS
AROUND THE WORLD OF IMMEASURABLE STRENGTH AND CHARACTER.
THE WORLD OF INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY HAS PRODUCED ITS EMISSARIES
AND NEGOTIATORS DIRECTED TO OFFICIALLY IMPORTANT TASKS.
TO THE WORLD OF THE PEACE CORPS, INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS AND
CONVENTIONS ARE STRATOSPHERIC ARRANGEMENTS, BEYOND THE PERCEPTION
OF THE HUMBLE FOLK WITH WHOM THEY TOIL.
IN THIS WORLD OF ORDINARY PROBLEMS AND ORDINARY FOLK, HELPING TO
BUILD A WATER TANK, TEACHING FARMERS IN THE FIELD, BRINGING
LITERACY TO THE UNSCHOOLED, ARE MIGHTIER MESSAGES OF INTERNATIONAL
FRIENDSHIP THAN THE TREATIES AND CONCORDS WHICH RESOLVE CONFLICTS
AND HOSTILITIES BETWEEN STATES.
80,000 VOLUNTEERS HAVE IN 20 YEARS, BECOME MISSIONARIES TO A
COMMON CAUSE; HELPING PEOPLE TO HELP THEMSELVES. IN ANY SINGLE
MONTH THE PEACE CORPS AFFECTS THE LIVES OF MORE THAN ONE MILLION
PEOPLE IN 60 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.
IN A SENSE THE GREATEST TRIBUTE THAT CAN BE PAID TO ACHIEVEMENTS
OF THE PAST 20 YEARS IS THAT THE WORK OF THE PEACE CORPS HAS BEEN
A CUMULATIVE AGGREGATION OF INTERNATIONAL GOODWILL, DEVOID OF THE
SCARS OF CONTROVERSY AND HOSTILITY WHICH HAVE INEVITABLY DEGENERATED
THE MOST CAREFUL PLANS.
THIS UNBLEMISHED SUCCESS CAN ONLY MEAN THAT IN THE DESIGN OF THE
PEACE CORPS A UNIQUE FORMULA EMERGED, DEFYING SOCIAL LAW,
EQUIVALENT TO AN INTERNATIONAL-FRIENDSHIP PERPETUAL-MOTION-MACHINE.
THAT FORMULA IS IN FACT THE THEME OF MY ADDRESS.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS FOUNDED ON PROGRAMMES OF INTERNATIONAL
ASSISTANCE ARE TRADITIONALLY BASED ON THE PREMISE OF AN INVESTMENT
OF CAPITAL, TECHNOLOGY, OR ACCESS TO MARKETS.
THE PEACE CORPS TOOK THE NON-TRADITIONAL ROUTE: IT IS AN
INVESTMENT OF PEOPLE IN PEOPLE.
WHEN THIS CONCEPT WAS FORMALISED AND INITIATED WITH THE BIRTH OF
THE PEACE CORPS IT GAVE RISE TO THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL MIDDLE
LEVEL MANPOWER CONFERENCE. THE CONFERENCE WAS HELD IN PUERTO
RICO AND PRESIDED OVER BY VICE-PRESIDENT LYNDON JOHNSON IN 1963.
I HAD THE HONOUR TO ATTEND THAT CONFERENCE AS THE MINISTER
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PEACE CORPS IN MY OWN COUNTRY.
-2-
THAT CONVERENCE SPAWNED MANY MORE INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER
MOVEMENTS WHICH IN TURN INCREASED THE FLOW OF VOLUNTEERS
ACROSS THE WORLD.
THE IMPACT OF THIS ON THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS SOON BECAME EVIDENT.
IN MOST DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, RURAL AREAS LAG SUBSTANTIALLY BEHIND
URBAN AREAS IN THE LEVEL AND RATE OF DEVELOPMENT. THE RURAL
SECTOR, ALREADY LACKING IN THE CAPITAL AND TECHNOLOGY CONCENTRATED
IN THE URBAN SECTOR, FACE A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF RURAL SKILLS
MIGRATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES.
WITHOUT SKILL, NEITHER CAPITAL NOR TECHNOLOGY CAN BE
PRODUCTIVELY USED. THE RESULT IS FURTHER RETROGRESSION IN THE
LOW GROWTH SECTOR, SPURRING MORE SKILLS TO MIGRATE.
UNLESS THIS CYCLE IS BROKEN, NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY BECOMES
IN THE MAIN, AN URBAN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. YET FEW DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CREATE A DYNAMIC DEVELOPMENT THRUST
IN THEIR RURAL SECTORS, AND THE REASON IN GOOD PART HAS BEEN
LACK OF SKILLS.
