On Growth Two

[p. VII]

Preface

This symposium about limits to growth is the logical sequence of Part I, published in 1974. Whereas Part I consisted of conversations about the current problems of the world with persons from the Western sphere of culture (with the exception of U Thant), Part II consists of dialogues entirely conducted in the developing nations, or the so-called Third World, the socialist countries, and Japan (with the exception of Addeke H. Boerma, director-general of the FAO and therefore the top specialist on the world's food supplies, and Aurelio Peccei, who as founder and chairman of the Club of Rome closes this symposium, as he did in Volume I).

I am aware that a heavy accent in these conversations has fallen on the USSR and Japan. This happened partly because in these two economically powerful societies wide discussion on problems of growth are in full bloom, as is the case in most Western, technically advanced nations. Some Latin American nations, such as Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil, are also engaged in these debates, and representatives of these countries are therefore present in this series. But in most developing lands, leaders and scientists are besieged by so many problems other than philosophizing or designing models on how to contain growth that the heavy representation of Soviets and Japanese in this volume is for the time being a reflection of the actual situation.

Another reason for fewer representatives of the developing nations than I would have preferred to meet and listen to was the matter of the budget. To travel to more African, Asian, and Latin American lands than I have done became impossible. I had intended to devote, as was done in Volume I, 70 conversations on the subject of limits to growth, outside the Western World, namely: 11 in the USSR, 11 in Japan, and 48 in the Third World. I therefore apologize to the peoples of developing lands that more of their views are not contained in this volume.

[p. VIII]

This time also, it was very difficult to include everyone I had wanted. President Julius Nyerere, I considered a must. A personal friend, Diallo Telli of Guinea, for some ten years secretary-general of the Organization of African Unity in Addis Ababa, now a minister in the Sékou Touré Cabinet in Conakry, could not even be reached. With others it was difficult to find a mutually agreeable place and time owing to work schedules and travel plans. In particular I regret that China, Indonesia, and Cuba are absent. The Dutch Foreign Ministry, as well as the Dutch Embassy in Peking, tried to get in touch with Chinese authorities in order to request interviews with specialists in the ecological and environmental fields. The Chinese Embassy in The Hague did not even bother to reply to urgent appeals of my Dutch publisher. The Chinese are apparently still hiding behind their famous wall and were definitely not prepared to answer questions on these matters. Perhaps we should have asked Henry, the magician! Nevertheless, I have included in this series the speech by Vice-Premier Teng Hsiao-p'ing, as issued at the time by United Nations headquarters, on April 10, 1974, as delivered before the special session of the UN General Assembly on Natural Resources. The Chinese view on these matters thus officially expressed is, after all, too important to be left out from a collection like this. The Cuban ambassador at The Hague likewise refused to cooperate. In 1960, I had met in Havana, one could say, Fidel Castro's Kissinger, Rafael Rodriguez, who struck me as one of the key minds in the Cuban leader's entourage. I would have liked very much to include his views in this book.

Having lived and worked in Indonesia for many years as a journalist, and having written two books on the subject of Indonesia and Sukarno, in 1968 and 1973, I would have preferred to include the Indonesian point of view on matters of population and the future, as being representative for the fifthlargest nation in the world (125 million inhabitants and ranking close behind China, India, the USSR, and the US). However, having been in my writings extremely critical of the right-wing officers who ousted Sukarno in 1965 by an illegal coup, with the assistance of the CIA, I have been repeatedly refused visa for Jakarta and have been told that I top the unwanted list of the present regime. This particular honor prevented me from going there and including some Indonesian views for this series.

In particular, I thank the Indian and USSR embassies at The Hague for helping to arrange some of these conversations. In Tokyo I received much valuable advice from the editor of the Japanese edition of Volume I, Professor Shumpei Kumon. In Moscow, I am grateful to Tamara Shachmazarova and Vladimir Moltsjanov of the press agency Novosti, who were both extremely helpful in arranging meetings with Soviet scientists.

[p. IX]

All Soviet interviews were conducted in Russian and taped, after which a professional translator of National Dutch Television (NOS) set them over in Dutch and English. These texts were later approved in Moscow by those interviewed.

In particular I have to thank Aurelio Peccei of the Club of Rome for submitting possible nominees for interviews in a wide area of disciplines and situated in numerous nations. I would like to stress, however, that the final choice of all conversations entered in this volume has been entirely mine. I would like to think that the 119 conversations on global problems as offered in both these volumes will not only help to enlighten those who in our time are preoccupied in finding suitable solutions for the questions that face mankind in this latter part of our century, but that also future generations will be able to orient themselves from these discussions about the ways in which we were wrestling with their future in trying to keep the world an acceptable and livable place for all mankind.

Willem L. Oltmans