105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 63

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the

that program.to the principles that led to the establishment ofaffirming the commitment of the United States50th anniversary of the Marshall Plan and re-
105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 63

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Whereas on June 5, 1947, in a speech at Harvard University,

then-Secretary of State George C. Marshall proposed the

establishment of a joint American-European program to

provide assistance, ‘‘so far as it may be practical for us

to do so,’’ to assist the countries of Europe to recover

from the devastation of World War II, and that program

was subsequently called ‘‘The Marshall Plan’’ in recogni-
2

•HCON 63 EH

tion of the pivotal role of Secretary of State Marshall in

its establishment;

Whereas then-President Harry S Truman had earlier enunciated the principle of assisting democratic countries

which faced the threat of communist aggression and thus

laid the foundation for the Marshall Plan with the ‘‘Truman Doctrine’’ which provided economic and military assistance to Greece and Turkey, and this farsighted policy

represented a reversal of longstanding United States policy of avoiding peacetime involvement in foreign military

and political affairs;

Whereas the Marshall Plan was developed, refined, and enacted with the broad bipartisan involvement of the Congress of the United States, including in particular the efforts of Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg of Michigan and

Congressman Christian A. Herter of Massachusetts;

Whereas the Congress provided an estimated

$13,300,000,000 to assist the sixteen European countries

which participated in the Marshall Plan during the fouryear period of its existence, and this material contribution represented a significant sacrifice by the American

people;

Whereas the assistance provided under the Marshall Plan

served to ‘‘prime the pump’’ to stimulate the economies

of the participating European countries and resulted in

an average growth of 41 percent in industrial production

and an average growth of 33.5 percent in per capita

gross national product during the four years of the program;

Whereas the spectacular economic revival of the countries of

Western Europe would not have been possible without the
3

•HCON 63 EH

creativity, technical skills, managerial competence, and

hard work of the European peoples; nevertheless, the

Marshall Plan was a vital element in assisting the European peoples in the postwar economic recovery;

Whereas the multinational economic cooperation required and

encouraged by the Marshall Plan was a significant impetus in fostering transnational European economic cooperation and unity which ultimately helped to pave the

way for the North Atlantic Treaty, in developing the

multifaceted relationship between the United States and

the countries of Europe, and in contributing to the establishment of the European Union; and

Whereas 1997 marks the 50th anniversary of the original

speech by Secretary of State George C. Marshall calling

for the establishment of the Marshall Plan: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) urges all Americans on the 50th anniversary

4 of the Marshall Plan to reflect upon the significance

5 of this program as a concrete embodiment of the

6 commitment of the United States to fostering peace7 ful relations with and the economic prosperity of the

8 countries of Europe;

9 (2) reaffirms the commitment that was ex10 pressed in the original Marshall Plan (‘‘Economic

11 Cooperation Act of 1948,’’ sec. 102, Public Law 80–

12 472) was enacted—namely, that ‘‘intimate economic
4

•HCON 63 EH

1 and other relationships exist between the United

2 States and the nations of Europe,’’ that extensive

3 and friendly relations with the nations of Europe

4 and with the community of European nations is vital

5 to the promotion of ‘‘the general welfare and na6 tional interest of the United States’’ and that the

7 prosperity and security of Europe are essential to

8 ‘‘the establishment of a lasting peace’’; and

9 (3) acknowledges and commends the efforts of

10 those countries which originally participated in the

11 Marshall Plan to assist the countries of Central and

12 Eastern Europe and the newly independent republics

13 of the former Soviet Union in their efforts to develop

14 market economies and democratic political systems

15 as a reflection of the same generous spirit that moti16 vated the people of the United States to help these

17 Western European countries fifty years ago.

Passed the House of Representatives May 21, 1997.

Attest:

Clerk.