‘Importance of Germany to Countries around and to World Economy makes it impossible to ignore’ – The Rockefeller Foundation and Public Health in Germany after WWII

Abstract

After WWII, the restoration of medical care and Public Health Service were the most important goals of the allied forces in Germany. They saw a connection between the population’s health condition and its economic prosperity, which the Western Allies perceived as prerequisite for democracy. The allies participated in reforming the social security system. The Rockefeller Foundation provided grants for the modernisation of public health in Germany by initiating a transatlantic visitation program and a school of Public Health. This involvement stands in connection with the European Recovery Program and can be understood as an addition to US–American economic plan.

Keywords:

• European Recovery Program
• Germany
• Rockefeller Foundation
• health insurance
• public health

Notes

1. See Weindling, Paul J. ‘ “Out of the Ghetto” : The Rockefeller Foundation and German medicine after the Second World War.’ In Rockefeller Philanthropy and modern Biomedicine. International Initiatives from World War I to the Cold War, edited by Schneider, William H., 208–222. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2002. Sachse, Carola. ‘What research, to what end? The Rockefeller Foundation and the Max Planck Gesellschaft in the Early Cold War.’ Central European History 42 (2009): 97–141.

2. With the exception of Ellerbrock, Dagmar, ‘Healing Democracy’ – Demokratie als Heilmittel. Gesundheit, Krankheit und Politik in der amerikanischen Besatzungszone 1945 – 1949. Bonn: J. H. W. Dietz Nachf., 2004. Ellerbrock completely underrated the modernity of the Public Health Officers’ approaches, which legislation prescribed as of 1934, as well as the technology including serial X-ray examinations and concepts with wide-ranging acquisition of date and statistics, which can be seen clearly during the battle against tuberculosis. Reinisch, Jessica. The Perils of Peace. The Public Health Crisis in Occupied Germany. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. See also Schleiermacher, Sabine. ‘Contested Spaces: Models of Public Health in Occupied Germany.’ In Shifting Boundaries of Public Health. Europe in the Twentieth Century, edited by Susan Gross Solomon, Lion Murard and Patrick Zylberman, 175–204. Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 2008. Ellerbrock and Reinisch do not elaborate on the RF.

3. Projects in Germany during the period May 9, 1945 to June 12, 1951. Rockefeller Archive Center (RAC), RF RG 1.1 series 717 box 7 folder 37.

4. After the Potsdam agreement in the year 1945, Demilitarization, Denazification, Decentralization und Democratization were supposed to break to the ‘negative traditions ‘National Socialism had brought and thereby create the ‘requirements for a permanent foundation for peace’. Jarausch, Konrad. Die Umkehr. Deutsche Wandlungen 1945–1955. Bonn: Bundeszentale für politische Bildung, 2004: 130. The Allies’ understanding of Democratization was the transformation of German politics in all social realms, especially education and the press, as well as the admission of parties and unions.

5. Wengst, Udo. ‘Rahmenbedingungen.’ In Geschichte der Sozialpolitik in Deutschland seit 1945. Zeit der Besatzungszonen. Sozialpolitik zwischen Kriegsende und der Gründung zweier deutscher Staaten. Vol. 2/1, edited by Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Sozialpolitik und Bundesarchiv, 1–76, 11. Baden-Baden: Nomos, 2001.

6. Ellerbrock, ‘Healing Democracy’: 109, 112, 118f.

7. Ibid., 105, 107.

8. Ibid., 107, 115, 124f.

9. Rupieper, Hermann-Josef. Die Wurzeln der westdeutschen Nachkriegsdemokratie. Der amerikanische Beitrag 1945 - 1952. Darmstadt: Westdeutscher Verlag, 1993: 38.

10. The office for political affairs formulated 1949: ‘A government need not to be totalitarian to be non-democratic. Neither the Empire nor the Weimarer Republic were totalitarian, but neither were they democratic.’ NA RG 59, 862.00/12–849, cited in: Ibid., 39.

11. Tennstedt, Florian. ‘Sozialgeschichte der Sozialversicherung“. In Handbuch für Sozialmedizin edited by Blohmke, Maria, Christian v. Ferber, Karl Peter Kisker and Hans Schaefer, 385–492, 386. Stuttgart: Ferdinand-Enke-Verlag, 1976.

12. Hockerts, Hans Günter. Sozialpolitische Entscheidungen im Nachkriegsdeutschland. Alliierte und deutsche Sozialversicherungspolitik 1945 bis 1957. Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta, 1980: 26–28.

