The_Open_Door_deel1

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From 1944 a U.S. Army officer had been training the Liberian
Frontier Force and police officers, and army personnel had
attended training courses in the U.S.A. after the end of the war.
With the arrival of the U.S. Military Mission in Liberia in 1951,
following the conclusion of a military agreement between Liberia
and the U.S.A. in that year, military assistance to the country
increased. Now the U.S.A. also trained the Liberian Militia.
The Military Mission became one of the co-ordinating branches of
the then called War Department (after 1955: Department of National
Defense).
On the basis of the activities of these various U.S. Missions and
their findings President Tubman applied for U.S. aid in 1950 when
the U.S. Congress enacted the Act for International Development
("Point IV Program"). His request was granted. In December 1950
the U.S. and Liberian Governments subsequently signed a General
Agreement for Technical Cooperation and a Memorandum of
Agreement for the establishment of a Joint Commission for
Economic Development. The U.S. Economic Mission and the Public
Health Mission then merged into the Joint U.S.-Liberia Economic
Commission. This Joint Commission became the vehicle for the
execution of the Five Year Economic Development Plan ( 1951 -
1955) which was simultaneously agreed upon. The Joint Commission
had thirteen members, seven of whom were appointed by the
Liberian Government and six by the U.S.A. It is interesting to
note that at the time of the creation of this Commission the
1926 Loan still had not been completely re-paid (as a result of
which there was an American Financial Adviser with considerable
powers).
The Development Plan called for the expenditure of some $ 32.6
million over a period of five years in five broad categories
(Table 33).
This Plan was to be financed by Government sources (20 per cent
of current revenues), U.S. grants and loans. Soon, however, it
was realized that the Five-Year Plan could not be fully
implemented mainly because of financial and administrative
reasons. The notorious lack of data prevented a proper planning
and estimating of costs whereas government revenues had proved
insufficient despite the considerable growth of revenues in the
early 1950's Therefore the Five-Year Plan was in 1953 extended
to a Nine-Year Development Plan. The expenditure envisaged
under the expanded Plan amounted to I 73-6 million. The
sectorial distribution of this amount is presented in Table 34.
In his Annual Message to the Legislature, October 23, 1953
President Tubman advised that
"ways and means for the financing of this Program be
authorized to be initiated not by gifts Or benevolence
but upon the guarantee of the natural resourses of the
country which are already being exploited, and others
thai are in the exploratory state " (47).
As in his opinion
"It is sound economics and fair equity to impose on succeeding
generations, obligations for benefits that will
accrue to them",