[United States Government Manual] [July 01, 1995] [Pages 716-723] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY 301 Fourth Street SW., Washington, DC 20547 Phone, 202-619-4700 Director Joseph D. Duffey Chief of Staff Iris J. Burnett Deputy Director Penn Kemble Counselor Donna M. Oglesby Executive Secretary Mary Ellen Connell Chairman, U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Lewis Manilow Diplomacy Vice Chairman, U.S. Advisory Commission on William Hybl Public Diplomacy Director, Office of Civil Rights Hattie P. Baldwin Inspector General Marian C. Bennett General Counsel Les Jin Director, Office of Congressional and Douglas Wilson Intergovernmental Affairs Director, Office of Public Liaison Kimberly Marteau Director, Office of Research Ann T. Pincus Deputy Director Stephen M. Shaffer Associate Director for Broadcasting Joseph B. Bruns, Acting Deputy Associate Director Joseph B. Bruns Chief of Staff Janie Fritzman Senior Adviser Joyce Kravitz Director, Office of Dennis D. Sokol Administration Director, Office of Personnel Janie Fritzman, Acting Director, Office of Budget James Atherton [[Page 717]] Director, Office of Policy Steve Munson Director, Office of International Cheryl Marlin Training Director, Office of Planning James Huzen Director, Office of Program Frank Cummins Review Director, Office of External Joseph D. O'Connell, Affairs Jr. Director, Office of Engineering Robert Kamosa and Technical Operations Director, Voice of America Geoffrey Cowan Director, Office of Television Charles W. Fox III and Film Service Director, Office of Cuba Richard Lobo Broadcasting Director, Radio Marti Rolando Bonachea Director, TV Marti Antonio Dieguez Associate Director for Information Robert Barry Fulton Deputy Associate Director Myron L. Hoffmann Director, Geographic Liaison Pamela H. Smith Director, Thematic Programs C. Anthony Jackson Director, Information Resources Judith S. Siegel Director, Support Services Lewis Luchs Executive Officer Kyra V. Eberle Associate Director for Educational and Cultural John P. Loiello Affairs Deputy Associate Director Dell Pendergrast Executive Director, Cultural Marie Papageorge Property Staff Kouroupas Staff Director, J. William Ralph H. Vogel Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board Director, Office of Citizen Robert Schiffer Exchanges Director, Office of International Lula Rodriguez Visitors Director, Office of Academic Barry Ballow, Acting Programs Director, Office of Arts America Robin Berrington Director, Office of Policy and David Michael Wilson Evaluation Executive Officer J. David Whitten Associate Director for Management Henry Howard Deputy Associate Director JoAnn Clifton Director, Office of Eileen Keane Binns Administration Director, Office of Technology Daniel S. Campbell Director, Office of Personnel Jan Brambilla, Acting Comptroller, Office of the Stanley M. Silverman Comptroller Director, Office of Security Larry Carnahan, Acting Director, Office of Contracts (vacancy) Executive Officer Daniel D. Dunning Director, Office of African Affairs Robert LaGamma Deputy Director Cornelius Walsh Director, Office of American Republics Affairs Donald R. Hamilton Deputy Director John Dwyer Director, Office of East Asian and Pacific George F. Beasley Affairs Deputy Director Louise Crane Director, Office of West European and Canadian John P. Harrod Affairs Deputy Director C. Miller Crouch Director, Office of East European and NIS Anne M. Sigmund Affairs Deputy Director Morris E. Jacobs [[Page 718]] Director, Office of North African, Near Eastern Kent D. Obee and South Asian Affairs Deputy Director William D. Cavness, Jr. [For the United States Information Agency statement of organization, see the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 22, Part 504] ________________________________________________________________________ The mission of the United States Information Agency is to understand, inform, and influence foreign communities in promotion of the national interest; and to broaden the dialog between Americans, their institutions, and counterparts abroad. In support of that mission, the Agency conducts academic and cultural exchanges, international broadcasting, and a wide variety of informational programs. The Agency is known as the U.S. Information Service overseas. The legislative mandates of the United States Information Agency (USIA) derive from the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 1431), and the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2451). The U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act's purpose is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. It prohibits, with certain exceptions approved by Congress, dissemination within the United States of materials produced by the Agency for distribution overseas. It also requires the Agency to make its overseas program materials available for public inspection at its Washington, DC, headquarters. The Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act authorizes educational and cultural exchanges between the United States and other countries as well as United States participation in international fairs and expositions abroad. The five executive level offices of the Agency are the Office of Public Liaison, Office of the General Counsel, Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs, Office of the Inspector General, and the Office of Research. Activities The activities of the U.S. Information Agency are based on two key premises, as follows: First, that foreign public opinion is important and that USIA should work to understand it--with the hope that our understanding will be a factor in policy formation; to seek to inform others about American life and values, policies, and interests as a nation; and, if possible, to eliminate misperception and move others to action in ways that serve the national interest; and second, that mutual understanding borne of people-to-people communication matters, and that USIA should serve as a facilitator to bring Americans and their academic and other nongovernmental sector institutions into substantive contact with influential counterparts abroad through exchanges and other programs. On this basis, USIA works to: --explain and advocate U.S. policies in terms that are credible and meaningful in foreign cultures; --provide information about the United States, its people, values, and institutions; --build lasting relationships and understanding between Americans and U.S. institutions and their counterparts overseas through the exchange of people and ideas; and --advise on foreign attitudes and their implications for U.S. policies. To accomplish its purposes, the Agency conducts a variety of activities overseas, including educational and academic exchanges, international radio and television broadcasting, English teaching, the distribution