Sea Power as Soft Power: American Merchant Ships and Post-War Refugees
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national archives and records administration
ea power traditionally has been viewed as a coercive element in international relations. The presence or threat of a naval fleet off a hostile nation’s shores, or economic coercion, such as withdrawing shipping or imposing trade restrictions, can coax populations or governments into a desired action. These approaches, however, often leave foreign parties resentful of more powerful nations and, at times, lead to bloodshed and full-out wars. As one example: the US Navy’s occupation of Veracruz in 1914 poisoned relations with Mexico and precluded it from cooperating with the Americans during World War I. Conversely, by the end of World War II, the United States learned that sea power has a “soft power” element by which it could influence the actions and thinking of external parties. The United States demonstrated its moral authority when it fed the hungry and housed the homeless overseas. Soft power persuaded people to support American goals because they saw those goals as benign. Furthermore, after World War II, the world viewed the United States as a forward-looking society that fostered democratic ideals and economic opportunity. Unlike the Fascist or Communist dictatorships that attempted to coerce populations
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by Joshua M. Smith, PhD into cooperation, soft power is not exercised solely by governments. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), supranational bodies like the United Nations (UN), and even private individuals, faith groups, and companies contributed to soft power. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, there was a tremendous demand for humanitarian relief worldwide, such as food for starving populations and relocating displaced persons. The Americans’ answer to these problems was sea power, not in the cause of military operations, but humanitarian ones. This was only possible because the United States possessed enormous shipping resources in 1945, including a large body of trained commercial seafarers. It was a massive effort that lasted for years, spanning the globe and repatriating millions of people to their home countries. Aided by military oceanic transport, the American merchant fleet proved a significant component in transitioning from a war-torn world to a more peaceful one. It delivered food to the starving, transported people to safety, and moved cargoes that allowed nations to rehabilitate their economies. Why did the United States demonstrate such generosity beyond its borders after World War II? Among several reasons,
the primary motivation was a moral one. The United States had the resources to assist and it was deemed the right thing to do, while promoting democracy and security around the world. Even before the United States entered World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt argued that “No realistic American can expect from a dictator’s peace international generosity or return of true independence, or world disarmament, or freedom of expression, or freedom of religion–or even good business. Such a peace would bring no security for us or for our neighbors.” Roosevelt believed that the world’s population had a right to four essential freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. The ideals set forth by Roosevelt were prevalent in America during and after the war and formed a major intellectual underpinning of the United Nations. Relief Operations The need for humanitarian relief became apparent long before the fighting stopped in 1945. The Allied nations created the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) in November 1943 to provide humanitarian aid to liberated war-torn populations. Notably, UNRRA denied this support to the aggressor nations Germany and Japan. Food aid was a direct attempt to address freedom from want and prevented the political manipulation of hungry populations by ideological extremists. The first goal was to feed, clothe, and house people. The follow-on goal was rehabilitation, training, and otherwise providing resources to people to reform and improve their economic situation. By the end of 1944, President Roosevelt ordered ships carrying military cargoes to reserve space for relief cargoes. Less than a year after the war’s On 9 November 1943 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the pact establishing the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration just before giving a national radio address. SEA HISTORY 177, WINTER 2021–22