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The Harriman Committee

The war against Hitler and Germany ended in early May 1945. Europe and in particular, Germany, was in ruins.  Millions of people were displaced. Estimates of displaced persons (DP) ranged between forty to sixty million including homeless, concentration camp survivors, labor camp inmates, and liberated prisoners of war.

Aerial view over the Rhine battle area: the ruins of Wesel, Germany. Photo by Sgt. Travis (c. 1944/45). Imperial War Museum – War Office Second World War Official Collection. PD-Expired copyright. Wikimedia Commons.
Aerial view over the Rhine battle area: the ruins of Wesel, Germany. Photo by Sgt. Travis (c. 1944/45). Imperial War Museum – War Office Second World War Official Collection. PD-Expired copyright. Wikimedia Commons.

European infrastructures were destroyed, food supplies were disrupted to the point where people continued to go hungry, coal for heating was still scarce, major transportation corridors were rendered useless, and manufacturing facilities had been bombed to the point where they could no longer function. (German factories suffered the most both from bombs and equipment pilfering by the Soviets.)

Gen. George C. Marshall (1880−1959), U.S. secretary of state, knew that it was imperative to get Europe back on its feet. The 900-lb gorilla in the room was the Versailles Treaty signed by Germany twenty-five years earlier. The terms of the treaty were so onerous that it was generally considered to be the catalyst for the emergence of Hitler and the Nazis. Gen. Marshall had a vision of the “new” Europe, and its prosperity would need to include all countries, including Germany.

Gen. George C. Marshall shaking hands with Sen. Tom Connally of Texas, as Sen. Arthur Vandenberg of Michigan (far left), President Truman, and James Byrnes (far right) look on, after Marshall’s swearing-in as secretary of state. Photo by Abbie Rowe (21 January 1947). National Archives and Records Administration. PD-U.S. government. Wikimedia Commons.
Gen. George C. Marshall shaking hands with Sen. Tom Connally of Texas, as Sen. Arthur Vandenberg of Michigan (far left), President Truman, and James Byrnes (far right) look on, after Marshall’s swearing-in as secretary of state. Photo by Abbie Rowe (21 January 1947). National Archives and Records Administration. PD-U.S. government. Wikimedia Commons.

The core of Gen. Marshall’s vision was comprehensive American economic assistance to the Europeans. There were two components for accomplishing this vision: creating a working plan and then the execution of the plan ⏤ in other words, getting it approved and funded by the American Congress. He acknowledged that the easy part was putting a plan together and the “heavy task” was “the execution” of the plan.

 To begin the process of developing an economic aid plan, an eighteen-member council was assembled. It was chaired by Averell Harriman (1891−1986), President Truman’s secretary of commerce. The council consisted of business leaders (e.g., CEOs of General Electric, B.F. Goodrich, and Procter & Gamble), labor leaders (e.g., George Meany of the AFL), academics, and public officials. The mission of the council was to develop a report on the “limits with which” the U.S. could provide economic relief to the Europeans. The President’s Committee on Foreign Aid, or the “Harriman Committee” as it was known, provided the road map that eventually became the “European Recovery Program” (ERP) and the final bill, “The Foreign Assistance Act of 1948.”

Averell Harriman. Photo by Joost Evers/Anefo (3 September 1965). Nationaal Archief. PD-CC CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Wikimedia Commons.
Averell Harriman. Photo by Joost Evers/Anefo (3 September 1965). Nationaal Archief. PD-CC CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Wikimedia Commons.

Then and now, it is commonly referred to as the “Marshall Plan.” Read More The Harriman Committee

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The de Facto Traitor

For those of you who follow kings, queens, and nobility, it can be quite a chore trying to figure out the genealogy of each family and then tracking how the marriages and children forge political links between countries. One example would be Britain and Russia. King George V (1865−1936) and Tsar Nicholas II (1868−1918) were first cousins and looking at the image of the two standing side-by-side, you would swear they were twins. Empress Maria Theresa (1717−1780) decided to end hostilities with France and so she offered up her ninth child (Marie Antoinette) in marriage to the French dauphin, the future King Louis XVI. (That decision didn’t end well for her daughter, did it?) Tracking British and French monarchies is relatively easy compared to the royal families of the Scandinavian countries and Germany.

Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (left) and King George V of England (right). Photo by Ernst Sandau (c. 1913). Uploaded by Mrlopez2681. PD-Published before 1 January 1929. Wikimedia Commons.
Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (left) and King George V of England (right). Photo by Ernst Sandau (c. 1913). Uploaded by Mrlopez2681. PD-Published before 1 January 1929. Wikimedia Commons.

As Hitler began his conquest of Europe in May 1940, it was clear to most that his armies would be successful, occupation was inevitable, and Germany would soon become the master of Europe. Every country Hitler targeted was confronted with the dilemma of determining whether its government should stay or leave in exile. France chose to create a new government, Vichy, and collaborate with the Germans. For Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, there was no choice in her mind. She immediately relocated her government to England and fought Hitler from abroad (click here to read the blog, Audrey Hepburn & Queen Wilhelmina). Belgium’s King Leopold III (1901−1983) stayed and tried to maintain neutrality but was captured and held in Germany until his liberation. (The Belgian government refused to stay and moved to England.) Norway was not able to maintain its neutrality and King Haakon VII (1872−1957) and his government escaped to London leaving the country to the infamous collaborator and traitor, Vidkun Quisling (1887−1945). Finland’s royal family fled to England and the country came under the thumb of the Soviet Union and then Germany. (Click here to read Valkoinen Kuolema and here to read Two Footballers and a War.) Read More The de Facto Traitor