larrydlauer
December 2, 2015 by larrylauer
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“There is some confusion about the definition of public diplomacy. Some in government see it as government communicating directly with foreign publics. But many outside government see it mostly as people-to-people communication, the kind of communication that can result from tourism and foreign study.”
Because I see international higher education as pure public diplomacy, I clarify my use of the term with my students in this way. Much of the confusion in the US is because there has not been a central home for public diplomacy since the Clinton administration. Before that, the United States Information Agency (USIA) was the home for people-to-people public diplomacy. It was separate from the state department and therefore enjoyed the credibility of not being associated with US foreign policy. But when president Clinton ended the agency and put the function inside the state department, that independent credibility was lost.
The potential of public diplomacy for the US is to demonstrate “the idea of America” independent of the complications of current foreign policy. A people-to-people approach demonstrates how individual freedom and human tolerance works on a day-to-day basis. The focus becomes conveying democratic values directly through real-life experiences.
Today this kind of public diplomacy is carried out by various associations, travel groups and nongovernmental organizations (NGO’s) such as Sister Cities International. The University of Southern California’s (USC) Center for Public Diplomacy is a higher education leader in exploring the possibilities of this broader people-to-people approach.
Some of my colleagues are more comfortable using the term “soft power” when describing the potential of international higher education. For them it seems to avoid some of this confusion. So I now use both terms. But whatever the term, the potential of the globalization of higher education to bring about greater cultural understanding, to educate true global leaders, and to harness university research expertise to solve world problems, is enormous.
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People-to-People Program
The People-to-People Program was established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on September 11, 1956 to enhance international understanding and friendship through educational, cultural and humanitarian activities involving the exchange of ideas and experiences directly among peoples of different countries and diverse cultures. President Eisenhower felt that creating understanding between people was essential to building the road to enduring peace and envisioned programs such as city affiliations, pen-pals, stamp exchanges, international sporting events, musical concerts, hospitality programs, theatrical tours and book drives as the means to achieving that goal - a critical goal in the existing Cold War climate.
The idea for People-to-People was President Eisenhower's but he envisioned the execution and implementation of this program coming from the country's citizens, not their government; however, the program did have initial links to the U.S. government through the United States Information Agency (USIA). The People-to-People Program was comprised of forty committees chaired by prominent leaders, businessmen and citizens from all walks of American life. The committees ranged from a Cartoonists Committee to a Sports Committee to a Medical Committee and were charged with coordinating programs and events in their areas of expertise.
"If we are going to take advantage of the assumption that all people want peace, then the problem is for people to get together and to leap governments -- if necessary to evade governments -- to work out not one method but thousands of methods by which people can gradually learn a little bit more of each other." -- President Eisenhower's remarks at the People-to-People Conference, September 11, 1956
Mission of the United States Information Agency, 1954 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 748, OF 247 United States Information Agency 1954 (2); NAID #12648972]Congratulations letter from President Eisenhower on 1st anniversary of the USIA. July 28, 1954 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 748, OF 247 United States Information Agency 1954 (3); NAID #12649142]Press Release regarding June 12 White House Conference on People-to-People Partnership. May 31, 1956[DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 764, OF 325 People-to-People Program (2); NAID #12649394]Letter from John Hanes Jr. regarding response to student exchange program. June 29, 1956 [John Foster Dulles Papers, Special Assistants Chronological Series, Box 10, Macomber-Hanes Chronological June 1956 (1); NAID #16383058]Letter, Abbott Washburn to Gabriel Hauge, August 27, 1956 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 749, OF 247 United States Information Agency 1956 (2); NAID #12649846]Memorandum of Conference with President. August 31, 1956 [DDE's Papers as President, DDE Diary Series, Box 17, August 1956 Diary-Staff Memos; NAID #16462278]President Eisenhower's remarks in Washington, D.C. September 11, 1956 [Public Papers of the President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1956. Government Printing Office. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=10599&st=&st1=]Newsletter, People-to-People News, Volume 1, No. 2. October 1956 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 765, OF 325 People-to-People Program (11); NAID #16436585]Memorandum from Abbott Washburn, USIA, to Staff Secretary Andrew Goodpaster regarding People-to-People Foundation, January 1957 [DDE's Records as President, President's Personal File, Box 851, PPF 47 People-to-People Foundation; NAID #16436537]Memorandum of Conference with President. March 5, 1957 [DDE's Papers as President, DDE Diary Series, Box 22, March 1957 Diary-Staff Memos (2); NAID #16462642]Summary of Report from Veterans Committee of People-to-People. July 1957 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 768, OF 325-AA Veterans Organizations Committee (1); NAID #16383545]Memorandum from President Eisenhower to Sherman Adams. August 12, 1957 (attachment not included)[DDE's Papers as President, DDE Diary Series, Box 26, August 1957-DDE Dictation; NAID #16462934]Memorandum of Conference with President regarding Ford Foundation support of the