THE PEACE CORPS IT MAY BE SAID, WAS THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL
MOVEMENT TO PENETRATE THIS BARRIER. THE VOLUNTEERS REVERSED THE
FLOW OF MIGRATING SKILLS, ADDING A DYNAMIC DIMENSION OF HUMAN
RESOURCE TO THE IMPOVERISHED RURAL SECTORS OF MANY MANY COUNTRIES.
MORE THAN THAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED. THE INVESTMENT OF PEOPLE IN
PEOPLE, IN THE CASE OF THE PEACE CORPS, BROKE THROUGH THE TOUGH
SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS OF RACE, COLOUR, CLASS AND CREED.
CHRISTIANS SERVED WITH PAGANS, BLACKS WITH WHITES, ANGLOS WITH
INDIANS, MANAGEMENT WITH WORKERS, DEMONSTRATING THAT THE
IMPROBABLE WAS POSSIBLE, AND ALONG THE WAY RELEASING FROM THE
BONDAGE OF PREJUDICE A NEW PEOPLE FORCE.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STRATEGY WAS NOT MERELY A SYMBOLIC
BREAKTHROUGH OF SOCIAL BARRIERS. IT GAVE REINFORCEMENT TO THE
NEGLECTED DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY OF BUILDING FROM THE BOTTOM UP
RATHER THAN FROM THE TOP DOWN.
YET THIS IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE. CONSIDER THE PROTOTYPE
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT - HIGH CAPITAL COST, RELIANCE ON
TECHNOLOGY, AVAILABLE SKILL, - A RELATIVELY EASY MARRIAGE OF
RESOURCES.
AS THE DEVELOPMENT COMES ON STREAM FROM THIS TOP LEVEL MIX IT
INVOLVES AT THE BOTTOM THE SKILLED WORKER WHO IS TRAINED TO
WATCH A MACHINE AND PULL A LEVER WHEN A PIECE OF METAL IS
IN PLACE, OR TO SEW TWO SECTIONS OF CLOTH TOGETHER AND PASS
THEM ON IN A PROCESS WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY BECOME A SHIRT: OR
TO ASSEMBLE COMPONENTS FABRICATED ELSEWHERE TO PRODUCE A RADIO.
-3-
AND ALL THIS ON REGULAR HOURS IN A BUILDING SHELTERED FROM
SUN AND RAIN.
CONSIDER NOW THE REVERSE PROCESS, THE AGRICULTURAL PROTOTYPE
DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL LAND UNITS WHICH IS THE OCCUPATION OF 40%
TO 80% OF THE POPULATION IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD.
HERE THE TASK BEGINS, NOT ENDS, WITH THE WORKER - THE FARMER
IN THE BUILDING PROCESS THAT MOVES FROM BOTTOM TO TOP.
GENERALLY, HE IS ON THE AVERAGE, MIDDLE OR PAST MIDDLE AGE.
HE LEFT SCHOOL OVER THREE DECADES AGO WITH LOW LEVEL LITERATE
AND NUMERATE SKILLS. HIS EXISTENCE DEPENDS ON A RELATIVELY
LOW YIELD PRODUCTION SCRATCHED OUT WITH HAND LABOUR AND
PRIMITIVE TOOLS EXPOSED TO THE BLAZING SUN AND DRIVING RAIN.
PRIMITIVE AS THIS MAY BE, HE IS EXPECTED TO MASTER A WIDE
RANGE OF SKILLED KNOWLEDGE. HE MUST BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY SOIL
TYPES, APPLY TECHNIQUES OF PLANTING OR HUSBANDRY, PROTECT
WHAT HE GROWS OR REARS FROM INSECTS, PESTS AND FUNGUS, CONSERVE
AND PROTECT HIS LAND, AND REAP AT THE RIGHT TIME WITH THE RIGHT
SKILLS, LESS WHATEVER PERISHES FROM DROUGHT, DISEASE AND RAIN.
HOPEFULLY AT THE END, HE WILL FIND A MARKET PLACE ABLE TO OFFER
HIM A CASH RETURN, SUBJECT TO MARKET GLUTS WHICH HE CANNOT
FORECAST.
I SUBMIT THAT THIS DEVELOPMENT PROCESS REQUIRES FAR GREATER
SKILLS THAN THE MATCHING OF SECTIONS OF CLOTHING FOR A STRAIGHT
STITCH OPERATION, OR THE FABRICATION OF WOODEN OR METAL COMPONENTS,
OR THE FILLING OF CANS OR BOTTLES ON THE ASSEMBLY LINE.
