The cultural agenda of the Cold War and the "Ideological Program"

the CIA and the Ford Foundation in attracting intellectual elites

Abstract

In this paper, we will discuss the development of US proposals for the intellectual elite in the Cold War. The focus lies on the creation and the management of the Ideological Program “US Doctrinal Program”. Its main goal was the training and recruitment of leftist cadres, particularly in areas of the “underdeveloped world”. Implemented between 1950’s and 1960’s, its development was the responsibility of the various agencies of US foreign policy, notably the CIA. In the framework of its model of operations was a tripod, made up of government agencies, non-governmental organizations and the intended beneficiaries in the strategy. The Ford Foundation was among the most instrumental participants in the offensive, given its institutional commitments to the displacement of the left of neutralism and communism, which made up the core of this intervention proposal. Based on research of primary sources, this paper studies the emergence of new areas of intellectual and disciplinary investigation, focusing on Social Sciences, economic modernization and "developmentalism" as an expression of this sophisticated attempt to reorient policies, theoretical and ideological disputes.