Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs Release of Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977-1980, Volume XXX, Public Diplomacy

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

June 8, 2016

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The Department of State released today Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume XXX, Public Diplomacy.

This volume documents the public diplomacy efforts of the Jimmy Carter administration. A major emphasis of the volume is the role that the United States Information Agency (later the United States International Communication Agency) played in the formulation and implementation of public diplomacy. The volume documents the merger of the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (CU) and USIA in late 1977 and the establishment of ICA in early 1978. It illustrates the varied efforts of USIA/ICA to conceptualize and administer a vast array of cultural initiatives and programming, including film and television programs, exhibits, and international conferences. Of note is the high-level documentation of USIA/ICA Director John Reinhardt, a former Ambassador who served in both USIA and the Department of State, and his efforts to engage with the USIA/ICA community during a time of transition. It also focuses on the Department of State’s public diplomacy efforts, notably people-to-people, cultural, and educational exchanges. The volume also chronicles Carter’s efforts, and those of his senior advisers, to manage the organizational and intellectual challenges posed by the CU–USIA merger and establishment of ICA and devise initiatives in support of the administration’s foreign policy.

This volume was compiled and edited by Kristin L. Ahlberg. The volume and this press release are available on the Office of the Historian website at http://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1977-80v30. Copies of the volume will be available for purchase from the U.S. Government Publishing Office online at http://bookstore.gpo.gov (GPO S/N 044-000-02678-3; ISBN 978-0-16-093324-0), or by calling toll-free 1-866-512-1800 (D.C. area 202-512-1800). For further information, contact history@state.gov.