ABSTRACT
A majority of Central American officials believe that Central American integration would not have taked place without Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA) participation. The ECLA Doctrine was the major factor in shaping Central American attitudes concerning the Common Market and economic growth. ECLA dominated the technical aspects of the beginning of the integration movement because it had the personnel and the financial backing to do the technical feasibility studies. In the early 1950s, the United States was not in favor of the ECLA-inspired Central American integration program. The major reason that the United States had a strong influence on the nature of the integration program and the apparent speed with which it progressed was the large amount of financial assistance it committed to the program. ECLA proved to be the source that provided the link between the development goals of the marginal members of the political elite.
