Rand Meets the President's Commission: The Life Cycle of a Non-Event

Abstract

The President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies was created to survey and report the state of language training and international studies in the United States, including an analysis of supply and demand for these skills. The Commission retained Rand for this purpose. Rand's study found that there was a surplus of people trained in these fields, with the exception of economics and profes sional fields, where there was little interest in area studies. Language training was poor in spoken language. Rand sug gested that there was little economic justification for more spending in advanced training and research. The Commis sion viewed the matter differently, in terms of desirable levels of demand and supply. The Commission saw its mission as building a more cosmopolitan America through language and international training at all age levels. Rand was largely focused on marginal changes in the market economy, while the Com mission aimed at social reconstruction. As a result, the two parties failed to communicate, and their collaboration was not fruitful.