niversity commencement on June 5, 1947, Marshall announced that European economic recovery was a major goal of American foreign policy: "Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos... Any government that is willing to assist in the task of recovery will find full cooperation, I am sure, on the part of the United States government.?(?For the European Recovery)
             On April 3, 1948, President Harry S Truman signed the Foreign Assistance Act, the legislation establishing the Marshall Plan. His official statement said, "Few presidents have had the opportunity to sign legislation of such importance. This measure is America's answer to the challenge facing the free world today." (?For the European Recovery)
             The Marshall Plan was a bipartisan effort proposed by a Democratic president and enacted into law by a Republican Congress in a hotly contested presidential election year. Marshall proposed that the European States themselves should set up a program for the reconstruction of Europe. The United States would contribute towards this program. The Organization for European Economic Cooperation was the European body that would coordinate on the European side employment of the Marshall Plan resources. The United States pressed for and supported the Organization for European Economic Cooperation as a way of fostering new habits of cooperation among the West Europeans so that they would use the Marshall Plan's funds efficiently and be a stronger center of resistance against the Soviets. The OEEC's major aim was to encourage production in general, to increase trade between countries through removal of the restrictions on trade and international payments, and to create and maintain full employment while insuring internal financial stability. (The Marshall Plan. 1947)
             As the reconstruction progressed, American aid retreated slowly to the background while efforts to establish a un...