I can report of my own knowledge from visits during the past few years to many countries that many world leaders are beginning to understand that the population explosion, aside from the danger of nuclear war, poses the greatest threat to the future of mankind. And recently many developing countries have actually begun to reduce their rates of population growth and are proving that it can be done.

I recently spent three weeks in the People's Republic of China. There were clear indications that the almost universal family planning program now operating throughout China has brought the annual rate of the most populous country on earth from about 22% a decade ago to 2% or even less today. India with nearly 600,000,000 people is reported now down to an annual growth rate of 24% from much higher rates. The largest country in Latin America, Brazil, with 100 million inhabitants, has brought its very high 3% annual growth rate a decade ago to less than 3%, according to the recent national census. This reduction has occurred in spite of the fact that as yet Brazil has no governmental family planning program. Fortunately, the International Planned Parenthood Federation has mounted its largest program in Brazil, and is reporting steady progress from its 80 birth control clinics, as well as from the steadily increasing commercial sales of oral contraceptives throughout Brazil. Smaller countries with active national programs such as Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong have made even more rapid progress.

However, all of this is only a good beginning. The world is adding 75 million people to its population every year, most of them in the developing countries, which can least afford to support and feed them. There are some 400,000,000 fertile couples in the developing world with its two billion inhabitants, aside from China. It is probable that not more than 10%, or 40,000,000 such couples are yet practicing effective contraception. The task ahead is enormous, but is certainly possible of accomplishment if our government and all other governments, rich and poor alike, will recognize the vital importance to their own national self interest of continuing and expanding birth control programs throughout the world.

The World Population Conference next year should spotlight the world's attention on the population problem, and, hopefully, should bring even greater understanding and increasing support from us and from others so that before too long all couples throughout the world may be able to exercise that most basic of all human rights, and effectively themselves to determine the number of their own children. Through lack of knowledge or of facilities, they should not be forced to continue bring many millions of unwanted children into the world to endure lives of poverty, malnutrition and frustration.

I was concerned several weeks ago that some of the new legislation introduced to amend the Foreign Assistance bill might inadvertently endanger the original earmarking purpose and language. For instance, Section 104 of both H.R. 8258 and S. 2026 (which has been introduced by Senators Humphrey, Aiken and McGee) proposes a line appropriation of $150,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1974 and 1975 for population planning and health, but without indicating what division should be made between these two important programs, and without including specific earmarking language for population programs.

However, when I testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee two weeks ago, I was assured by the Committee Chairman, Dr. Thomas Morgan, that he felt sure the committee would retain the earmarking language of Title X which is a part of the bill he himself had introduced, H.R. 7484.

While S. 2026 does not contain the specific earmarking language for population, it is nevertheless true that S. 1711, introduced by Senator Scott, does continue the earmarking language of Title X. I assume that this language will be approved. I am also reassured, and very pleased, Mr. Chairman, to note that S. 2059, which you yourself introduced on June 25, 1973, includes earmarking language for an amount of $150,000,000 in fiscal year 1974 and of $175,000,000 in fiscal year 1973. I would very much hope and respectfully urge as strongly as possible that the earmarking language be supported by the full Committee. I assume that the funds provided for population programs are intended to represent grants rather than loans since over the years this has proven to be the only practical method in this field. What has proved so successful year after year in funding and expanding population efforts throughout the entire developing world, should certainly be continued during the coming two years by retaining the same earmarking language used so effectively up to this time. It has made possible one of this country's most constructive foreign assistance programs, and there is certainly no reason to change at this time.

Mr. Chairman, I have just returned from a visit to Mexico. Until a year ago, the Mexican government had opposed population control as many of the Latin American governments still do. Last year, however, President Echeverria announced that he favored responsible parenthood, and assistance for Mexico's private family planning program was requested from and granted by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities. Toward the end of 1972, the Catholic bishops of Mexico issued a pastoral letter which addressed the urgent problem of responsible parenthood, and they welcomed the government's family planning program and stressed the inalienable right of each couple to decide its family size in accordance with the concrete circumstances of their lives.

I understand that a much broader country wide governmental family planning program has now been started and may soon be greatly expanded.

