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intended to promote development in Latin America and combat "poverty, disease and illiteracy", while IBEC was supposed to encourage capital investment. The founding president of both insti- tutions, Nelson naturally painted AIA and IBEC as being designed to achieve the desirable goal of development. Yet, in truth, Nelson was driven by a baser aim of breaking down national barriers to penetration by American companies in line with the shift in Rockefeller wealth from oil to international banking and Third World investment.” In describing the activities of AIA and IBEC, Nelson employed language that is often employed by contemporary advocates of globalisation. "Today," Nelson stated in the late 1940s, "capital must go to where it can produce the most goods, render the greatest service, meet the most pressing needs of the people." Discussing IBEC operations in Latin America, Nelson noted that because of the "big problems" confronting "our way of life", it was essential that they demonstrate "that American enterprise can...help to solve these problems that are vital to our everyday life and to our position in world affairs". He said the US needed to "master such problems if our system is going to survive".* For all his rhetoric on helping people, ultimately it was protecting and extending "our system" that was paramount for Nelson. intended to promote development in Latin America and combat world-wide impact must be dealt with through institutions global in "poverty, disease and illiteracy", while IBEC was supposed to their scope".” encourage capital investment. The founding president of both insti- * The second, and less well known, influence on Nelson was tutions, Nelson naturally painted AIA and IBEC as being designed Emmet John Hughes (1920-1982). He was Eisenhower's to achieve the desirable goal of development. Yet, in truth, Nelson speechwriter, a Senior Adviser on Public Affairs to the Rockefeller was driven by a baser aim of breaking down national barriers to Brothers Fund (1960-1963), and Nelson's campaign manager in penetration by American companies in line with the shift in 1968. Although not a prominent figure, Hughes is described in Rockefeller wealth from oil to international banking and Third some accounts as one of Nelson's more “trusted aides", serving as World investment.” the "chief ideologue" or "campaign theoretician" during his abortive In describing the activities of AIA and IBEC, Nelson employed campaigns for the Presidency.*® Hughes was also a liberal- language that is often employed by contemporary advocates of internationalist. In The Ordeal of Power (1963), his memoir of his globalisation. "Today," Nelson stated in the late 1940s, "capital time as Eisenhower's speechwriter, Hughes boasted of having must go to where it can produce the most goods, render the greatest _—_ inserted into Eisenhower's speeches expressions of US support for service, meet the most pressing needs of the people." Discussing international law, the UN, disarmament and the redirection of arms IBEC operations in Latin America, Nelson noted that because of spending towards alleviating world poverty—a vision revealed in the "big problems" confronting "our way of life", it was essential Eisenhower's "The Chance for Peace" speech of April 16, 1953, that they demonstrate "that American enterprise can...help to solve | where he asked Americans to support a plan to join with "all these problems that are vital to our everyday life and to our position —_ nations" in devoting the savings from disarmament to "a fund for in world affairs". He said the US needed to "master such problems world aid and reconstruction" .*' if our system is going to survive".* For all his rhetoric on helping * The third influence was Rockefeller's close friend and adviser people, ultimately it was protecting and extending "our system" that Adolf Berle (1895-1971), who also provided much input into was paramount for Nelson. Nelson's internationalism. In the late 1940s, Berle's Cold War vision included creating a "global Good Neighbor Policy that Three Sources of Inspiration organized a community of liberal nations" to oppose the USSR. He For the most definitive expressions of Nelson's liberal-internationalist vision, we must look to his political career as presidential aspirant from the mid-1950s through to 1973, And we As far back as 1951, can see that, just as Fosdick influenced Nelson had used the word Junior, at least three sources of inspiration drove Nelson's vision "interdependence" to describe during that period. the economic relationship * The first main influence on Nelson was the Rockefeller Brothers Fund | between the Western countries report of 1959, Prospect for America. . Aided by David, Laurance, Winthrop and the developing world. and the family fortune, Nelson had mobilised nearly a hundred members of the Eastern Establishment to and stressing the need to develop "an participate in his project, which was accepted political philosophy" for US specifically intended for his presidential campaigns. The foreign policy. In addition, Berle collaborated with Kissinger in articipants were divided into six panels: three focused on the writing the final report, and his stamp can be seen in those sections domestic issues of democracy, education and the performing arts, which are the most forthright in arguing for supranational while the other three dealt with defence, US foreign policy and institutions and international economic integration.” international trade and economic development. Nelson drew eavily on Prospect for America's detailed recommendations for — Nelson's "New World Order" opposed NATO, arguing that the "whole language of military alliance is out of date", and supported collective security through the United Nations instead. Berle also believed in the virtues of international economic integration, evident in his 1954 book The 20th Century Capitalist Revolution, which argued that the dynamic capitalist economy was rendering the nation-state redundant. He also provided input to the Prospect for America project, devising the guidelines for the panels US leadership in establishing regional arrangements and global free The culmination of these influences was effectively a slightly trade and strengthening international institutions. updated version of the Wilson—Fosdick world order model that Prospect for America's policy advice reinforced the comprised free trade, regionalism, supranational institutions, Establishment's Wilsonian liberal-internationalist consensus, rec- American leadership and the defeat of Communism. Nelson will- ommending that America's goal should be to establish "a world at ingly and repeatedly endorsed this policy package in his drive for ace, based on separate political entities acting as a community", the White House. Central to Nelson's platform was the contention as it was now America's "opportunity...to shape a new world that global change, specifically economic interdependence, was order". This would consist of "regional institutions under an inter- —_ making the nation-state redundant. As far back as 1951, Nelson national body of growing authority—combined so as to be able to had used the word "interdependence" to describe the economic rela- deal with those problems that increasingly the separate nations will tionship between the Western countries and the developing world.** not be able to solve alone". To advance the free trade agenda, the But it was in a 1960 essay in Foreign Affairs that Nelson asserted report argued that the US should encourage the formation of that "the central fact of our time is the disintegration of the nine- "regional trading systems" in "all areas of the free world", including _teenth-century political system...[t]he great opportunity of our time a "Western Hemisphere Common Market" incorporating North, is not the idea of competition but of world cooperation". ** South and Central America. The report had also lauded the United Similarly, in his lectures on federalism at Harvard University in Nations as "proof of our conviction that problems which are of 1962, Nelson claimed: the economic relationship between the Western countries Nelson's "New World Order" The culmination of these influences was effectively a slightly updated version of the Wilson—Fosdick world order model that comprised free trade, regionalism, supranational institutions, American leadership and the defeat of Communism. Nelson will- ingly and repeatedly endorsed this policy package in his drive for the White House. Central to Nelson's platform was the contention that global change, specifically economic interdependence, was making the nation-state redundant. As far back as 1951, Nelson had used the word "interdependence" to describe the economic rela- tionship between the Western countries and the developing world.** But it was in a 1960 essay in Foreign Affairs that Nelson asserted that "the central fact of our time is the disintegration of the nine- teenth-century political system...[t]he great opportunity of our time is not the idea of competition but of world cooperation". ** Similarly, in his lectures on federalism at Harvard University in 1962, Nelson claimed: JUNE — JULY 2003 NEXUS +29 As far back as 1951, : Nelson had used the word "interdependence" to describe and the developing world. www.nexusmagazine.com