ABSTRACT
The United States had been politically interlocked with Europe since 1917 and beyond. In World War II, the Normandy beaches became as much a part of American history as Pearl Harbor. After that war, American Marshall Aid-the European Recovery Program-brought Europe grants and credits totalling $13, 150 million, some five percent of America’s national income. The precondition of such aid was that the Europeans work together on their recovery plans. The institution they set up for the purpose was the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC), established on April 16, 1948, with Canada and the United States becoming associate members in June 1950.