Mexico's recognition that its present growth rate of nearly 32% a year, which, if continued, would double Mexico's 50,000,000 population in only 20 years, must be drastically reduced has already been carefully noted throughout Latin America. Many other Latin American governments are also beginning to see the serious nature of too rapid population growth, and are reconsidering their past generally pronatal policies. I feel sure that the World Population Conference, only 14 months from now, will find that a number of these governments have already started their own family planning and population programs as Mexico has just done.

I have here with me a report entitled "Population Program Assistance,” released recently by the Agency for International Development, which describes the United States population program in great detail country by country. I also have with me a report recently published by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities covering its expanding programs during the years 1969 through 1972. These reports, Mr. Chairman, are available to any member of the Committee desiring them. They report great progress and better general understanding, but they also make clear that the major population task for most of the countries of the developing world is still very much in the future.

It is my own conviction and my own best judgment that the future of civilization itself, as we know it, depends very largely on mankind's response to the challenge of too rapid population growth. Man's recent great progress in combatting disease, in extending his own life expectancy, and in reducing his own death rate has, ironically, faced him with possible catastrophe. The present population threat, however, can and should be dealt with and overcome by man's own intellect and by his own will power, and not thoughtlessly left for Nature itself to curb population growth, as she most certainly would soon do, through disease and famine and death.

Mr. Chairman, I must express my great appreciation and thanks for the opportunity I have been given to appear before you today.

EXAMPLES OF SUCCESS IN REDUCING POPULATION GROWTH

The CHAIRMAN. I wonder if you could give us a few concrete examples. It would be helpful to us in supporting this item. Can you give us some concrete examples of some real success in any country in which you have been working, in which this money has been spent in reduction of the rate of population growth.

Mr. DRAPER. Yes, sir.

Let me mention first a country that we have not contributed to, but this does not change my argument. Earlier this year I spent 3 weeks in the People's Republic of China. I was invited there as part of a health group. Dr. DeBakey, the heart surgeon, was the leader of the group. I was invited because of my interest in population and family planning. China has had a very low standard of living and a very high rate of population growth in the past. China has the largest population of any country in the world, something like 800 million people.

In 3 weeks one does not see China, but I did visit Peking, Nanking, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Canton and several country Communist districts. Everywhere I visited-and I was told this was true every

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where in China-the family planning program was a high priority part of their simple but universal health program. Everywhere that we went, the clinics, the hospitals, and even the factories had a first aid room which was a little health clinic. Every neighborhood had what they call a health station. Every one of them had with their barefoot doctors, who were not literally barefoot but were given that name. Every health facility we saw gave high priority to their family planning program. Pills, IUD's, sterilization, abortion, were all available for all their people and all free.

So that that was an example for other nations to strive for. In the Chinese cities they have brought their rates of population growth down, they told us, to just about the same rates as in the United States.

In the country districts that is not true, but the average overall growth rate seems to have come down to less than 2 percent from 21/2 percent 10 years ago.

So much for China, which is an example of a country that has done it without foreign aid, as you mentioned in your statement.

India is one country that has been criticized as being slow to make progress in this field. Yet from 3 percent growth rate a decade or so ago to 211⁄2 not many years ago, the census reports now are 2.2 percent growth rate. For their population of nearly 600 million, that reduction makes a tremendous difference. It does not mean that they have solved the problem, but it is certainly underway.

The CHAIRMAN. What should it be?

Mr. DRAPER. Zero. We will never solve the population problem in the world until the world is close to zero population growth rate, but that is some time off.

The CHAIRMAN. Has India been among the principal countries in which

Mr. DRAPER. A good many countries now have had rather precipitous drops in birth rates. Taiwan, Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, Costa Rica, Chile, many Caribbean countries. There is a trend in most countries toward lower birth rates, but many problems remain. For example, in Africa, where most death rates are still high, even though birth rates may decline, death rates are declining even faster. In balance world population is still growing at an average of 2 percent a year. That is adding 75 million a year to world population in spite of some very successful family planning programs.

