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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release December 20, 1994
                  TEXT OF A LETTER FROM
             THE PRESIDENT TO THE SPEAKER OF
             THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND
                THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE
              COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

December 20, 1994

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. Chairman:)

As required by section 229(a) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995 (Public Law 103-236), I am submitting the enclosed final part of my report on the extent to which federally funded international exchange programs share similar objectives.

As I observed in my letter of July 28, 1994, United States Government educational, cultural, scientific, and professional exchange programs enhance communication and understanding between the United States and other societies. These programs are among our more effective tools for achieving long and intermediate range objectives of U.S. foreign policy.

The initial findings of the United States Information Agency (USIA) review of government-wide exchange programs concerned activities with foreign language and area studies dimensions. This analysis focuses on exchanges related to the encouragement of democratic processes abroad.

Strengthening democratic development and the intellectual foundations of democracy through the exchange of people and practical information is a vital complement to economic assistance to countries seeking to build democratic institutions and entrepreneurial cultures.

Programs that share similar objectives related to support of democratic development abroad are sponsored primarily by the Department of State, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, the Inter- American Foundation, the National Endowment for Democracy, the Peace Corps, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and USIA. These programs are described in the enclosure to this letter.

As always, my Administration will continue to work closely with the Congress to realize our shared goals of improving efficiency and reducing costs.

Sincerely,

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

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