YET THE SKILLED HAVE MIGRATED TO THE UNSKILLED JOBS, LEAVING THE
UNSKILLED TO MASTER THE SKILLED JOBS.
ANY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY BUILDING FROM THE TOP DOWN IS THE
EASIER OPTION, BUT IN THE TERMS OF POPULATION REACH IT HAS
DIRECT IMPACT ON THE LESSER NOT THE GREATER PART OF THE COUNTRY.
IT IS FOR THAT REASON THAT MY GOVERNMENT PROPOSES AN AMBITIOUS
AND FAR-REACHING ATTEMPT TO ASSAULT THIS PROBLEM. IT IS OUR
INTENTION TO PROGRAMME A COMPREHENSIVE RURAL DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMME, THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF WHICH ARE BEING PUT TOGETHER
AT THIS STAGE. IT WILL BE A MAJOR STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMME
SPREAD OVER SOME FIFTEEN YEARS.
BUT WE ARE NOT IN ANY DOUBT THAT THE SUCCESS OR FAILURE OF THIS
AMBITIOUS PROJECT WILL ULTIMATELY TURN ON THE EXTENT OF SKILLS
AVAILABLE TO MOBILISE AND TRAIN THE RURAL PEOPLE.
THE TERM "TRAINING"OF COURSE SOUNDS VERY ACADEMIC AND HAS A
BUILT IN OBSTACLE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE PRACTICAL RATHER THAN
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND.
-4-
BUT IN THE RURAL SECTOR, DEPLETED OF SKILLS, THE MASTERY OF
ANY VOCATION IS A TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY.
IF YOU WILL PARDON ME FOR MAKING ONE MORE REFERENCE TO MY
COUNTRY AND TO OUR PLAN FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT, LET ME TELL
YOU HOW WE PLAN TO MOBILISE AND TRAIN MIDDLE LEVEL AND LOWER
LEVEL SKILLS.
RECOGNISING THAT IN MANY CASES MOST EXPENDITURE IS INVESTED
IN HARD STRUCTURES, WE DECIDED TO SET UP DAY TRAINING CAMPS
IN TENTS TO INSTRUCT IN A VARIETY OF LOWER-LEVEL AND MIDDLE
LEVEL SKILLS.
FOR AGRICULTURAL PROJECTS WE WILL TRAIN YOUNG PEOPLE TO BUD,
GRAFT, CIRCUMPOSE, SPRAY, PRUNE, HARVEST, DETECT DISEASE AND
CONTOUR LAND.
DIFFERENT PEOPLE WILL LEARN DIFFERENT SKILLS FROM THIS LIST AND
BECOME SPECIALLY TRAINED IN THEIR FIELDS. THIS TRAINING WILL
BE THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL.
HENCE A SECOND REASON FOR TENTS, TO ALLOW THE MOBILITY TO
FOLD THE TENTS AND SHIFT CAMP TO A CITRUS FIELD OR COFFEE
FARM, OR BANANA PLANTATION.
ANOTHER SET OF TRAINING CENTERS WILL CONCENTRATE ON VOCATIONAL
SKILLS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION, CRAFTS, THE HOTEL INDUSTRY
MOVING FROM PLACE TO PLACE AS THE TRAINING NEED ARISES.
WE CALL THESE "TALENT CENTRES" BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT EVEN THE
NON-LITERATE DROPOUT HAS A HIDDEN TALENT TO USE HIS HANDS.
THE OBJECTIVE IS TO REVERSE THE PROCESS OF HUMAN DECAY BY
CONVERTING THE UNDER-UTILISED RESOURCE OF THE UNSKILLED TO A
PRACTICAL AND PRODUCTIVE APPLICATION LEADING TO A BETTER LIFE.
TWENTY-FIVE OF THESE "TALENT CENTRES" WILL BE SET UP IN JAMAICA
THIS YEAR, ALL UNDER TENTS, TRAINING NEARLY 2,500 TRAINEES.
ALL THIS IS RELEVANT TO THE PEACE CORPS IN THE SENSE THAT IS
DEFINES A PRACTICAL SCHEME FOR PEACE CORPS INVOLVEMENT WHICH
COULD OCCUR IN ANY OF MANY COUNTRIES AND WHICH SERVES TO
ILLUSTRATE THE LEVELS AT WHICH VOLUNTEERS CAN SERVE.
