Point Four Program
E490
The Point Four Program was a U.S. foreign aid initiative launched in 1949 to provide technical assistance and economic development support to poorer countries as part of Cold War-era efforts to promote stability and counter communism.
Aliases (3)
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States government program
→
foreign aid program → |
| announcedBy |
Harry S. Truman
→
|
| announcedIn |
1949 State of the Union Address
→
|
| announcedOn |
1949-01-20
→
|
| associatedWithPolicy |
Truman Doctrine
→
containment policy → |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States
→
|
| criticizedFor |
limited funding relative to its ambitions
→
overemphasis on technical solutions to structural problems → |
| differsFrom |
Marshall Plan focus on war-torn Europe
→
|
| emphasizedInstrument |
technical cooperation rather than direct financial aid
→
|
| evolvedInto |
broader U.S. foreign aid framework of the 1950s and 1960s
→
|
| focusArea |
agricultural development
→
education and training → infrastructure and industry-related know-how → public health → technical assistance → |
| foreignPolicyDoctrine |
liberal internationalism
→
|
| goal |
demonstrate benefits of alignment with the United States
→
increase productivity in agriculture and industry in recipient states → raise living standards in developing countries → |
| hasPurpose |
counter the spread of communism
→
promote economic development in poorer countries → promote political stability in developing regions → provide technical assistance to developing countries → strengthen pro-Western governments → |
| historicalPeriod |
early Cold War
→
|
| ideologicalContext |
Cold War
→
|
| implementedBy |
Technical Cooperation Administration
→
United States Agency for International Development → United States Department of State → |
| inception |
1949
→
|
| influenced |
later U.S. development assistance programs
→
|
| legalBasis |
Act for International Development of 1950
→
|
| namedAfter |
fourth point of Truman’s 1949 inaugural foreign policy outline
→
|
| partOf |
U.S. Cold War strategy
→
|
| politicalRationale |
compete with Soviet influence in the developing world
→
|
| provided |
American experts and advisors to recipient countries
→
equipment and technical materials → training for local personnel → |
| relatedProgram |
Marshall Plan
→
|
| supportedBy |
bipartisan coalition in U.S. Congress
→
|
| targetPopulation |
developing countries
→
poorer countries → |
| targetRegion |
Africa
→
Asia → Latin America → Middle East → |
Referenced by (7)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Point Four Program
("Act for International Development of 1950")
→
Technical Cooperation Administration ("Act for International Development of 1950") → |
legalBasis |
|
Institute of Inter-American Affairs
("United States foreign aid program")
→
Technical Cooperation Administration ("Point Four technical assistance program") → |
partOf |
|
Truman administration
→
|
foreignPolicyProgram |
|
Harry S. Truman
→
|
implementedPolicy |
|
Technical Cooperation Administration
("Point Four technical assistance program")
→
|
notableProgram |