13. Abelshauser, Werner. ‘Erhard oder Bismarck?’ Geschichte und Gesellschaft 22 (1996): 376–392, 384.

14. Schellenberg, Ernst. Versicherungsanstalt Berlin 1945–1947. Ein Arbeitsbericht. Berlin: self published 1947: 29f. Hoffmann, Dierk. Sozialpolitische Neuordnung in der SBZ/DDR. Der Umbau der Sozialversicherung, München: R. Oldenbourg Verlag, 1996: 70.

15. See also Schagen, Udo, and Sabine Schleiermacher, ‘Gesundheitswesen und Sicherung bei Krankheit und im Pflegefall.’ In Die Sowjetische Besatzungszone und Berlin. Geschichte und Sozialpolitik in Deutschland seit 1945 edited by Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Sozialpolitik und Bundesarchiv, 511–528, 524. Baden-Baden: Nomos 2001. Arndt, Melanie. Gesundheitspolitik im geteilten Berlin 1948–1961. Köln, Weimar and Wien : Böhlau, 2009: 68–72.

16. Hockerts. ‘Entscheidungen’: 51–85.

17. Tennstedt. ‘Sozialgeschichte’: 385–492, 422.

18. Abelshauser. ‘Erhard’: 378.

19. Lindner, Ulrike. Gesundheitspolitik in der Nachkriegszeit. Großbritannien und die Bundesrepublik Deutschland im Vergleich. München: De Gruyter, 2004: 36–38.

20. RAC, RF RG 6.1 series 2.1 box 66 folder 623.

21. Weindling. ‘Ghetto’.

22. Sachse. ‘Research’: 136.

23. Raymond B. Fosdick to William H. Draper. January 14, 1948. RAC, RF RG 1.2 series 700 box 10 folder 84.

24. The Annual Report - Rockefeller Foundation 1948 edited by Rockefeller Foundation. New York: self published, 1948: 46–47.

25. Kimmel, Elke. ‘Gemeinsam gegen die ‘Achsenmächte’. Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung 31.10.2005. Accessed November 19, 2016. http://www.bpb.de/geschichte/deutsche-geschichte/marshallplan/39982/gemeinsam-gegen-die-achsenmaechte. ‘The ERP was designed not only to stimulate economic growth and foreign trade but at the same time to turn western Europe into a bulwark against communism’. Schröter, Harm G. Americanization of the European Economy. A compact survey of American economic influence in Europe since the 1880s. Dordrecht: Springer Verlag, 2005: 47.

26. Rausch, Helke. ‘Professionalisierung als Diplomatische Strategie: Das us-amerikanische Carnegie Endowment in Europa vor 1945’, 2. Themenportal Europäische Geschichte. Accessed November 7, 2016. www.europa.clio-online.de.

27. Antoni, Christine. Sozialhygiene und Public Health: Franz Goldmann (1895–1970). Husum: Matthiesen Verlag 1997.

28. Grant to Strode. January 1, 1949. RAC, RF RG 1.2 series 717 box 4 folder 35.

29. International Health Division, special research projects, p. 3. RAC, RF RG 1.2 series 700 box 10 folder 89. Kubin (OMGUS) to Grant February 18, 1949. RAC, RF RG 1.2 series 717 box 4 folder 35.

30. Grant to Strode July 2, 1949. Ibid. See also Conference between John Grant and Franz Goldmann July 9, 1949. Ibid.

31. Grant to Strode July 2, 1949. Ibid.

32. Grant to Strode August 8, 1949. Ibid.

33. Strode Diary, November 17, 1949. RAC, RF RG 1.2 series 717 box 4 folder 36.

34. Goldmann, Franz. ‘Report on Interviews of Candidates for the Study trip to foreign countries, 1949.’ RAC, RF 1.2 RG 717 box 4 folder 35.

35. Goldmann, Franz. ‘Final report’. August 11, 1949. Ibid.

36. Grant to Strode. August 21, 1949. Ibid.

37. Goldmann, Franz. ‘Postgraduate Education of German Health Officers.’ September 15, 1949. RAC, RF RG 1.2 series 717 box 4 folder 36. There will be citations in the following segment.

38. Excerpt from a memo from Struthers. November 30, 1951. RAC, RF RG 6.1. series 2.1 box 63 folder 581.

39. Interoffice Correspondence Struthers. September 25, 1952. Corresponds with John Maier, October 21, 1952. Floyd Lyle, November 13, 1952. RAC, RF RG 1.2 series 717 box 4 folder 33.

