Correspondents: Of Junkets & the USIA

In his endless hearings on Viet Nam, Senator J. William Fulbright has expressed so many worries about U.S. policy—ranging from the rational to the ridiculous—that it seemed inconceivable he could find any new ones. But last week Fulbright uncorked yet another: the U.S. Information Agency may be winning sympathy for the U.S. among foreign newsmen.

To attack that sin, which is precisely the one that the agency is supposed to commit, Fulbright called USIA Chief Leonard Marks before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The subject was junkets—with which Senators are familiar—specifically USIA payment for the transportation of 30 to 35...