IF I MAY TRESPASS INTO THE REALM OF POLICY, THE QUESTION MAY BE
ASKED-- DOES THE VOLUNTEER : SERVE AS
1) A FRONT-LINE WORKER WHO BUDS, CIRCUMPOSES, SPRAYS,
DETECTS DISEASE, PRACTICES CARPENTRY OR CEREMICS, ETC;
2) AS A TRAINER OF 50 TRAINEES IN ANY OF THESE SKILLS;
3) AS AN INSTRUCTOR OF 20 TRAINERS WHO EACH TEACH 50
TRAINEES IN THESE FIELDS.
-5-
THE FRONT-LINE WORKER IS ESSENTIAL IN THE ENTIRE SCHEME AS
A DEMONSTRATION THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS CAN HAVE
A COMMON CAUSE, AN INVALUABLE ASSET IN COUNTRIES WHERE SOCIAL
PROBLEMS ARE AS GREAT AS ECONOMIC OBSTACLES.
BUT IN COST-BENEFIT TERMS, THE VOLUNTEER TRAINER WHO TRAINS
TRAINEES AND INSTRUCTORS WHO TRAIN TRAINERS, CAN MULTIPLY
THEIR EFFECTIVENESS BY 50 TO 1,000 FOLD, INCREASING FACTORALLY
THE EFFECT OF THE 5,400 VOLUNTEERS NOW IN THE FIELD BY DRAMATIC
MULTIPLES.
I SUBMIT THIS PROPOSAL NOT AS A COST-SAVING MECHANISM TO
EXPAND THE IMPACT OF THE 5 LOAVES AND 2 FISHES TO FEED 5,000,
NOR IS IT DESIGNED TO HELP MR. DAVID STOCKMAN IN HIS UNENVIABLE
TASK OF BUDGET PRUNING; IT IS PRIMARILY OUT OF A DESIRE TO SEE
AN EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE ROLE PLAYED IN THE INVESTMENT OF
PEOPLE-IN-PEOPLE WHICH, TO MANY DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, IS AN ESSENTIAL
PART OF THE STRATEGY TO A BALANCED DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.
THE PEACE CORPS PIONEERED THE FIELD PROGRAMME OF PEOPLE-
INVESTING-IN-PEOPLE AS A PRIME MECHANISM IN THE DEVELOPMENT
STRATEGY OF BUILDING FROM THE BOTTOM UP.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE THIRD DECADE OF THE OPERATION OF THE
PEACE CORPS, I TRUST THAT CONSIDERATION WILL BE GIVEN TO AN
EXPANSION OF ITS SEARCH, IN PART BY INCREASED NUMBERS, AND IN
OTHER PART BY A NEW DIRECTION WITH A NEW THRUST TO MULTIPLY ITS
IMPACT BY TRAINING FROM THE TOP OF THE STREAM.
I TRUST, TOO, THAT THE PEACE CORPS WILL EXTEND ITS PROCESS OF
RECRUITMENT NOT ONLY TO THE YOUNG AND IDEALISTIC BOUNDING
WITH ENERGY AND IDEAS, BUT EQUALLY SO THE RETIRED PENSIONER WITH
DECADES OF EXPERIENCE WHICH NO SCHOOL CAN IMPART, WHO LONG TO
CONTINUE A USEFUL LIFE, AND WHOSE ACQUIRED SKILL ON THE JOB,
RANK THEM AS INVALUABLE EXPERTS IN SKILL STARVED COMMUNITIES.
BY WAY OF THIS LONG INTRODUCTION, I CAN NOW CONCLUDE BY
ADDRESSING THE THEME ON WHICH I WAS INVITED TO SPEAK-A LATIN
AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE OF THE UNITED STATES ROLE IN DEVELOPMENT:
SIX MONTHS AGO IN AN ADDRESS TO THE COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAS IN
NEW YORK, I FIRST OUTLINED THE JAMAICAN PROPOSAL FOR A MARSHALL
PLAN TYPE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME FOR THE CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL
AMERICA.
THE PROPOSAL ENVISAGED A DOUBLING OF OFFICIAL AID FLOWS FROM
DONOR SOURCES WITHIN AND EXTERNAL TO THE REGION. THESE FLOWS
ARE VITAL TO LAY THE INFRA-STRUCTURE BASE NECESSARY TO ENABLE
HOST COUNTRIES TO ATTRACT EVEN GREATER FLOWS OF PRIVATE
INVESTMENT.
