ABSTRACT
In the eyes of the PER group, these preliminaries were completed in time for Vance to be the leadoff witness at the hearings as planned on June 21, 1979. In view of the timing, immediately following the Vienna summit at which SALT II was signed, and immediately before the secretary's trip to Asia, his appearance was an impressive signal of his commitment to the bill, and was so seen and commented upon by several of the members present. The International Operations Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, State's authorization subcommittee, had hoped to retain exclusive jurisdiction over the bill, perhaps with the Post Office and Civil Service Committee's Civil Service Subcommittee participating informally in joint hearings, but without having the bill referred to it for formal consideration. Cyrus Vance was the first witness as the subcommittees assembled on June 21, 1979, at 9:30 a.m. in the Foreign Affairs Committee's "Doc Morgan" hearing room in the Rayburn House Office Building.
