[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 20, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO BENJAMIN H. HARDY, JR.

 Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Benjamin H. Hardy, Jr., an outstanding Georgian whose insight and 
courage helped shape the course for U.S. foreign policy for decades and 
paved the way for the people of many nations to improve their lives.
  On January 20th, 1949, precisely fifty years ago today, President 
Harry Truman gave his inaugural address to the nation and, in doing so, 
spelled out his four point plan for U.S. foreign policy. The first 
three points of the plan were consistent with President Truman's 
previous policies in support of the United Nations, the Marshall Plan 
and our NATO allies. The fourth point of the plan, however, was a 
``bold new program'' to provide technical assistance to developing 
nations which subsequently became known as ``Point Four.'' The idea for 
the new assistance program was developed by Mr. Hardy, who, at the 
time, was serving as a public affairs officer in the Department of 
State. Mr. Hardy had seen the rewards of technical assistance while 
working in Brazil and knew that this type of assistance was the key to 
unleashing the potential of so many developing countries.
  According to various accounts, Mr. Hardy risked his career to bring 
his brilliant proposal to light and, ultimately, assisted in drafting 
the foreign policy portion of President Truman's address. Responding to 
a White House request for new initiatives in foreign affairs, Mr. Hardy 
produced his plan. However, his plan was not received favorably by the 
upper levels of the State Department and was sent back for ``further 
review''--virtually killing the idea. Refusing to give up, Mr. Hardy 
bypassed the normal channels of bureaucratic red tape and policy review 
and went directly to a contact inside the White House. There, Mr. 
Hardy's development plan was greeted much more favorably and soon made 
its way to President Truman's desk and, later, into the President's 
State of the Union address.
  Point Four received widespread acclaim and, soon after Truman's 
address, Congress created the Technical Cooperation Administration 
within the Department of State. Mr. Hardy went on to serve as chief of 
public affairs and chairman of the Administration's policy planning 
committee. On December 23rd of 1951 Mr. Hardy was killed in a plane 
crash along with the director of the Technical Cooperation 
Administration, Dr. Henry Bennet. Soon, the Technical Cooperation 
Administration was transformed into the agencies responsible for 
foreign aid but the Point Four idea, remains vibrant today. It survives 
in the U.S. Agency for International Development, the agency which 
works to develop, train, educate, and strengthen democracy in the most 
needy countries across the globe.
  Were it not for the determination of Mr. Benjamin Hardy, these 
agencies, and their successes, may never have been realized. Benjamin 
Hardy is a wonderful example of one person making a difference in the 
world and I am honored today to recognize the indelible mark this 
distinguished Georgian has left upon the history of this nation and the 
people of the world.

                          ____________________