CONTACTS:
Charlotte Crystal, (804) 924-6858
Michael Cairo, (804) 296-6215



RELEASE ON RECEIPT


	WHO DECIDES AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY?  
	PUBLIC VOICES SHARE IN SHAPING GOVERNMENT POLICY

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Feb.14 -- Seen from abroad, American
foreign policy is judged by its results.  At home, it's seen as a
process, albeit one that is poorly understood.
	Helping the public understand the process that shapes
American foreign policy is the focus of "The Public Dimension of
Foreign Policy," a new book by David D. Newsom, a former diplomat
and now a preeminent professor of foreign affairs at the University
of Virginia and Georgetown University.
	Rather than emerging solely from straightforward decisions
by elected policy makers, U.S. foreign policy is tossed about in a
whirlwind of facts, perceptions and opinions that sweep through
Congress, government agencies, think tanks, universities and the
media, according to Newsom. And each institution etches its peculiar
character on the policy as it passes by.
	"This book comes from many years of observation of the
process by which policy is formed in Washington, D.C., and the role
institutions play," Newsom said.  "Foreign policy in the United
States is formed through an extensive interplay of many public
voices.  The book identifies and describes all these voices."
	Newsom and four other distinguished observers of the
Washington political scene will be on hand in Charlottesville on
Feb. 20 to explore the theme of his book at a symposium, which is
open to the public.  The symposium will begin at 5 p.m. in the Dome
Room of the Rotunda at U.Va.
	Newsom is a former undersecretary and assistant secretary of
state and served as U.S. ambassador to Libya, Indonesia and the
Philippines.  His career combines 35 years of experience in
government and 10 years of teaching.  Newsom currently holds the
Cumming Chair in International Relations at U.Va. and is on leave to
serve as the interim dean of the School of Foreign Service of
Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
	His book (Indiana University Press, 304 pp., cloth $35,
paper $16.95) is scheduled to be released on Feb. 23.
	Joining Newsom in the Rotunda for the symposium will be:
	Media:  Donald Oberdorfer, former diplomatic correspondent
of The Washington Post
	Academia:  Michael Smith, associate professor, Department of
Government and Foreign Affairs, U.Va.
	Think tanks:  Stanton Burnett, fellow, center for Strategic
and International Studies, Washington
	Congress:  Casimir Yost, director, Institute for the Study
of Diplomacy, Georgetown University; former staff member of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
###
February 13, 1996