Remarks at a Meeting With the Board of Foreign Scholarships and
the U.S. Advisory Commission on Educational Exchange.
February 27, 1961

AS OUR OWN HISTORY demonstrates so well, education is in the long run the chief means by which a young nation can develop its economy, its political and social institutions and individual freedom and opportunity. There is no better way of helping the new nations of Latin America, Africa, and Asia in their present pursuit of freedom and better living conditions than by assisting them to develop their human resources through education. Likewise there is no better way to strengthen our bonds of understanding and friendship with older nations than through educational and cultural interchange.
     But as recent task force reports have emphasized, this whole field is urgently in need of imaginative policy development, unification, and vigorous direction. These activities are presently scattered among many agencies of the Federal Government. Only by centering responsibility for leadership and direction at an appropriate place in the governmental structure can we hope to achieve the required results. I shall therefore look to the Secretary of State to exercise primary responsibility for policy guidance and program direction by governmental activities in this field.
     I am pleased that in carrying these responsibilities the Secretary of State will have the assistance of Philip H. Coombs. His experience in education, government, and philanthropy at home and overseas qualify him well for the position to which he is being appointed.


NOTE: The White House release announcing the meeting stated that the President had appealed to the educational community, private foundations, and voluntary organizations to continue and expand their support and activity in the international educational and cultural fields. The release further stated that the President had emphasized the point that these institutions have an enormously important role to play in U.S. foreign relations and in building a foundation for world peace.
     At the meeting, the release noted, Dr. Robert G. Storey, Chairman of the Board of Foreign Scholarships, and Dr. Franklin G. Murphy, Chairman of the Advisory Commission, reported on the work of their respective groups. The release also noted that Senators Fulbright and Mundt had accompanied the group to the White House, as did Assistant Secretary of State Philip H. Coombs, Robert H. Thayer, Special Assistant to the Secretary, and Saxton A. Bradford, Director of the Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.