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An increasing number of visits to the U.S.A. is being
arranged.
The U.S.I.S. assists the growing number of visitors,
official, journalistic and academic who now pass through
Singapore to study S.E. Asia problems. Lectures have been
arranged at the University who appear to assume that a British
official is a biassed propagandist while a U.S. official or visitor is of academic objectivity.
Finally the U.S.I.S. do a good deal of entertainment to give their visitors the opportunity of meeting Singapore people. Mr. Lawrence and his staff move about socially as much as possible and have made themselves personally on good terms with all those they meet.
3. The impact of their work is difficult to assess, because there is a general picture of U.S. power and wealth which would exist, as a result of the news, whether U.S.I.S.
were open or not. It might be said that the long-term function of the U.S.I.S. was to play down this power and show the U.S.A. as the friend of the world and not its self- interested foreman; as the land of the economically liberated man in the street and not of the kings of capital. Its short-term function is to explain U.S. policy in Asia and meet the attacks on it from Communist and other sources.
They have been successful with the English-language Press who have used their articles and pictures. The Chinese
with the exception of the Nan Chiau have used their pictures, but not their printed material. The Malay and Indian papers do not use it. On the immediate news items of direct interest in Singapore e.g. the "Hat Hsten" and the dispute over its ownership, and to a lesser extent, on Korea, there has been less guccess. But that has more to do with the policy decisions than with their presentation.
Their other activities have made an impression on the social and intellectual group, the latter group is one for which they do more than any British organisation.
The use
by the..
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