he Bureau of Information operates alongside the International Broadcasting Bureau and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs as one of three major units of the USIA. Together, the three conduct agency activities that are based on two key premises, according to the U.S. Government Manual: "First, that foreign public opinion is important and that USIA should work to understand it-with the hope that our understanding will be a factor in policy formation; to seek to inform others about American life and values, policies, and interests as a nation; and, if possible, to eliminate misperception and move others to action in ways that serve the national interest; and second, that mutual understanding borne of people-to-people communication matters, and that USIA should serve as a facilitator to bring Americans and their academic and other nongovernmental sector institutions into substantive contact with influential counterparts abroad through exchanges and other programs."
The I Bureau's 400 employees work to acquire, produce and distribute information to field posts throughout the world. Dissemination overseas takes a variety of forms: expert speakers, teleconferences, a daily information service (the Wireless File), printed and electronic publications, and an increasing presence on the Internet's World Wide Web (http://www.usia.gov). The I Bureau also operates foreign press centers in Washington, New York and Los Angeles. It has six teams organized to cover areas of the world and six that cover themes: economic security, political security, democracy/human rights, information and communications, U.S. society and values, and global issues.
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