IV. The Politics and Diplomacy of Food 



The preceding section indicated that a solid base already exists, with 

 many opportunities for further advances, in the technology of food 

 production. Whether it is possible administratively, economically, 

 politically, socially, and diplomatically to achieve an end to malnutri- 

 tion by exploiting this technology is much more uncertain. 



The humane and diplomatic interest of the United States in this out- 

 come is of long standing. This section of the study discusses the dimen- 

 sions of the U.S. effort directed toward this end. 



Evolution of U.S. Technical Assistance to Agriculture in the LDCs 



The food relief program in the famine areas of Europe during and 

 after World War I was the first U.S. experience with large-scale 

 international relief operations. Although these programs had the 

 single nonpoUtical objective of feeding hungry people, they called 

 for special administrative machinery, and considerable international 

 cooperation. Further and broader experience was gained when foreign 

 assistance operations were organized again, during and after World 

 War 11. During that war, materials and food supplies were sent to 

 allies under.the authority of the Lend-Lease Act. Assistance was made 

 available to the civilian populations of occupied areas. When the 

 United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Admmistration (UNRRA) 

 was organized in 1943, the United States provided the bulk of its 

 support. Immediately after the war the Congress responded to pleas 

 to relieve distress in Europe by enacting several short-term relief 

 programs., The legislation establishing these programs contained 

 safeguards against political misuse of relief supplies, such as that 

 which had occurred in both Poland and Yugoslavia with UNRRA- 

 f umished items. 



The United States also took a leading role in the creation of the 

 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (AVorld 

 Bank) and the International Monetary Fund, both of which began 

 operations in 1946. These agencies were envisioned as the principal 

 multilateral monetary instruments through which the U.S. could assist 

 in rebuilding the war-ravaged countries and in stabilizing their cur- 

 rencies. Today these agencies, especially the World Bank, figure im- 

 portantly in world development projects, and are giving considerable 

 empha,sis to those relating to the food/population question. 



During the early postwar years, leaders in the United States ex- 

 pected that with appropriate assistance the developed countries re- 

 ceiving Marshall Plan assistance would be able to get back on their 

 feet, and once more would be able to feed themselves, either through 

 domestic production or bj' import. The severe stringencies that existed 

 after World War II were simply viewed as an emergency situation, 

 and not as arising from any persistent food/population imbalance! 

 However, ^Marshall Plan assistance went also to the underdeveloped 



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