Fulbright Act of 1946

Fulbright Act of 1946, 50a U.S.C. § 1619, is a United States statute commissioning the United States Department of State as a disposal agency for the disposal of materials on public lands and the reclamation of salvageable military surplus assets pending the aftermath of World War II. The Act of Congress was an amendment to the Surplus Property Act of 1944 implementing section 1619 entitled designation of disposal agencies.

The statute chronicled in volume sixty of the United States Statutes at Large authorizing the disposal of surplus property abroad coincided with an American initiative known as the Marshall Plan periodically referred to as the Foreign Assistance Act of 1948 and Economic Cooperation Act of 1948.

The Fulbright Act was enacted into law by the 33rd President of the United States Harry Truman during the mid-twentieth century. The foreign educational exchange initiative encompassed the framework of World War II and the origins of the Cold War.

The academic cross-cultural exchange programs persevered the Cold War enduring five decades ― Cold War (1948–1953) | Cold War (1953–1962) | Cold War (1962–1979) | Cold War (1979–1985) | Cold War (1985–1991) ― climactically achieving a demonstrative cessation by the fall of the Berlin Wall commencing on November 9, 1989.

Legislative precursor of Surplus Property Act Amendment of 1946
Arkansas Senator James Fulbright presented Senate legislation 1440 to the Committee on Military Affairs on September 27, 1945. The Senate bill S. 1440 was titled as an Act with a House floor narrative regarding credits and potential monetary funds from the transactions of World War II surplus materials. The post-war student exchange programs would secure a dividend or reward proceeds for the furtherance of foreign academic exchange candidates as outlined in the Fulbright narrative; "79th Congressional Session as Senate bill S. 1440 Introduced with the preliminary statute titled as;

An Act authorizing use of credits established through the sale of surplus properties abroad for the promotion of international good will through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture, and science.

The enactment of this bill will assure that at least a part of the returns from the sale of our surplus materials to foreign countries will accrue to the interest of America. Most of the nations desiring to purchase our trucks, railroad equipment, and so forth, abroad, do not have American dollars, or even the goods, to pay and it will, therefore, be necessary for our Government to establish credits for this purpose. These debts may never be paid in full and might, like the war debts after World War I, become a source of irritation between nations and prevent the orderly reestablishment of trade and commerce and the strengthening of our political relations with other countries.

I do not mean that other countries have any plans to try to cheat our country. It is merely a recognition of the facts as they exist today with regard to the international exchange, and ability to make settlements as between nations. If this bill is approved, the funds will be utilized to exchange students, create a better understanding of our mutual problems, and promote friendly relations, while avoiding possible ill feelings between Nations resulting from inability to meet obligations set up in accordance with traditional methods.

The Surplus Property Administrator has recently indicated that the disposal of surplus property abroad would be placed under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of State, to assure conformity to American foreign policies. The disposition of such funds as may be allocated for this educational fund as proposed in this bill will be in accord with such regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary of State.

This bill also provides that expenditures shall be made in accordance with the program to be initiated under the Social and Economic Council of the United Nations, under which the proposed educational and cultural organization of the United Nations will be established under the United Nations Charter, so as to coordinate all educational activities in the international field.

A precedent for this program may be found in our action with regard to the indemnity paid this country as a result of the Boxer Rebellion in China in July 1900. By the protocol of September 7, 1901, an indemnity of $333,000,000 was imposed upon China payable to those countries who were involved in the Boxer Rebellion in the preceding year. Of this amount the United States had claimed $25,000,000. This proved more than adequate to indemnify the claims of nationals of the United States and in 1908, approximately $10,000,000 was returned to the Chinese Government. The Chinese Government placed the money in a trust fund for the education of Chinese youth in China and in the United States. The balance of the amount due, slightly over $6,000,000, was remitted by the United States in 1924. These remunerations were made by Senate Joint Resolution 23, May 25, 1908, and House Joint Resolution 248, May 1, 1924.

This act of friendship has had a very great influence in the promotion of the good will and friendly relations that have prevailed between the people of America and the Chinese. I do not think that one can deny that the exchange of students has been one of the most successful of our international policies. The foresight of our Government, nearly 50 years ago, has paid great dividends in our relations with the people of Asia. The good will and understanding created by the exchange of students has been our greatest bulwark against unfriendly criticism of our policies in the Far East. Many students of the Chinese and other Asiatlc peoples agree that our enlightened attitude toward China was our greatest defense to the propaganda of the Japanese in recent years and is to a great extent accountable for the loyalty of these people during the recent war. I think it is reasonable to assume that if a similar program can be intelligently administered among the several nations nese in recent years and is to a great contribution will have been made to the future peace of the world.


 * — James William Fulbright, United States Senator of Arkansas
 * 79th United States Congress - 1st Session
 * September 27, 1945"