From the experience of many countries, the conclusion I would draw is that until and unless the developing countries make available to all their citizens throughout the entire country as rapidly as they can both the information and the facilities for couples themselves to decide and control how many children they have, the population problem won't be solved. That cannot happen all at once, but that is the way to do it. Until that has been accomplished, until services are truly available, we can't expect to see massive declines in population growth. But I believe that we will see those declines when family planning services and supplies are available to all.

POPULATION GROWTH RATES IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

The CHAIRMAN. Do you have available the growth rate today in some of the major countries in which you are not operating, such as France and England and Italy and Germany?

Mr. DRAPER. Yes, I can give you that. The wealthier, industrialized so-called developed countries of the world, that is, the United States, Russia, Japan, Europe, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, have low growth rates and these growth rates are still coming down. They are now at below 1 percent per year. Japan reduced its growth rate within the decade after the last world war. Russia and the United States have done it during the last 15 years almost on a parallel basis. The CHAIRMAN. What is ours now?

Mr. DRAPER. A little under 1 percent. The rate of natural increase is about three-fourths of 1 percent at this point.

The CHAIRMAN. Is Russia about the same?

Mr. DRAPER. Yes. The average is at or under 1 percent.

AVERAGE GROWTH RATE IN DEVELOPING WORLD

For the rest of the world, the developing world with 2,800 million people, the average growth rate is 212 percent or higher. Some countries have growth rates nearly as high as 4 percent. It is there where the problem is. The climate of understanding on this issue now, which has come about in the last 5 years, is very different than the perception was 5 years ago.

The CHAIRMAN. Which countries are the highest?

Mr. DRAPER. Central America, has had the highest growth ratesclose to 4 percent, for example, in Honduras and El Salvador. The CHAIRMAN. They are 4 percent?

Mr. DRAPER. Between 312 and 4 percent.

The only way this problem can be solved is by the heads of states deciding and governments deciding that it is a serious problem. More and more have made this decision in the last 5 years. Some 30 governments have now decided to start and support family planning programs just as Mexico did last year. They are gradually making prog

ress.

COUNTRIES WITH AID SUPPORTED PROGRAMS SHOWING BEST RESULTS

The CHAIRMAN. One last question. Which countries in which the program funded by this bill is operating have shown the best results? Mr. DRAPER. Taiwan and Korea have achieved good results with AID support for a number of years. I presume that Indochina and the Philippines in the last 3 years and Iran have probably made the greattest progress with help directly from the U.S./AID program and indirectly from the United Nations. In all three leaders like the President of the Philippines, the President of Indonesia and the Shah of Iran have each taken a personal interest and have put this at a high priority. Our aid in the Philippines has been substantial and also in Indonesia where the United Nations and the World Bank have now laid down a large program. Our financing, that is, our help through the United Nations has helped to make that possible. Those three countries are expanding their program rapidly with a large number of new acceptors. The quantities of contraceptives they are purchasing or we are shipping to them or the United Nations is financing for them for rapid progress is very substantial. Real progress is being made there.

[The following information was subsequently supplied:]

POPULATION CRISIS COMMITTEE,
Washington, D.C., June 28, 1973.

Hon. J. W. FULBRIGHT,

U.S. Senate, Dirksen Building,
Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR FULBRIGHT: I must thank you again for the opportunity to appear yesterday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and to thank the Committee for long continued support for the earmarking of steadily increasing amounts for population activities throughout the world.

You asked for the specific declines in fertility rates in countries where our Foreign Aid and in particular our population assistance has been involved. While you will find reference to this, country by country, in the Report I left with the Committee, "Population Program Assistance," published by the Agency for International Development, I also enclose with this letter a series of photostats which show, country by country, the reduction in fertility during the past decade, during which our Foreign Aid program has been increasingly interested in assisting countries to deal with their own population problems.

In Asia, you will note the considerable decrease in fertility rates in Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. In South America and the Caribbean, there have been considerable declines in Costa Rica, Chile, Trinidad and Barbados. You will note, that in Mexico which until last year was opposed to family planning, there has been practically no decline during the past ten years.

It is also interesting to see how much the fertility rates have been declining in both Canada and the United States, although these rates are of course not related to our Foreign Aid program.

With kind personal regards, I am

Sincerely yours,

WILLIAM H. DRAPER, Jr.