People-to-People Foundation. October 10, 1957 [DDE's Papers as President, DDE Diary Series, Box 27, October 1957 Staff Notes (2); NAID #16463073]Letter, President Eisenhower to Henry Ford II regarding People-to-People Foundation. October 10, 1957[DDE's Papers as President, Administration Series, Box 29, People-to-People Inc.; NAID #16436526]President Eisenhower's Notes for Files re fundraising difficulties. October 11, 1957 [DDE's Papers as President, Administration Series, Box 29, People-to-People Inc.; NAID #16436527]Letter, Charles Wilson, President of People-to-People Foundation, to Sherman Adams regarding Ford Foundation Memorandum. October 17, 1957 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 765, OF 325 People-to-People Program (14); NAID #12650137]Letter, Charles Wilson, to President Eisenhower regarding difficulties faced by People-to-People Inc. October 21, 1957 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 765, OF 325 People-to-People Program (14); NAID #12650270]Memorandum [WHO, Office of the Special Assistant for National Security Affairs, OCB Series, Subject Subseries, Box 5, People-to-People (5); NAID #16493974]President's Remarks to International Congress of Actuaries [DDE's Papers as President, Speech Series, Box 22, International Congress of Actuaries, October 21, 1957; NAID #16436598]Letter regarding the People-to-People Sports Committee. December 25, 1957 [Jacqueline Cochran Papers, General Files Series, Box 89, People-to-People Program 1957 (1); NAID #16436540]Letter, Edward Eagan, People-to-People Sports Committee, to Jacqueline Cochran, Board Member. December 3, 1957 [Jacqueline Cochran Papers, General Files Series, Box 89, People-to-People Program 1957 (1); NAID #16436541]Article, U.S. News and World Report. January 17, 1958 [DDE's Papers as President, Administration Series, Box 29, People-to-People Inc.; NAID #16436528]People-to-People memorandum regarding program dilemma. March 1958 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 765, OF 325 People-to-People Program (16); NAID #12640375]People-to-People Sports Committee Progress Report. May 11, 1958 [Jacqueline Cochran Papers, General Files Series, Box 98, People-to-People Program 1958 (2); NAID #16436544]Letter, Sherman Adams to Charles Wilson regarding lack of financial support for People-to-People Foundation. March 17, 1958 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 765, OF 325 People-to-People Program (16); NAID #12650526]Memorandum regarding People-to-People Music Committee. April 30, 1958 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 768, OF 325-HH Music Committee; NAID #16383862]Letter, Sherman Adams to Charles Wilson regarding dissolution of People-to-People Foundation. May 19, 1958 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 765, OF 325 People-to-People Program (16); NAID #12651604]Foreign Service Dispatch regarding the People-to-People sponsored visit of the Pakistan Cricket Team. August 6, 1958 [Jacqueline Cochran Papers, General Files Series, Box 98, People-to-People Program 1958 (1); NAID #16436546]Letter, George V. Allen to Christian Herter, Under Secretary of State, regarding termination of the People-to-People Foundation. November 21, 1958 [WHO, Office of the Special Assistant for National Security Affairs, OCB Series, Subject Subseries, Box 5, People-to-People (2); NAID #16493796]U.S. Navy Report on the People-to-People Program in Morocco. December 19, 1958 (pages 1-6 only) [Evan P. Aurand Papers, Naval Aide Series, Box 19, People-to-People Program, Morocco (1); NAID #16436601]Memorandum regarding the chartering of a Navy Hospital Ship for Project HOPE (Health Opportunity for People Everywhere). February 16, 1959 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 767, OF 325-W-1 Committee on Medicine and Health Professions, Project HOPE (2); NAID #16384535]Project HOPE pamphlet [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 767, OF 325-W-1 Committee on Medicine and Health Professions, Project HOPE (1); NAID #16384195]Article, Life, "A New 'Great White Fleet'." July 27, 1959 [C.D. Jackson Papers, Box 57, Great White Fleet 1963 (1); NAID #16495032]Letter from Al Capp, Chairman of the People-to-People Cartoonists Committee. August 5, 1959 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 767, 325-Z Cartoonist Committee; NAID #16384977]Memorandum of telephone conversation between Dennis FitzGerald and Carl Harr regarding Project HOPE. October 26, 1959 [Dennis FitzGerald Papers, Box 28, Telephone Conv Oct-Nov-Dec 1959 (5); NAID #16494250]Memorandum regarding Project HOPE. November 27, 1959 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 767, OF 325-W-1 Committee on Medicine and Health Professions, Project HOPE (2); NAID #16384736]Recommendations to Joyce Hall, Hallmark Corporation, from Conger Reynolds of USIA. January 21, 1961[DDE's Post-Presidential Papers, 1961 Principal File, Box 16, People-to-People - Joyce Hall (2); NAID #16461633]Memorandum [C.D. Jackson Papers, Box 57, Great White Fleet 1963 (2); NAID #16494618]Jackson's Reply [C.D. Jackson Papers, Box 57, Great White Fleet 1963 (2); NAID #16494834]Pamphlet regarding the High School Ambassador Program, 1970 [Jacqueline Cochran Papers, General Files Series, Box 230, People-to-People Program 1970; NAID #16436548]
Photographs:
Documents Regarding Projects Inspired by the People-to-People Program:
South Plains Lions Club (Texas) [DDE’s Records as President, Official File, Box 766, OF 325 People-to-People Program (21); NAID #16368813]German-American "over the garden fence" [DDE’s Records as President, Official File, Box 765, OF 325 People-to-People Program (20); NAID #18368818]Memorandum regarding presentation of People-to-People Award [DDE’s Records as President, Official File, Box 766, OF 325 People-to-People Program (21); NAID #16368814]Greater Kansas City People-to-People Council [DDE’s Records as President, Official File, Box 765, OF 325 People-to-People Program (20); NAID #16368819]University of Pennsylvania [DDE’s Records as President, Official File, Box 765, OF 325 People-to-People Program (20); NAID #16368820]Greater Miami Books Abroad Committee [DDE’s Records as President, Official File, Box 766, OF 325 People-to-People Program (21); NAID #16368817]Motorola Incorporated's People-to-People program [DDE's Papers as President, Administration File, Box 2, George V. Allen-USIA; NAID #16436572]
Additional Information:
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