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The Reorganization of the Department of State

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2013

Walter H. C. Laves  and
Francis O. Wilcox
Walter H. C. Laves
Affiliation:
University of Chicago
Francis O. Wilcox
Affiliation:
University of Louisville
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Extract

For many years there has been widespread discussion of the need for reorganizing the Department of State. Students, publicists, members of Congress, and members of the Department itself have repeatedly pointed out that the Department has not been geared up to performing the functions required of the foreign office of a great twentieth-century world power.

The chief criticisms of the Department have been four: (1) that there was lacking a basic pattern of sound administrative organization, (2) that the type of personnel found both at home and abroad was inadequate for the job required in foreign affairs today, (3) that the Department was too far removed from the public and from Congress, and (4) that it was not prepared to provide leadership for, and maintain the necessary relations with, other federal agencies.

Type
American Government and Politics
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , April 1944 , pp. 289 - 301
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1944

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References

2 Departmental Order 1229 of February 22 modifies this arrangement by placing all informational activity of an immediate news character under Special Assistant to the Secretary McDermott, and abolishes the Division of Current Information.

3 Departmental Order 1229 abolishes the Division of Current Information, placing immediate news functions under Mr. McDermott, and adds a Public Liaison Division to the Office of Public Information.

4 Washington Post, Jan. 17, 1944. Cf. PM, Jan. 17, 1944.

5 As this article goes to press, the following additional changes since the reorganization of January 15 may be noted: A Division of Coördination and Review has been established in the Office of Departmental Administration to review and coördinate all out-going correspondence. The title of the Office of Eastern and African Affairs has been changed to Office of Near Eastern and African Affairs. The position of Adviser on Refugee and Displaced Persons has been established in the Office of Wartime Economic Affairs. An Information Service Committee has been created under the Director of the Office of Foreign Service Administration to improve the flow to each mission abroad of information about developments in other parts of the world. A planning staff has been created in the Office of Foreign Service Administration for improving the reporting and other services of the Foreign Service to the Department and to the agencies.

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