40. Struthers to Wilson, RF, Toronto, September 19, 1952. Ibid. Struthers to Russell. Ibid.

41. Cook, Joan and Ernest L. Stebbins. ‘Expert on Public Health’ (New York Times May 9, 1987).

42. Strode to the Rockefeller Foundation, September 10, 1948. RAC, RF RG 12.1. box 61, pp. 123.

43. Grant-in-Aid for Dr. Hildegard Rothmund. RAC, RF RG 1.2 series 717 box 4 folder 33.

44. Our History – The Rockefeller Foundation. Accessed November 7, 2016. https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/about-us/our-history/

45. Weindling, Paul. ‘Public Health and Political Stabilisation. The Rockefeller Foundation in Central and Eastern Europe between the Two World Wars.’ Minerva 31 (1993): 253–267. Fee, Lizabeth, and Bu Liping. ‘Models of Public Health education: Choices for the future?’ Bulletin of World Health Organization 85 (2007): 977–979. Schleiermacher, Sabine. ‘Die Rockefeller Foundation und ihr Engagement bei einer Neuorientierung von Medizin und Public Health in Deutschland in den 1950er Jahren’. Medizinhistorisches Journal 45 (2010): 43–65, 50.

46. Page, Benjamin B. ‘The Rockefeller Foundation and Central Europe: A Reconsideration.’ Minerva 40 (2002): 265–287, 285.

47. Diary John Maier March 25, 1952. RAC, RF RG 6.1. series 2.1. box 31 folder 343, p.74.

48. Akademie für Staatsmedizin March 7, 1952. Staatsarchiv Hamburg 364–12,16.

49. Diary John Maier March 25, 1952. RAC, RF RG 6.1. series 2.1. box 31 folder 343, p.74.

50. See also Münchow, Siegfried. ‘Über die Gründung der Akademie für Staatsmedizin in Hamburg.’ Hamburger Ärzteblatt 21 (1967): 302–305.

51. Grant for the Akademie für Staatsmedizin, RAC, RF RG 1.2 series 717 box 2 folder 12.1.

52. Harmsen, Annual report for 1955, December 16, 1955. RAC, RF RG 1.2 series 717 box 2 folder 12.1.

53. See also to Harmsens healthcare policy during the National Socialist period and before: Schleiermacher, Sabine. Sozialethik im Spannungsfeld von Sozial- und Rassenhygiene. Der Mediziner Hans Harmsen im Centralausschuß für die Innere Mission. Abhandlungen zur Geschichte der Medizin und der Naturwissenschaften, Heft 85. Husum: Matthiesen Verlag, 1998.

54. Harmsens journey describe in: RAC, RF 1.2 series 717 box 2 folder 12.1.

55. Grant for the Akademie für Staatsmedizin October 23, 1953. RAC, RF RG 1.2, series 717 box 2 folder 12.1.

56. Maier August 22, 1957. RAC, RF RG 1.2. series 700 box 4, folder 31.

57. Barona, Josep L., The Rockefeller Foundation, Public Health and International Diplomacy, 1920–1945. London: Pickering and Chatto, 2015.

58. See also Berghahn, Volker R. ‘The debate on ‚Americanization‘ among economic and cultural historians.’ Cold War History 10 (2010): 107–130, 110.

59. Sachse. ‘Research’: 136f.

60. Parmar, Inderjeet. ‘To relate knowledge in action’: The impact of the Rockefeller Foundation of foreign policy thinking during America‘s rise to globalism 1939–1945.’ Minerva 40 (2002), 235–263, 238.

61. Schneider, William H. ‘The Model American Foundation Officer: Alan Gregg and the Rockefeller Foundation Medical Division.’ Minerva 41 (2003): 155–166, 157.

62. Schröter, Harm. ‘Economic culture and its transfer: an overview of the Americanisation of European economy, 1900–2005.’ European Review on History: Revue européenne d’histoire 15 (2008): 331–344, 333.

63. Abelshauser. ‘Erhard.’.

64. Berghahn, Volker R. ‘Philanthropy and Diplomacy in the ‘American Century’.’ Diplomatic history, 3, 23 (1999): 393–419, 396; see also 402.

65. Doering-Manteuffel, Anselm. Wie westlich sind die Deutschen? Amerikanisierung und Westernisierung im 20. Jahrhundert. Göttingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht, 1999.