Now a second question which I know exists in the minds of you gentlemen even as it does with those of us working on the program: How do we know we are doing the right thing? How do we know we are effective? This is not a commercial enterprise with profit and loss statements and indices of sales volumes upon which to rely. This does not mean, however, that we are shooting in the dark. It does mean that we must operate on the basis of certain principles drawn from experience in the fields of advertising, publicity, public relations, journalism, and education. From such experience we have learned that people can be reached and influenced if the message is geared to their needs and is presented to them through channels they accept in a form that commands their attention and interest. May I outline for you a few of the steps we are taking to convert these principles into action? First we are endeavoring to obtain the best talent available in this country to advise and assist us in charting the conduct of the program. Many able and talented individuals are participating directly as regular or consultant members of our organization. Other outstanding specialists are serving in an advisory capacity as members of panels organized by the advisory commissions. I should be glad to document these statements. We are, in addition, utilizing the research facilities of some very outstanding organizations. Much of the work under way is highly technical and necessarily classified, but fundamentally practicable and tied down to the question of getting across the right ideas, to the right people, through the right means, in the right form. As the hearings progress, we will get down to cases. Meanwhile, we are receiving many reports from the field which indicates that our message is being received favorably. Mr. Hulten, who has recently visited overseas posts in Latin America and the Near East, is prepared to give you examples drawn not only from reports but from personal observation. Another standard by which we can appraise our efforts involves a backhanded approach which is open to some question but which cannot be completely overlooked-namely, the level of propaganda activity maintained, and the techniques employed, by the other side. Not only has there been no relaxation but the tempo has actually increased. The Communists' utter disregard for the truth is no longer news, but some of the extremes to which they are being forced in their effort to counter the truth may be. Finally, I should like to stress our increased emphasis on field operations. Having adequate field staffs and facilities will not only make it practicable for us to act with greater speed; it will enable us to get into our output the local color and intimacy which this type of activity requires. As one of our advisers puts it, "Selling is like climbing aboard a moving streetcar-it is much easier to run alongside before stepping aboard than to attempt to jump broadside from where you stand." The accomplishments of our Manila production center and other experiements in the field of local production more than ever convince us of the propriety of this emphasis. I have with me today Mr. Hulten, the general manager of the program, and the directors of the two offices who will assist me in answering your questions concerning the program and the budget estimates before you. EXPLANATION OF INCREASE Mr. BARRETT. As you pointed out, this appropriation represents an increase of roughly $45,000,000, slightly less than $45,000,000 over the appropriation for operations in 1951. I will point out that roughly, 68 percent of that increase is explained by the full year's operation at the level that will be reached at the peak of this year; approximately 8 percent of the increase is accounted for by the addition of three more countries to the 28 critical countries that this committee went into so thoroughly last summer. Mr. ROONEY. You are speaking of added language broadcasts; is that correct? Mr. BARRETT. As you remember last year the Department singled out 28 countries which were considered the more critical, considering at that time those countries from the psychological standpoint Mr. ROONEY. I still do not have an answer to my question. I inquired if you were speaking about language broadcasts. Mr. BARRETT. We were talking about three additional countries, for language broadcasts, and other activities are to be increased under this request. Mr. ROONEY. What countries are they? Mr. BARRETT. Those countries-may I give their identification off the record? Mr. ROONEY. I do not know why you should go off the record. Mr. BARRETT. As you remember last year the identification of the primary target areas was left off the record by agreement between you and ourselves, for the simple reason that discussions will go abroad about broadcasting to certain countries which had been picked out for a particular psychological drive, and it seemed proper to have them off the record. Mr. ROONEY. I do not want the record to become involved at this point regarding a subject such as this, but who does not know all about this? What is the secrecy about it? Is it because you are an official of the State Department and you do not want to make a record of your statements concerning activities directed toward Mexico or some other nation which everybody knows is infested with a number of Communists? Mr. BARRETT. It is largely because I am a State Department official. (Off the record discussion.) ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE BROADCASTS IN FISCAL YEAR 1951 Mr. ROONEY. While we are at this point, as of today, how many additional language broadcasts have you commenced on the Voice of America since the time of the hearings a year ago? Mr. BARRETT. Those are in the process Mr. ROONEY. I asked the question: How many additional language broadcasts have been commenced over the Voice of America since you were here a year ago? Mr. BARRETT. Three additional languages have been started, and about five more are starting within the next 10 days. Mr. ROONEY. What are those three? Mr. BARRETT. Finnish; Amoya, a dialect; and Lithuanian. Mr. ROONEY. You don't know? Mr. BARRETT. We will supply the exact date when we get to the radio program. The remaining 24 percent of the increase is accounted for by a moderate step-up of activities in other areas of the world. In those areas we were able, in the current year, to merely maintain and hold operations at the existing level. It now becomes increasingly important to enlist the wholehearted and vigorous participation of these countries in the cause of the free world and to combat the troublesome Communist minority groups in those countries. It is the belief of the Department, it is the conviction of the Department PROGRESS TO DATE Mr. ROONEY. We have listened to general statements before, and we know what the purpose of the program is because we have appropriated the money for it right from the beginning. Let us get down to what you have been doing with all this money. Mr. BARRETT. You would like to have a statement on what we have been doing, and I would be glad to give you a broad statement of the progress to date. Mr. ROONEY. Tell us what has happened. PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED Mr. BARRETT. Including the difficulties we have faced. The funds for this campaign, it is true, have been available for approximately 6 months. In that period we have made progress. We have not batted 1,000 percent. We have faced difficulties, some of which were not anticipated. Mr. ROONEY. Let us talk about the difficulties for a moment. PROPOSED BUILDING PURCHASE IN NEW YORK Mr. BARRETT. Among the difficulties that I would like to state briefly, first, the desperate need in New York for a building for the Voice of America. The building that was discussed before this committee last year was proved, upon a careful resurvey, to be inadequate in the total floor space. The Public Buildings Service then sought out additional buildings. In the case of the buildings that were found at least roughly satisfactory, enormous resistance has been encountered on the part of the tenants who would have to be evicted. The result as of today, I regret to say, is that the Public Buildings Administration and the State Department have not yet acquired the building that is so badly needed by the Voice of America. That is one of the biggest problems. Mr. ROONEY. And that following the appearance before this committee last August with a request for such a building, and with testimony that it was sorely needed, that you needed the space, and that you could immediately move. Now you have spent some six hundred to seven hundred thousand dollars for additional rent and you still do not have a building. Is that correct? Mr. BARRETT. I cannot confirm the statement of the $700,000 for rent. We still do not have a building. Mr. ROONEY. How much has been paid for rent in New York, Mr. Wilber? Mr. WILBER. That is approximately right, about $600,000. Mr. ROONEY. Six hundred thousand dollars. Mr. BARRETT. In a year-it would be approximately $300,000 more for rent. Mr. WILBER. I believe that is correct. Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Barrett, if you had known you needed one and had gotten the building a year ago you would have had a saving of $600,000. Mr. HULTEN. The money for rent was included for the total fiscal year in your appropriation, because the office Mr. ROONEY. If you had gotten the building immediately some money would have reverted to the Treasury; isn't that so? Mr. HULTEN. That is correct. We have figured 5 or 6 months for construction and alterations that were necessary. Mr. BARRETT. We still desperately need a building. Mr. ROONEY. Do you recall this question, Mr. Hulten, and the answer you gave at the hearings last year on the supplemental appropriation bill, in August 1950: Mr. STEFAN. When could you make a change from these five or six other buildings; would it be as fast as Mr. Reynolds could get the