70. Editorial Note

On March 1, 1961, President Kennedy signed Executive Order 10924, which provided for the establishment of a Peace Corps on a temporary pilot basis. (26 Federal Register 1789) Under the authority of this Executive Order, the Peace Corps was initially established as an agency within the Department of State, with R. Sargent Shriver, Jr., as Director. (Department of State Delegation of Authority 85–11, March 3, 1961, in 26 Federal Register 2196) In September 1961 the Peace Corps began operating under the authority of the Peace Corps Act of September 22, 1961; see Document 73.

In a message to Congress, also on March 1, the President recommended “the establishment of a permanent Peace Corps—a pool of trained American men and women sent overseas by the U.S. Government or through private organizations and institutions to help foreign countries meet their urgent need for skilled manpower.

“The temporary Peace Corps will be a source of information and experience to aid us in formulating more effective plans for a permanent organization. In addition, by starting the Peace Corps now we will be able to begin training young men and women for overseas duty this summer with the objective of placing them in overseas positions by late fall. This temporary Peace Corps is being established under existing authority in the Mutual Security Act and will be located in the [Page 132] Department of State. Its initial expenses will be paid from appropriations currently available for our foreign aid program.”

The President pointed out that the Peace Corps would “differ from existing assistance programs in that its members will supplement technical advisers by offering the specific skills needed by developing nations if they are to put technical advice to work. They will help provide the skilled manpower necessary to carry out the development projects planned by the host governments, acting at a working level and serving at great personal sacrifice. There is little doubt that the number of those who wish to serve will be far greater than our capacity to absorb them.” (Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1961, pages 143–146)

On May 30, in identical letters to the President of the Senate, Lyndon B. Johnson, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sam Rayburn, President Kennedy transmitted proposed legislation to authorize the establishment of a Peace Corps in fiscal year 1962, as he had recommended in his message of March 1. The President stated that “enactment of this legislation will provide authority for the recruitment, training, and service overseas of American men and women whose skills and knowledge can contribute in a most valuable and practical way to the achievement of social and economic development goals of developing countries.”

The President noted that projects had already been announced for Tanganyika, Colombia, and the Philippines, and others would be announced soon. Over 8,500 Peace Corps Volunteer Questionnaires had been returned. The President asked Congress to authorize $40 million for the program for fiscal year 1962. This was intended to enable the Peace Corps to have between 500 and 1,000 volunteers abroad by the end of 1961, 2,700 abroad or in training by June 1962, and provide for summer 1962 training of volunteers expected to be enrolled in June 1962. The President noted that he had “requested the Secretary of State to establish arrangements to assure that Peace Corps activities are consistent and compatible with country development assistance plans. These arrangements will assure that the Peace Corps and the Agency for International Development programs are brought into close relationship, while at the same time preserving the separate identity and unique role of the Peace Corps.” (Ibid., pages 418–419)