United States Information Agency

United States Information Agency (USIA), former independent agency of the U.S. government. The agency was abolished in 1999 and most of its functions were transferred to the U.S. Department of State. The USIA was founded in 1953. Its purpose was to explain the policies of the United States to people of other countries and to advise the U.S. government on the policy implications of foreign opinions. From 1978 to 1982 the agency was known as the International Communication Agency. The USIA administered educational and cultural international exchange programs and operated the Voice of America, a service that broadcasts news and information in English and 52 other languages to an estimated 90 million listeners around the world. Today the Voice of America is administered by the Broadcasting Board of Governors, an independent U.S. federal agency created in 1999.