of transcripts and official texts of significant U.S. Government policy statements, maintaining information resource centers overseas with online reference capabilities, assisting the mass media in bringing information about U.S. foreign policy to audiences around the world, [[Page 719]] [[Page 720]] and facilitating linkages between American and foreign nongovernmental institutions. Functional Elements The four major functional elements of the Agency are the International Bureau of Broadcasting (comprised of the Voice of America, the WORLDNET Television Service, Radio and TV Marti, Radio Free Europe (RFE), and Radio Liberty (RL)), the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Bureau of Information, and the Bureau of Management. International Broadcasting Bureau Established by the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994, the International Broadcasting Bureau consists of the Voice of America, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and the Television and Film Service. Beginning October 1, 1995, the Bureau will include Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. The Voice of America (VOA) is the International Broadcasting Bureau's functional element for worldwide radio broadcasting. VOA operates in accordance with the act of January 27, 1948, as amended (22 U.S.C. 1463) which requires that it serve as a consistently reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and comprehensive news source. It must present a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant American thought and institutions. VOA produces and broadcasts radio programs in English and 46 foreign languages for overseas audiences, and to over 2000 affiliate stations worldwide. Its programming includes world and regional news, reports from correspondents on the scene, analyses of worldwide events, feature programs, music, and editorials. The Office of Cuba Broadcasting is located within the Voice of America. It oversees all programming broadcast for Cuba on VOA's Radio Marti and TV Marti programs. In keeping with the principles of the VOA charter, both services offer their audiences accurate and objective news reports and features on American culture and opinion. Radio Marti broadcasts on medium and shortwave frequencies. TV Marti is available on VHF (very high frequency) and international satellite. The Television and Film Service is responsible for organizing and directing the International Broadcasting Bureau's worldwide television and film activities. The areas of responsibility encompass: producing programs and interactive press conferences for the WORLDNET satellite delivery system; newsfiles in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Ukrainian, and Russian; producing and acquiring films and videotapes for direct projection or placement overseas; providing facilitative assistance to visiting foreign television and film producers; operating television news bureaus at foreign press centers; providing assistance to foreign broadcasters in the production and telecast of cooperative television programs; serving as the Bureau's primary point of contact with American motion picture and television industries; and coordinating with other U.S. and foreign government agencies on the dissemination of information overseas through motion pictures and television. Bureau of Information The Bureau of Information is comprised of four offices responsible for most of USIA's information production and support services, including: pamphlets and other special publications; the U.S. Speakers and Professionals-in-Residence Programs; teleconference programs, including the use of new digital video technology; the Wireless File, a daily text and backround service; Foreign Press Centers in Washington, New York, and Los Angeles. The Information Bureau is structured to respond rapidly and comprehensively to field requirements by exploiting the latest technologies and greatest range of expertise to acquire, produce, and distribute information to USIS field posts in support of the vital interests of the United States. The Information Bureau focuses on representing enduring American values, particularly individual freedom and equality under the law, and on promoting democratization, market economics, human rights, the rule of law and the peaceful resolution of disputes. [[Page 721]] Our products and services are produced and offered to the field based on country resource allocations, country plan themes, and post requirements. The Office of Geographic Liaison includes six area teams: American Republics, East Asia, Near East and South Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe/ NIS, and Western Europe, which serve as the primary contact points with the field. The Office contains regional elements of the Wireless File. Regional publications officers in Washington advise and assist the posts in the development of book and related print media activities. Regional library officers in the field advise posts on the operations of reference and documentation centers and libraries. A Washington-based regional librarian is assigned to each geographic unit. As part of the total support unit, the Geographic Liaison Office works in close cooperation with all other Information Bureau core teams and the Agency in general. The six geographic teams are designed to be responsive to the Agency's overseas posts and to identify and provide appropriate products and services. The Office of Thematic Programs is composed of six teams that coincide with the themes represented in the Policy Office and the country plan process. The six teams are Economic Security, Political Security, Democracy/Human Rights, Information and Communications, U.S. Society and Values, and Global Issues. The Thematic teams tailor products and services to the needs of country, regional, and global audiences. The Office of Information Resources includes five core teams: Foreign Press Centers, Information Resource Center (i.e., USIA library), Publications team (including book programs), the Visual Support Services team, and the Editorial and Copyright Services team. The teams facilitate for the field the free flow of targeted information relevant to influential audiences abroad, through the acquisition, production and promotion of print materials (e.g., books and pamphlets), materials in electronic form (e.g., CD-ROM and data banks), or through support of overseas journalists and resident correspondents through the Foreign Press Centers. The Office of Support Services provides a wide array of support to all other core teams of the Information Bureau, to field posts, and to other Agency elements. The services from the four support teams include administrative support, telecommunications and computer support, printing, training, and program evaluation and development. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs administers programs authorized by the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (the Fulbright-Hays Act), including academic exchanges, short-term professional exchanges, youth exchanges, cooperative projects with private organizations, and English- teaching programs. It also provides staff support for the Presidentially appointed J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and for the Cultural Property Advisory Committee. The Bureau consists of four major offices: The Office of Academic Programs develops and coordinates a wide variety of academic educational exchange and English language-teaching programs. It oversees the administration of more than 7,000 grants each year to U.S. citizens to study, teach, and conduct research abroad, and for foreign nationals to conduct similar activities in the United States. The best known of the exchanges supported by this office is the Fulbright Program which operates in more than 120 countries. The Office of Academic Programs maintains a worldwide information network about educational opportunities in the United States, and supports programs which enhance the experiences of foreign students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities. The Office also encourages and supports U.S.- based studies at foreign universities and other institutions of higher learning. Worldwide support for English language training is provided through overseas-based language consultants, development of English language teaching materials, and a variety of [[Page 722]] teacher training seminars and fellowships. The Office of International Visitors arranges informative visits to the United States for more than 5,000 influential foreign leaders each year in such fields as government, economics, labor, journalism, the arts, and education. Selected individuals, who are nominated by United States Information Service posts, travel throughout the country meeting counterparts in their fields of interest. They also meet with Americans in their homes or other informal settings. The Office also manages the Agency's two reception centers; serves as the Agency's liaison with the large network of public and private organizations involved in the international visitor program; and arranges programs in the United States for United Nations fellows and foreign government trainees. The Office of Citizen Exchanges provides funding to American nonprofit institutions for international exchange and training programs which support agency goals and objectives. Nonprofit institutions may submit proposals only in response to requests for proposals (RFP's) published by the Office, and these proposals are judged among others in the competition. Programs usually involve professional, nonacademic exchanges--often with study tours, workshops, and internships as key components, and taking place in multiple phases overseas and in the United States. Emphasis is usually on nontechnical themes such as democracy-building, journalism, the role of government, or conflict resolution. The Office also administers all high school exchange programs sponsored by USIA, including major special initiatives in East Europe and the former Soviet Union, and the Congress-Bundestag program with Germany. The Office of Arts America administers fine and performing arts programs, sending performing arts groups and fine arts exhibitions on overseas tours. Arts America identifies and recruits specialists in the fields of literature, film, and the visual and performing arts to speak at or work with host country institutions in their fields of expertise. The Office also awards grants to American nonprofit institutions involved in the international exchange of performing and visual artists and encourages linkages between U.S. and foreign cultural institutions. Arts America also represents the Agency in the Fund for U.S. Artists at International Festivals and Exhibitions. The Office of Policy and Evaluation provides policy analysis, coordination, and evaluation of the activities and programs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The Office also analyzes U.S. Government- funded international exchanges and training programs with the objective of promoting better coordination among government agencies. The Office is responsible for advising the Associate Director on conceptual approaches to the Bureau's activities and on the development and implementation of its policies. It coordinates activities with the Bureau to ensure consistency of approach; evaluates the success, strengths, and weaknesses of programs; and provides staff support to the Cultural Property Advisory Committee, which advises the Director on U.S. efforts to curb illicit trade in artifacts. Overseas Posts Principally an overseas agency, USIA's work is carried out by its foreign service officers and staff assigned to American missions abroad. Overseas posts engage in political advocacy of American foreign policy objectives and conduct cultural and educational exchanges and informational activities in support of those objectives. The Agency maintains 212 posts in 147 countries. Sources of Information Administrative Regulations Inquiries regarding administrative staff manuals and instructions to staff affecting members of the public that were issued, adopted, or promulgated on or after July 5, 1967, should be directed to the Directives, Forms and Records Management Staff, United States Information Agency, Washington, DC 20547. Phone, 202-619-5680. [[Page 723]] Contracts Contact the Office of Contracts, United States Information Agency, Washington, DC 20547. Phone, 202-205-5498. Employment For information concerning employment opportunities, contact the Domestic Personnel Division, Office of Personnel, United States Information Agency, Washington, DC 20547. Phone, 202-619-4659. For Voice of America (VOA) and the Television and Film Service (WORLDNET TV) employment information, contact the Office of Personnel, International Broadcasting Bureau, United States Information Agency, Washington, DC 20547. Phone, 202-619-3117. For Office of Cuba Broadcasting, contact the Office of Personnel, Office of Cuba Broadcasting, United States Information Agency, Washington, DC 20547. Phone, 202-401-7114. International Audiovisual Programs For information concerning a certification program under international agreement to facilitate the export and import of qualified visual and auditory materials of an educational, scientific, and cultural character, contact the Chief Attestation Officer of the United States, United States Information Agency, Washington, DC 20547. Phone, 202-475-0221. For further information, contact the Office of Public Liaison, United States Information Agency, Washington, DC 20547. Phone, 202-619-4355. ________________________________________________________________________