Need for State Department To Implement Section 121 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act

GAO was asked to conduct a study of the State Department's implementation of section 121 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act. Section 121 states that State Department officials should not participate or assist in the negotiation of contracts, or disseminate information about contracts that exclude some Americans from participation on the basis of religion, race, sex, or national origin. However, as of April 1, 1980, the responsibility for commercial affairs activities at 65 posts was transferred from the State Department to the Commerce Department. Therefore, the scope of the study included both agencies.