Elite Networking and Transatlantic Security: The United States' Foreign Leader Program in Norway, 1950-1965

Abstract

This article analyses an important tool in U.S. public diplomacy towardsNorway between 1950 and 1965. The Foreign Leader Program(FLP) was an exchange of persons programdirected at individuals fromdifferent spheres of society. It was instrumental in American efforts to influence public opinion in allied countries, and this article studies its implementation in Norway. The FLP's aim was to increase knowledge on, interest for and identification with the U.S. - not only among participants, but alsowithin their networks and among their audiences. Even if it was limited in scope, the FLP was considered to be highly efficient. Its main aim was to promote public support for Norway's participation in theWestern alliance, and for American ColdWar objectives. The article also analyses how the programdeveloped over time. Even if the FLP's main characteristics remained the same, it was politicized to a higher degree by the mid-1960s than it had been in 1950. It was also increasingly adapted to address short-term objectives.Where the significance of international understanding was highlighted in the early 1950s, the ambition to establish a network of U.S.-oriented elite actors was more outspoken at a later stage. Nevertheless, throughout its existence the FLP remained a cultural program designed to achieve political objectives.