-6-
PRESIDENT REAGAN HAS TAKEN THE LEAD IN PROMOTING A CARIBBEAN
AND CENTRAL AMERICAN POLICY ON A MULTI-LATERAL BASIS CONVERGING
THE INTERESTS OF EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL DONOR COUNTRIES ON THE
NEEDS OF THE AREA.
THIS IS THE FIRST SERIOUS INITIATIVE OF MAJOR PROPORTIONS TO
HIGHLIGHT THE CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL AMERICA WHICH HAVE BEEN
TRADITIONALLY BY-PASSED AS SETTLED RESORT AREAS TOO PLEASANT
TO HARBOUR PROBLEMS.
RECENT EVENTS HAVE PROVEN OTHERWISE AND POLICY INITIATIVES BY
THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT REAGAN HAVE NOT LAPSED
IN RECOGNISING THE NEED TO RESPOND POSITIVELY AT THIS STAGE WITH
DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS RATHER THAN AWAIT THE DETERIORATION
WHICH EVENTUALLY PRECIPITATES CONTROVERSIAL MILITARY SOLUTIONS.
VENEZUELA, MEXICO AND TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO OF THEIR OWN ACCORD HAVE
ALREADY ADVANCED AN ADDITIONAL $800 MILLION PER ANNUM IN OIL-
CREDIT FACILITIES.
THE NEW DIMENSION WHICH I WISH TO INTRODUCE AT THIS TIME FOR
ALL THE FOREGOING REASONS SET OUT IN THE ADDRESS, IS THE VALUE
OF SKILL INVESTMENT IN THE TOTAL DEVELOPMENT THRUST.
TWENTY YEARS OF PEACE CORPS EXPERIENCE AND SUCCESS, BEGINNING
WITH THE FIRST DIRECTOR, THE INDEFATIGABLE SARGENT SHRIVER WHOM
I HAD THE PLEASURE TO MEET IN JAMAICA, HAS CREATED ON OF AMERICA'S
MOST UNHERALDED AND UNDER-UTILISED ASSETS.
IF THIS ASSET IS TO BE FULLY APPRECIATED BY GREATER UTILISATION,
THEN I PROPOSE THAT THE FIRST STEP IN THIS DIRECTION SHOULD BE
TAKEN BY LINKING ITS EXPANSION TO THE CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL
AMERICAN THRUST WHERE ITS ENLARGED ROLE AND NEW DIRECTION CAN
BE PLAYED OUT NEAR ENOUGH TO HOME BASE TO PERMIT EASY ASSESSMENT.
THE NEEDS OF THE CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL AMERICAN AREA ARE CRITICAL
ENOUGH TO ESTABLISH A PRIORITY.
THE REGION HAS 6 1/2% OF THE POPULATION BUT ONLY 1.2% OF THE GNP.
THE CHIEF PROBLEM, UNEMPLOYMENT, IS 15% OF THE LABOUR FORCE. TO
REDUCE UNEMPLOYMENT TO 5%, THE LEVEL ENJOYED BY INDUSTRIAL
COUNTRIES, WOULD REQUIRE $6 BILLION OF CAPITAL INVESTMENT.
INDEED, ONLY TO MAINTAIN UNEMPLOYMENT AT 15% REQUIRES $1.8
BILLION PER ANNUM -- A STAGGERING 25% OF GNP!!
YET WE ARE SMALL ENOUGH TO MERIT SPECIAL CONSIDERATION AS AN
AREA OF PRIME NEED WHICH BY SIZE OF POPULATION IS NOT TOO LARGE
TO PRESENT INSURMOUNTABLE PROBLEMS.
-7-
EXCLUDING MEXICO AND VENEZUELA, THE 38 COUNTRIES OF THE
REGION ARE LARGELY COMPRISED OF MINI-STATES OF WHICH NEARLY
20 ARE LESS THAN 200,000 PEOPLE, SEVERAL LESS THAN 50,000
POPULATION AND SOME AS SMALL AS 6,000 TO 15,000.
IN LAND MASS, NEARLY 20 STATES IN THE CARIBBEAN CAN BE
COMFORTABLY ACCOMMODATED IN THE EVERGLADES IN FLORIDA. WITH
THESE MAGNITUDES THE CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL AMERICA ARE NEITHER
TOO SMALL TO NEGLECT NOR TOO LARGE TO IGNORE.
THE PROVEN STABILITY OF 33 OF THE 38 COUNTRIES IS AN INVITATION
TO DEVELOPMENT. THE ESTABLISHED DEMOCRATIC SYSTEMS OF 30 OF
THE 38 COUNTRIES MAKE THIS AREA THE MOST DEMOCRATIC REGION
IN THE WORLD.
