American Committee on United Europe records, bulk 1951-1957

Collection context

Summary

Creators:
American Committee on United Europe, Union européenne des fédéralistes, European Movement, and European Youth Campaign
Abstract:
Conference proceedings, newsletters, pamphlets, reports, clippings, and photographs relating to the European Federalists' Union, the European Movement, the European Youth Campaign, and affiliated organizations in promoting European political and economic unity.
Extent:
8 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize folder (3.4 Linear Feet)
Language:
French, German, English and Dutch
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], American Committee on United Europe records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The American Committee on United Europe (ACUE) records contain conference proceedings, newsletters, pamphlets, reports, clippings, and photographs relating to the European Movement, the European Federalists' Union, the European Youth Campaign and affiliated organizations in promoting European political and economic unity.

The collection is arranged according to its original order.

Biographical / historical:

The immediate post-World War II era witnessed a widespread dissemination of unitary ideology throughout Europe. Many countries had a proliferation of Europeanist and European Federalist movements, writings, initiatives, projects, and forming coalitions of groups geared towards a supranational institutional model for solidarity. In particular, the American Committee on United Europe (ACUE), founded in 1948, was an American organization sought to promote European integration to ensure promotion of the Marshall Plan and counter Communist influence.

ACUE was organized as a non-governmental agency by Allen Welsh Dulles, then head of a committee reviewing the organization of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on behalf of the National Security Council (NSC), and William J. Donovan, former head of the wartime Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The ACUE worked closely with US government officials, particularly the Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA) and the National Committee for a Free Europe, which was being funded by the Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller foundations. One of the aims of ACUE was to covertly finance the European Movement, Le Mouvement Européen (ME), an influential federalist organization in the post-war years. The European Movement brought together a network of people and organizations to mobilize advocacy a democratic, federal & enlarged union.

Concurrent to political mobilization towards unification special attention was given to the youth. For example, in 1948 the Union Fédéraliste Inter-Universitaire (UFI) was created as a group to disseminate federalist matters into universities. By 1949 ACUE began discussions with the leaders of ME to support initiatives aimed at introducing European integration to young people. The European Youth Campaign, Campagne Europeenne de la Jeunese, was created . The campaign was initially geared towards the French and German youth and last one year but grew into a long term educational initiative. was created as an arm of the European Movement and wholly funded and controlled by the US State Department and ACUE.

Around the same time period that formed the Union of European Federalists (UEF), a supranational organization established by the federalist movements present throughout the European Community. The Dutch and German movements become detached from the UEF and founded in 1956, the European federalist Action (AEF), while the UEF becomes, in 1959, the supranational MFE.

Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], American Committee on United Europe records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563