Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Norman Cousins, and S. Shepard Jones

3653 # DEPARTMENT OF STATE 906 ARCHIVES SERVICE" RECORDS "NATIONAL AND 24 Memorandum of Conversation DATE: January 22, 1952 SUBJECT: Report prepared by Mr. Norman Cousins, following his trip to India as a lecturer under the Smith-Mundt Law PARTICIPANTS: Secretary Acheson Mr. Norman Cousins, Editor, Saturday Review of Literature Mr. s. Shepard Jones, Officer in Charge, NEA/P COPIES TO: s/s G P NEA apo 1-1493 I saw Mr. Cousins at his request. After I had bid him welcome, he referred to the report he had prepared for Assistant Secretary Barrett and Assistant Secretary McGhee following his trip to India as a lecturer under the Smith-Mundt program. I expressed appreciation of Mr. Cousins' report and said that while I had read parts of it, I had not examined it fully, but looked forward to so doing. Mr. Cousins said that it was particularly important for American foreign policy to be stated by the President and the Secretary of State in humanistic terms which would make a real impact on the peoples of India and of Asia generally. He referred to that part of his report advocating what he called a "human Point Four program." He said it was in our interest to recruit on a voluntary basis thousands of doctors, nurses, scientists, technicians and social service workers to go to India. In reply I referred to our present Point Four program as one which was designed to achieve the main purpose to which he referred, but pointed out the practical difficulties of expanding it to the proportions ho envisaged. I mentioned the limitation of funds furnished by Congress for this purpose and the limitation of suitable personnel available to participate on a vastly in- creased scale. Mr. Cousins stated that he intended no criticism of our present Point Four policy, but felt it would make a greater impact on the Indian people if the human element and the disinterestedness of the United States was stressed in high level speeches. He also referred to the burning enthusiasm of many Americans who would like to serve abroad in such a humanitarian program. DECLASSIFTED E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) end 5(D) or Gon rdential Dapte of Scate detter, 5-12-76 WLT. He PARS Data 7-1-76