On 5 June 1947, General George C. Marshall, then United States Secretary of State, made an offer during a speech at Harvard University that was to change the pattern of European trade and payments for ever and would lead to a global system of economic co-operation. The offer contained two elements: the promise of aid for European recovery and the condition that Europeans should co-operate.
OECD Observer, Marshall Plan - 20th Anniversary
OECD Observer