ALMOST ALL THE COUNTRIES ARE AT A MIDDLE LEVEL STAGE OF
DEVELOPMENT AND TOGETHER CONSTITUTE THE GROUP FROM WHICH THE
NEXT COUNTRIES WILL REACH SELF-SUSTAINING RATES OF GROWTH IN
THE WORLD ECONOMY, IF GIVEN THE RIGHT INPUTS.
ALL THE FACTORS ARE RIGHT FOR A DRAMATIC MULTI-LATERAL POLICY
THRUST TO MOBILISE RESOURCES FOR THE REGION.
THE LATIN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE OF THE UNITED STATES IS COGNISANT
OF THIS. WHAT MUST BE HOPED IS THAT THE POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR THIS
THRUST WILL RECOGNISE THE PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE INVESTMENT CAPABILITIES
OF THE PEACE CORPS AND PROMOTE ITS ROLE TO THE FORE FRONT.
THE 80,000 VOLUNTEERS CAN BE PROUD OF THEIR RECORD OF ACHIEVEMENT
OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES; THE FOUNDATION THEY HAVE CREATED OF
RESPECT AND INTEGRITY ON WHICH THE NEXT DECADE CAN BUILD, AND
THE PENETRATING ASSAULT THEY HAVE MADE ON SOCIAL BARRIERS AND
SKILL SHORTAGES ACROSS THE WORLD.
MAY THE NEXT DECADE OF THE PEACE CORPS SEE THE EMERGENCE OF A
YET MORE VITAL ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT FORGOTTEN AND DISTRESSED
PERSONS, LOW GROWTH AND NO GROWTH AREAS, IN THE TRUE TRADITION OF
PEOPLE WHO INVEST IN PEOPLE.
I HOPE THAT I SPEAK FOR THEM WHEN I WISH THE VOLUNTEERS, COUNTRY
DIRECTORS, AND THEIR ENTHUSIASTIC AND CHARMING NEW DIRECTOR
LORET RUPPE, MANY MORE YEARS OF SERVICE TO MANKIND, AND MANY
MORE YEARS OF BEING WANTED, NEEDED AND LOVED BY SO MANY COUNTRIES
OF THE WORLD.
1961
PEACE
806 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20525
1981
CORPS
File
corpe
June 24, 1981
Place
Honorable Francis S. M. Hodsoll
Deputy Assistant to the President
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Frank:
I have recently returned from my first overseas trip as
Peace Corps Director. I visited with Peace Corps Volunteers
in Guatemala, Honduras, and Ecuador. I am now more than
ever firmly convinced of the value of the Peace Corps' presence
in the Third World developing nations.
In Guatemala I met with President Lucas Garcia and other
officials who are genuinely appreciative of our work in
their country. Our volunteers and staff feel secure and I
am satisfied with the size and content of our program there.
In Honduras I met with President General Paz Garcia and his
wife as well as a number of his Ministers. They were all
very knowledgeable and supportive of the large program we
have there. I visited a number of the rural sites where our
work is very much in evidence. Basic human needs are still
our major effort. I saw simple things such as latrines and
small wood-burning stoves. Also, limited health clinics and
inoculation programs, and nutrition programs. Infant mortality
is over 50% with most deaths caused by amoebic dysentery
from contaminated water. There is SO much work to be done.
The program in Ecuador had some new emphases--special education
in the cities and reforestation in the country. Small model
farms are being developed by Peace Corps Volunteers also.
As in the other countries, the officials were very appreciative
of the Peace Corps. Perhaps the high point of my trip was
sitting in a dirt-floor school room high in the mountains
and having the President of the Village Council, a pistol in
his belt, tell me with tears in his eyes: "We are poor
people, but your American volunteers (a couple) have given
us hope. Please tell your President Reagan how much we
appreciate his sending this couple to us."
-2-
As we approach the FY 1983 budget, I want to reiterate how
important the Peace Corps is to the countries in which we
serve. It has been said that the Peace Corps is one of two
programs that has done more for America's image overseas
than anything else. My trip confirms that. I look forward
to meeting with you to give you a first-hand report.
Sincerely,
Loret Joset Miller Ruppe
Director
I already buifed you or this - just a follow-up!
my Regional Queetor just returned from
West africa - he found the same support 0
appreciation do america for the work of the Voluster!
The Conference wend well -Thanks for your
help!