Afficher Vol. 41 No 1 (2023)

Vol. 41 No 1 (2023)

ISSN:
1427-7476

Section: Varia

Penetrating the Iron Curtain – the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations’ Exchange Programs Directed to “Friendly” Poles, 1948–1962/1968

Renata Nowaczewska

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3766-8966

Institute of History, University of Szczecin

Pamięć i Sprawiedliwość, Vol. 41 No 1 (2023), pages: 401-419

Publication date: 2023-10-10

https://doi.org/10.48261/pis234119

Résumé

The research objectives of this article are to analyse one form of international philan-thropy undertaken by two American private foundations: the Rockefeller and the Ford foundations. It poses questions about the possible impact the exchange programs directed to Poland in the early Cold War period had upon the opening of research opportunities to catch up with peers in the West. The article covers the time span between the first visit of the Rockefeller Foundation representatives and the year when both temporarily withdrew or suspended their extensive programs. The method of critically analysing archival documents of both foundations made it possible to explore the circumstances of their engagement, candidate selection procedures, and the different approaches to achieving set goals. It reveals that the Rockefeller Foundation focused on scientific results, leading to the ‘cross-fertilization’ of ideas, network creation, and the opening up opportunities, while  the  Ford  Foundation  aimed  at  long-term  cultural  diplomacy,  impacting  upon  groups of ‘friendly’ recipients. The article explores several case studies of Polish grantees, showing the foundations’ non-discriminatory practices based on merit and the role these  grantees  might  have  exercised  in  the  development  of  science,  strengthening  the  free world, and promoting international understanding.


Rockefeller Archive Center, Sleepy Hollow, NY, USA, Rockefeller Foundation Records

Rockefeller Archive Center, Sleepy Hollow, NY, USA, Ford Foundation Records

The Department of State, “United States and U.S.S.R. Sign Agreement on East-West Exchanges”, Bulletin, vol. XXXVIII, No. 973, 17 February 1958.

Expansion of American Aid to Poland Through Polish-American Foundation, 28 April 1959, U.S. Congressional Record, 86th Congress, 1st Sess., vol. 5, part 5, 6900–6901.

The Ford Foundation, Annual Report(s) for 1951, 1958, 1963.

Gaither, H.R., Report of the Study for the Ford Foundation on Policy and Program, Detroit, 1, 1949.

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Ce travail est disponible sous licence Creative Commons Attribution - Pas d'Utilisation Commerciale - Pas de Modification 4.0 International.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0

Nowaczewska, R. (2023). Penetrating the Iron Curtain – the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations’ Exchange Programs Directed to “Friendly” Poles, 1948–1962/1968. Pamięć I Sprawiedliwość, 41(1), 401–419. https://doi.org/10.48261/pis234119

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                            Afficher Vol. 41 No 1 (2023)

Vol. 41 No 1 (2023)

ISSN:
1427-7476

Data publikacji:
2023-10-10

Dział: Varia