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The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) began in 1948 as the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC). The OEEC was established by 16 Western European nations to coordinate policy, make recommendations, and manage aid received through the Marshall Plan. Named after U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall, the Marshall Plan began in 1947 when the administration of President Harry Truman came to the realization that the dire situation in Europe following World War II—disease, cold, and hunger—required an immediate and massive U.S. response. On July 12, 1947, representatives of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom met in Paris to produce a four-year recovery program and to forn the Committee of European...