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The Point Four Program was a technical assistance program for "developing countries" announced by United States President Harry S. Truman in his inaugural address on January 20, 1949. It took its name from the fact that it was the fourth foreign policy objective mentioned in the speech. ==Background== Following the Second World War, the United States found itself in a Cold War struggle against the USSR. The Truman administration came up with the idea for a technical assistance program as a means to win the "hearts and minds" of the developing world. By sharing US know-how in various fields, especially agriculture, industry and health, officials could help "third world" nations on the development path, raise the standard of living, and show that democracy and capitalism could provide for the welfare of the individual. Countries from the Middle East, Latin America, Asia and Africa had complained about the European emphasis of US foreign aid.〔Thomas G. Paterson. (Foreign Aid under Wraps: The Point Four Program. ) The Wisconsin Magazine of History Vol. 56, No. 2 (Winter, 1972-1973), pp. 119-126. Wisconsin Historical Society.〕 In his inauguration speech on January 20, 1949, President Truman stated the fourth objective of his foreign policy as follows:
Truman denied that this was a colonial venture to dominate other countries. Rather, he insisted, "The old imperialism—exploitation for foreign profit—has no place in our plans. What we envisage is a program of development based on the concepts of democratic fair-dealing. All countries, including our own, will greatly benefit from a constructive program for the better use of the world’s human and natural resources." This was not a call for economic aid—on the order of the Marshall Plan but for the US to share its "know-how" and help nations develop with technical assistance. Point Four was the first global U.S. foreign aid program, yet it drew some inspiration from the nation's wartime Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (OCIAA), which extended technical assistance to Latin American countries. Nelson Rockefeller, the administrator of the OCIAA, strongly supported the establishment of Point Four in congressional hearings.〔United States Congress, House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, International Technical Cooperation Act of 1949, 81st Congress, 1st Session, Washington: GPO, 1950, pp. 79-97. HTTP://congressional.proquest.com/congressional/docview/t29.d30.hrg-1949-foa-0013?accountid=14698〕 According to the US Secretary of State Dean Acheson, it was the initiative of the then legal counsel to the president Clark Clifford, who suggested to president Truman to initiate an assistance on a worldwide basis, and to include the issue in his inaugural address.〔Dean Acheson, ''Present at the Creation: My Years in the State Department'' (New York, 1969) p. 265〕 According to Robert Schlesinger's book, ''White House Ghosts'', it was Benjamin H. Hardy who first came up with the concept. After the suggestion was as good as lost in the foggy miasma of the State Department's bureaucracy, Hardy decided to bring the idea to the attention of Truman aide, George Elsey. Elsey and Clifford went on to herald the abstraction into policy. Hardy eventually left the Department of State and became the new Technical Cooperation Administration's Chief Information Officer.〔Schlesinger, Robert. ''White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008. Print. p. 60-63〕〔"Truman Library - Benjamin H. Hardy Papers." ''Harry S. Truman Library and Museum''. Web. http://www.trumanlibrary.org/hstpaper/hardybh.htm〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Point Four Program」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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