buildings ready? Mr. HULTEN. I would think within a month or two. Mr. HULTEN. I am sorry, I must have misspoke myself, because it was never intended that we could build a studio with the electronic equipment that was involved and do the alteration necessary in a building within a month. Mr. ROONEY. Originally you came before this committee, Mr. Barrett, with a request for $7,000,000 to purchase a building on Park Avenue? Mr. BARRETT. Yes. Mr. ROONEY. The committee had extensive hearings with regard to it, and as the result turned down the request. Do you recall that? Mr. BARRETT. That is correct. Mr. ROONEY. For the reason you could locate your building within a larger area that the one which Mr. Meyer designated; is that correct? Mr. BARRETT. Yes. Mr. ROONEY. And subsequently the Public Buildings Service went out and found two buildings; is that correct? Mr. HULTEN. I do not believe that is exactly accurate. Mr. ROONEY. Do you not recall the Public Buildings Service coming up with one building on Eighth Avenue, and another building at Thirty-sixth and Tenth Avenue? Mr. HULTEN. Yes. Mr. ROONEY. Do you recall being asked what you suggested should be done in the matter? Mr. HULTEN. Yes. Mr. ROONEY. Do you recall that? Mr. HULTEN. Yes. Mr. ROONEY. Do you recall what you said? Mr. HULTEN. Yes. Mr. ROONEY. What did you say? Mr. HULTEN. Actually they came up with one Mr. ROONEY. No; what did you say? Mr. HULTEN. There was only one single building that was considered for the moment-there were several others Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Hulten, was the building on Eighth Avenue, known as the Printing Crafts Buildings, and a building at Thirtysixth and Tenth Avenue, presented to you at that time? Mr. HULTEN. They were presented with the suggestion that there was no space available, and we had our selection of the two. Mr. ROONEY. Did he not bring you down these two buildings? Did not Mr. Hunter from the Public Buildings Service do so? Mr. HULTEN. Yes. Mr. ROONEY. And you were given a choice of the two buildings? Mr. HULTEN. No; I do not believe that we were in exactly that sense. Mr. ROONEY. What is your recollection of this, Mr. Hulten? Mr. HULTEN. In the original hearings before this committee, during the course of the hearings, we were very much aware that it was a Public Buildings matter, and also that we were not responsibile within the State Department for acquiring space, and neither Mr. Barrett nor I was here at that time. It became evident, from the hearings, that the proposal which had been made by the Public Buildings Service was unsatisfactory to this committee. Subsequently, after the hearings had closed Mr. ROONEY. After the committee had turned down the entire appropriation of $7,000,000, requested for the first building; is that correct? Mr. HULTEN. I do not believe we appeared Mr. WILBER. The $3,000,000 allowed by the committee was in the supplemental request of $7,000,000. Mr. HULTEN. It was originally raised by you; with the cuts that went into it, it was $3,000,000. So that we asked Public Buildings as a consequence of the hearings to look around for additional buildings. They came up with a building which had previously housed the McGraw-Hill Co., which firm was moving into a building of its own. That was to be vacated very shortly. They also had several other buildings on which they had firm offers and they were conversing with us on it. One of those was the Printcraft Building. The Printcraft Building undoubtedly was more satisfactory from the standpoint of location and from the standpoint of the amount of space. The difficulty there, it appeared, was it housed a lot of heavy machinery which it would be difficult to relocate, and also that it would take an indeterminate amount of time to find another place to locate, and also it would cost a great deal to alter and repair it. At that time I said that I still felt that if we could get into a building immediately which had adequate space, without getting into difficulty with people in the locality because of their having to be evicted, Iwould prefer to get another location, in the belief that I believe it was desirable between the two, and that we could move faster in the McGraw-Hill Building. I subsequently testified before this committee, and a part of that testimony you have just read. I testified, in answer to a question from Mr. Stefan, that I had not had a chance to go up there, because I had been here, except we had indicated that we would like to look at the building, but I had been informed that it would be adequate for our purposes. Mr. ROONEY. You looked at the plans of the building? Mr. HULTEN. I looked at the plans of the building. I did not add up there were a number of plans-and I was assured by the Public Buildings Administration that we would have 250,000 square feet, net, in that building. We had indicated we would need as many as 270,000. At that time I indicated to them, over in your office subsequently, that we could get by with 250,000. |