The Development and Resources Corporation was a non governmental organisation in the United States during the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

which aimed to develop rural areas in foreign areas of the world. The ideology of the corporation was inspired by the prevalence of U.S modernisation theories in the 1950s that believed in developing these rural areas in the hopes of obtaining political support in the war.

Formation

The Development and Resources Corporation was founded in 1955 in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

David E. Lilienthal David Eli Lilienthal (July 8, 1899 – January 15, 1981) was an American attorney and public administrator, best known for his presidential appointment to head Tennessee Valley Authority and later the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). He had p ...

and Gordon R. Clapp with support from investment banking firm

Lazard Freres Lazard Inc. (formerly known as Lazard Ltd and Lazard Frères & Co.) is a financial advisory and asset management firm that engages in investment banking, asset management and other financial services, primarily with institutional clients. It is ...

. It was proposed as a body of U.S "government development experience" alongside "private business and financial talents" that would focus not only on modernising material surroundings of under developed countries, but also changing the public outlook of these communities. This ideology built upon Lilienthal's role as chairman of the

Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...

where he developed

hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

hubs in urban American areas. The corporation aimed to implement its projects directly and on a regional level. Throughout the 1960s, the Development and Resources Corporation obtained a worldwide reach, establishing projects in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and other nations across the globe.

Projects

Colombia

In 1954, the Development and Resources Corporation begun its first project, along the Cauca River Valley in

. Lilienthal worked in an advisory role to the Cauca Valley Corporation, instigating plans for improved flood control and hydroelectricity that centred on the creation of a set of hydroelectric projects with the aim to modernise the region. However, in 1957, Colombia's military dictator

Gustavo Rojas Pinilla Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (12 March 1900 – 17 January 1975) was a Colombian National Army of Colombia, army general, civil engineer and politician who ruled as List of presidents of Colombia, 19th President of Colombia in a military dictatorship f ...

withdrew his support to the Development and Resources Corporation, ending the development plan. In 1964, when the Cauca Valley Corporation was reinstated, it operated without the influence of Lilienthal's corporation.

Khuzestan

In March 1956, the Development an Resources Corporation begun their plans for the development of

Khuzestan Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...

, following the failure of the Iranian Shah to modernise the region. Lilienthal's proposal - 'The Unified Development of the National Resources of the Khuzestan Region' - aimed to create a modernised system built on fourteen dams across the

Dez River The Dez (), the ancient Coprates (;James Knowles (1835) ''A Pronouncing and Explanatory Dictionary of the English Language'' or Κοπράτας), is a river in Iran. This 400 km long river is a tributary of the Karun River. It is the site ...

, including the Pahlavi Dam. The tallest of these dams would reach 620 feet above ground level and combined, the system would create an output of 6.5 kilowatts of hydroelectric power. The plan cost $160 million. The Development and Resources Corporation also assessed, alongside subcontractors, the feasibility of Iran's second Seven Year Plan in the oil rich region. In November 1960, the establishment of the

Khuzestan Water and Power Authority Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...

(KWPA) presented a challenge for the Development and Resources Corporation. KWPA aimed to liquidate Lilienthal's corporation and gutted its plans for a rural health program and new fertiliser plants. This, alongside the declining state of the Iranian economy and the Shah's cutting of appropriations to focus on military spending, led to the slow decline of the Development and Resource Corporation's influence in Khuzestan until 1979.

Vietnam

In 1966, President Johnson enlisted Lilienthal to help establish a post war development system in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. Working within the Joint Development Group that consisted of both Americans and Vietnamese, the Development and Resources Corporation focused its efforts along the

Mekong River Delta The Mekong Delta ( or simply ), also known as the Western Region () or South-western region (), is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong d ...

, introducing flood control measures, pest control and agricultural improvement strategies. However, the

1968 Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) launched a surprise attack on 30 January 1968 against the forces of ...

and President Johnson's decision to not run for reelection, led to the withdrawal of Vietnamese cooperation and a decline of support for the Development and Resources Corporation. In April 1970, at the end of their initial three year contract, the Development and Resources Corporation left Vietnam.

United States

The Development and Resources Corporation also had a continued influence at home, in the U.S, during the Cold War. Lilienthal's involvement with

President Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

's '

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...

' program included the training of volunteers in agricultural skills at a centre in the Californian Imperial Valley.{{Cite journal, last=Ekbladh, first=David, date=2008, title=Profits of Development: The Development and Resources Corporation and Cold War Modernisation, journal=The Princeton University Library Chronicle, volume=69, issue=3, pages=487–506, jstor=10.25290/prinunivlibrchro.69.3.0487, doi=10.25290/prinunivlibrchro.69.3.0487 The Development and Resources Corporation also worked alongside President Johnson's idea of the '

Great Society The Great Society was a series of domestic programs enacted by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the United States between 1964 and 1968, aimed at eliminating poverty, reducing racial injustice, and expanding social welfare in the country. Johnso ...

', establishing engineering programs in the

New Jersey Meadowlands New Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the Hackensack River, primary river flowing through it, is a general name for a large ecosystem of wetlands in northeastern New Jersey in the United States, a few miles to th ...

and Ramparts River in

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

with the direct aim to reduce poverty and provide work.

Dissolution

In 1969, the Development and Resources Corporation suffered its first loss in fifteen years, following their decline of influence in Iran. Throughout the 1970s, this decline continued as the corporation struggled financially with existing projects lost profits and there was a struggle in obtaining new contracts. This was seen in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

where Lilienthal's aim for a long term project in the Sao Francisco River Valley failed. Despite a slight resurgence of fortunes in Iran with a multi year national water plan established, the Khuzestan project ended in 1979 due to high competition with the Khuzestan Water and Power Agency and increasing political agitations in the region. Later that year, Lilienthal decided to dissolve the Development and Resource Corporation.

References

Defunct organizations based in New York City 1955 establishments in New York City 1979 disestablishments in New York (state)