The Foreign Service Journal, May 1966
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FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION VIEWS HAYS BILL In the fall of 1965, at the request of the Board of the Amer¬ Foreign Service Act Amendments of 1965 (HR 6277). ican Foreign Service Association, die Committee on Career In stating these views the Board has taken into consid¬ 1 Principles was reconstituted under the Chairmanship of Am¬ eration the interests and concerns of all the members of the bassador Samuel D. Berger, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Association which includes personnel from AID, USIA, the Far Eastern Affairs. Foreign Service Reserve and Staff corps as well as Foreign Since March 2, 1966, the Committee, at the request of the Service officers. President of the Association, devoted its attention to a study of the provisions of the Hays Bill (HR 6277) and, on April 8, (1) Subject to the comments which follow, the Board of submitted its report to the Board of the Foreign Service Asso¬ the Association supports the concept of a single Foreign ciation. During its numerous meetings it had reviewed the Service personnel system applicable to the employees of pertinent Congressional documents and had the benefit of the major foreign affairs agencies of the United States Gov¬ briefings by the Director General of the Foreign Service and ernment: The Department of State, the United States In¬ by members of the staff of the Deputy Under Secretary of formation Agency, and the Agency for International De¬ State for Administration. velopment. A careful study of the Secretary of State’s Because hearings on the Hays Bill were in progress in the letter to Senator Fulbright of February 15 and its 34 page Senate, the Board moved rapidly. On April 20, a special meet¬ attachment discussing the Hays Bill makes it clear that ing was convened and the report of the Committee on Career flexibility is the principal purpose of the new legislation Principles was accepted by the Board of the Foreign Service Association, with minor modifications. The vote was unanimous. and the Department’s chief concern. The Board favors In a letter addressed to Senator Albert Gore, the President flexibility of administration and believes that the rigidities of the Association and the Chairman of the Board of Directors arising from the present dual personnel system should be made the following statement on behalf of the Board: corrected. We must point out, however, that flexibility is a management tool; it is a means to overcome present de¬ ficiencies; it is not an end in itself. April 20, 1966 (2) Many of the provisions of the proposed bill con¬ Dear Senator Gore: cern matters of detail which occasion no controversy. Such sections as 24, 26, 27, 28, 33, and 34 of HR 6277 are ob¬ We have the honor to submit for your consideration the viously designed to correct inadequacies or to adjust to following comments of the Board of Directors of the changing conditions, and accordingly require no comment. American Foreign Service Association on the proposed (3) The Board respectfully requests an expression of Congressional opinion that the position of Deputy Under ’The Committee was composed of: Ambassador Robert New- Secretary for Administration be filled by a career Foreign begirt, FSO-relired; Joseph A. Greenwnld, Deputy Assistant Secre¬ tary for International Trade Policy and Economic Defense; Wil¬ Service officer. The administration of the Service is now so liam O. Boswell, Chief, Senior Officer Division: Miss Carol C. complex, and affects so profoundly the conduct of our l.aise, Director, Office of South Asian Affairs; William C. Kontos, foreign relations, that long experience in the Service is all Director, Personnel Administration (AID); David J. Linebaugh, Consultant, Policy Planning Council; William E. Knight, Assistant but indispensable to the effective performance of this job. Chief, Aviation Negotiations Division; David C. Cuthell, Director Such a rule, which would be basically similar to the prac¬ Office of Southwest Pacific Affairs; Jerry Doster, Director of Per¬ tice followed in many democratic countries of the world, sonnel (USIA); L. Bruce Laingen, Officer in charge Pakistan- Afghanistan Affairs; Frederic L. Chapin, Executive Secretary, AID; would help to ensure healthy continuity in the face of William Sherman, Special Assistant to the Deputy Under Secretary changes of Administration and would provide a further for Administration; Stephen H. Rogers, Office of Atlantic Political- guarantee that the administration of the Foreign Service Economic Affairs; Sol Polonsky, Office of Soviet Union Affairs; and Alexander L. Rattray, Executive Secretariat of the Department would remain separate from partisan politics. of State. Peter Sarros, Staff Assistant to Ambassador Ellsworth (4) Those sections of the bill which have engaged the Bunker, served as Secretary to the Committee; and Robert Don- hauser of the Director General's Office represented the Board of major attention of the Board are ones of broader import the Foreign Service Association in the Committee’s deliberations. where policy decisions under authority granted by the bill are left for administrative determination in the future. Par¬ The Board respectfully requests, therefore, the inclusion ticular attention has been focused on provisions which will in the reports of the Congressional Committees of a clear have long-term and broad effect on the concept and nature statement that it is the intention of Congress that the use of the Foreign Service career. The Board has examined of the “Unlimited FSR” category be limited to officers these provisions within the context of the needs to develop appointed by and serving with AID and USIA. The State a uniform personnel system for the three principal agencies Department’s very restricted need for this category could involved, while ensuring the maintenance of excellence in adequately be met under other provisions of the Foreign the foreign affairs field and encouraging the best qualified Service Act of 1946 as amended and as proposed in the candidates to continue to apply for both domestic and new legislation. foreign service. (9) The House Subcommittee on State Department Or¬ (5) The Board is informed that the intention is that the ganization and Foreign Operations was informed in May proposed Foreign Affairs Officer Corps will consist of offi¬ 1965 that there were 3,350 Foreign Service Reserve offi¬ cers whose permanent duty station is Washington but who cers (FSRs) in AID and 1,391 FSRs in USIA, including may, in exceptional cases and as the needs of the Service the 803 nominated or certified for nomination as FSOs. dictate, be assigned overseas for a limited period of time. The Board has been informed that the provisions of Sec¬ The Board has been further informed that there is no in¬ tion 517 of the Foreign Service Act of 1946 make possible tention or desire that this FAO Corps be permitted to the lateral entry of these FSRs into the FSO Corps. AID evolve into a corps of officers parallel to but separate from and the Department of State are currently discussing a pro¬ the FSO Corps, having access to all positions open to FSOs posed program under which a selected group of AID For¬ throughout the world, but not subject to the same obliga¬ eign Service Reserve officers would be considered for lat¬ tions or governed by the same procedures for admission, eral entry as Foreign Service officers over a period of five assignment, promotion or selection out. Since this intention years. The number to be considered in each year has not is nowhere stated in the text of the bill, the Board respect¬ been determined, but is understood, as now envisaged, it fully requests the inclusion in the reports of the Congres¬ would not exceed 100, or a total of 500 for the five-year sional Committees of a clear statement of the intent of period. The Secretary of State, in his letter to Senator Congress with regard to the role of the proposed FAO Fulbright, stated that over the next few years there would Corps. The development of a legislative history would ob¬ be “a phased program for the examination and selection of viate future controversy on this key issue. qualified AID officers under existing authority for lateral (6) The Board welcomes the indication it has reecived entry appointment. Thus an increase would occur in the that the promotion of FAOs will be handled separately number of Foreign Service Officers . .” from that of FSOs. It is now intended that FAOs will Recalling the personnel problems over the last ten years compete for promotion separately among themselves on a resulting from the Wristonization program, the Board must functional basis. In the light of differing methods of re¬ point out that a new large scale integration into the FSO cruitment of FAOs and FSOs, the dissimilar roles of the Corps would have an important bearing on the composi¬ two groups, and the absence of a provision for selection tion, class distribution and career prospects of the present out of FAOs for excessive time in grade, the Board be¬ FSO Corps.