Resources of Other Departments: A Case Study

Abstract

The resources which the United States Department of Labor has developed to carry out its domestic mission have proved useful in the development of foreign policy and diplomacy. The Department has long participated in the work of the International Labor Organization, United Nations, and other multilateral bodies. In the field of bilateral aid, foreign labor technicians have been trained, and the Department has lent its own staff members to the Agency for International Development (AID) and other organizations for overseas assignments. The development and protection of human resources have become the most important phase of the Department's foreign aid and have also involved it deeply in trade and tariff negotiations. The Labor Department has helped to administer the labor attaché program and other aspects of the Foreign Service. Nevertheless, foreign affairs agencies of the United States government have still not fully recognized the key role of labor and manpower in international affairs, nor fully utilized the potential contribution of the Department of Labor.