U.S. Foreign Policy and the AAS
To appreciate development nationwide of the Austro-American Society and its regional chapters, it is helpful to understand something of the strategic foreign policy initiatives undertaken by the U.S. government following WW II.
The most important three in this regard are
1) the Fulbright Act of 1946;
2) the European Economic Aid and Cooperation Act of 1948,
better known as the European Economic Recovery Plan (ERP) or the Marshall Plan;
and 3) the U.S. Information Centers, later called America Houses.
The Fulbright Act was a major foreign educational exchange initiative introduced to Congress by Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright almost immediately following the end of WW II. His idea was to authorize funding from the sale of surplus materials abroad for the promotion of international good will through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture, and science. The underlying argument for Congress was that the promotion of mutual understanding was critical for U.S. national security, but Sen. Fulbright also believed in educational exchange as a means to lasting peace. WW II impressed upon him the gravity of the consequences of international conflict in the nuclear age, and he sought thus to “civilize and humanize” international relations and U.S. foreign policy through international educational exchange. In his book The Arrogance of Power (1966), Fulbright argues that international education be used for a foreign policy not meant as propaganda for the image of the United States, but rather to cultivate empathy, the ability to perceive the world as others see it and perspectives that transcend national boundaries.
The European Recovery Program, better known as the Marshall Plan, is considered by many the single greatest piece of foreign policy legislation ever passed by the U.S. Congress and the most successful foreign aid project ever implemented. Yet, today it is only a vague concept in name for many, if a concept at all. We need to remember and understand.
Secretary of State George C. Marshall first proposed a plan for post-WW II economic recovery in a speech delivered at Harvard University in 1947. His underlying idea was the need to restore confidence in Europe’s economic future, without which there could be “no political stability and no assured peace” (Marshall received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953).
On 3 April 1948 Congress passed the Foreign Assistance and European Economic Cooperation Act, commonly known as the Marshall Plan or ERP (European Recovery Program). Up until 1953, the U.S. distributed to 16 participating countries roughly 17 billion dollars in goods and materials (indirect aid), low-interest or no-interest loans and direct gifted grants. A staggering sum for that time, of which Austria received for its size and population arguably more benefits than any other country, and of those, the western regions such as Salzburg and Tirol received 81%!! The Marshall Plan in Austria has unique longevity, the residual funds of which are still active today in providing grants and low-interest loans through the ERP-Fonds, which has been completely controlled by the Federal Republic of Austria since 1962.
The largesse of the Marshall Plan was not and was never intended to be straight out charity. This is an important aspect of its success, in fact. The intention was to provide the means for self-help, similar in spirit to the “give a man a fish, teach a man to fish” proverb, in order to relieve food shortages, rebuild industry and revitalize economies. Recipient businesses and companies paid back into a maintenance fund which continues to provide loans and grants. It is also important to understand the Marshall Plan in the contexts of U.S. self-interests and the Cold War. By helping rebuild and revitalize economies, the U.S. was securing markets for its own products and promoting stable democracies to stem the spread of Communism.
AASTirol Members, Fulbright and Marshall Plan Scholars
A throw-back photo is living proof how intertwined the AASTirol is with the U.S. post-war strategies of the Fulbright Act and Marshall Plan legislation promoting peace through partnerships still today: former AASTirol members Dallas Rolnick (front, green jacket) and Marc Landry (top far right) as Fulbright and Marshall Plan scholars with Fulbright Austria Director Dr. Lonnie Johnson in 2016.