Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-06-01

"Is it true that America still
Are there trees and mountain
Those questions were among i
ton Service representative on a
Southern China, a few weeks ago
They might be asked in many
other parts of the world.
They point up an assertion BY
Secretary of State Marshall recently
that "it is very hard for us here
at home" to comprehend the degre,
to which America is not understood
and is misrepresented abroad.
To remove the basis for such ques
tons by supplying full and truthful
information about the United State.
to peoples of all nations is part o.
the job TO the State Department!
Office of International Information
and Cultural Affairs (OIC).
Offices in IS Countries.
One of OIC's functions is the
maintenance of United States In.
formation Service CUSIS) Offices ir
76 foreign countries. It's most spec.
tacular activity is short-wave broad
casting in rs languages to all parts
OF the world. 1t uses many Other
methods, from showing specia
movies abroad to paying the ex.
penses of foreign students to study
in this country, in an effort tc
build better understanding of the
United States in other lands.
Controversy over the Voice OF
America" broadcasting program has
tended to obscure the other OIC
activities. All Of them, except a
limited cultural cooperation pro-
gram with Latin America, will enc
June 80 unless the Senate insists or
restoring funds out of the State De-
partment appropriation bill by the
House.
The House is expected to take UP
for action this week a bill formally
authorizing the entire program. It's
passage would remove objections Of
some House members to appropri-
ating money to continue the ac-
tivities.
The latest summary of just what
the OIC is doing was supplied by
Assistant Secretary of State Benton
in testimony before the House For
eign Affairs Committee, which then
acted unanimously in reporting the
authorization bill favorably TO,
House action.
Embassies Given Daily Bulletin.
Aside from the more widely pub-
Elicized international broadcasting
Mr.. Benton explained that the
wireless bulletin" Is one Of the
most important information activi.
ties. This consists of about TOO
words sent daily by radio telegraphy
AS distinct from voice broadcast.
ing-to American diplomatic mis-
sions abroad. Its primary purpose
is to keep our own diplomats in.
formed of official actions at home
The daily wireless bulletin in.
cludes brief summary of domestic
news which is strictly for the infor-
nation of the American missions
and is not given out to the foreign
press. The bulk of the wordage /:
made up of the texts of presidential.
messages, speeches by the President
Secretary Of State and other i'm.
portant officials, official State De-
partment announcements and such
things.
Information officers in the Amer.
lean missions abroad make wide USE
Of the official material, as distinct
from the purely informative new.
material. They were able to supply
editorial writer's on newspapers il
London and Paris, for example, with
the full text of Secretary of State
Marshall's report to the Nation or
his return from the Moscow BIZ
Four Foreign Ministers Conference
This enabled the editors to ap.
praise it more intelligently than they
could from only the summaries sup.
piled by the commercial new.
services.
In Paris, USIS representatives
select from the daily wireless bulle.
tin material they think may be Of
interest to French newspapers ant
translate it into French for distribu.
ton under the Heading "U. S. A.
The procedure is similar in other
capitals. The official newsletter is
supplied only on request. Mr.. Benton
said all but 81 of the 1900 French
newspapers request it. The purpose
is to supply textured and background
material, not spot news"
Another activity is publication OF
the Russian language magazine
America, which is put on sale in
Russia by Soviet distribution agen-
cies at price equivalent to SO cents
a copy. It's circulation is $4,000
monthly.
Special Films Produced.
Moving pictures especially pro-
duced or selected to help make
clear what life is like in America
are being shown, as another part Of
the program, to, about 100000
people a month in as countries.
Plans for next year call for send
ing abroad under official auspices
1856 motion pictures, translated into
various languages. Eighty-one Of
these were secured from private
sources. The State Department pu,
up the money for production Of the
IS others.
Mr.. Benton said three types Of
movies are subsidized In this pro-
gram. These are those that "a