Secretary William Rogers A Message from Secretary of State William Rogers In assuming today the responsibilities of the Secretary of State, I want all of you--Foreign Service and Civil Service, alike--to know how much I respect the dedicated contributions that you make to our country's welfare. It is to the Department of State that the President looks for his primary advice in the formulation and execution of foreign policy. As we proceed into the last third of the 20th century, this places on us both a sobering responsibility and an exciting opportunity. For it is upon our judgment and the prudence with which we work--rather than on our institutional status--that our contribution to our country's well being most depends. Such judgment and such prudence must come from deliberative evaluations based on the free flow of information and ideas. President Nixon made this observation last September when he said: "We would bring dissenters into policy discussions, not freeze them out; we should invite constructive criticism, not only because the critics have a right to be heard, but also because they have something worth hearing." In this spirit I hope to lead a receptive and open establishment where men speak their minds and are listened to on merit, and where divergent views are fully and promptly passed on for decision. We must tap all the creative ideas and energies of this Department in the formulation of a foreign policy responsive to the needs of the future. Only if we do so can we systematically delineate meaningful alternatives from which the President can determine a considered policy course. To those in the levels of the highest responsibility--the Under and Assistant Secretaries, and our Ambassadors--I look not only for your judgment but for stimulation of such a process and in particular your encouragement of the participation of our young people. We are all conscious, I am sure, that foreign policy no longer consists merely of diplomatic relations among states. Those of you who serve with us in the Agency for International Development and in the Peace Corps, and those of you who are so closely associated with the Department's work in the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the United States Information Agency contribute fully and vitally to our foreign policy objectives, and I look forward to our association and the pleasure which comes from successful joint participation. Together I trust that we may serve well the interests of our nation abroad and that we may contribute to the formulation of policies that will be a proud reflection of a free and democratic people. Additional message from Secretary Rogers In my initial message of January 22, I stated that I hoped to lead a receptive and open establishment and to tap the creative ideas and energies of this Department. I regard it of compelling importance that we remain alert to better use of our resources so that different viewpoints are heard and creative ideas brought out. As one means of expanding our capabilities and of assuring increased flows of independent opinion and more systematic utilization of non-governmental expertise in the Department's policy work, I have recently asked the Under Secretary to explore the use of expanded interchanges of Department personnel with other agencies of the government and with related outside disciplines. In the last few days I have also reaffirmed the mandate of the Open Forum Panel and endorsed its plans to initiate comparable units within the Bureaus. I hope that the Open Forum channel will assure that creative and innovative ideas, as well as thought-out dissent, are brought to my attention and to that of other senior officers in cases where they may not otherwise reach us through regular department channels. I urge all personnel in the Department and at our posts to cooperate in maintaining an open institution of flexibility and imagination. [End.] |
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