The First Class of Fulbrighters FULBRIGHT KOMMISSION The First Class of Fulbrighters TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introductions from Dr. Richard Schmierer and MinDg Dr. Gabriele von Halem, Chairman and Vice Chairperson of the Fulbright Commission 2 The Beginning of the Fulbright Program by James F. Tent 4 German Fulbrighters in the U.S. 24 American Fulbrighters in Germany 60 About the Fulbright Commission Welcome Grußwort A LOT HAS CHANGED since the first group of „CLASS OF 53-54“ läßt mich an die Tradition German-American Fulbrighters—about 200 graduate stu- denken, die im Auswärtigen Amt noch heute gelebt wird. dents and teachers, and a handful of senior scholars from Die Jahrgänge der alljährlich im Auswärtigen Amt neu each side of the Atlantic—set sail in 1953. At that time the eingestellten jungen Diplomatinnen und Diplomaten wer- world—and Germany—was sharply divided into two ideo- den hier zwar „crews“ statt „classes“ genannt. Hinter beiden logically-opposed camps. The Begriffen steckt aber letztlich das U.N. was just ending a police Gleiche: die „class“ oder die „crew“ action in Korea that left that schafft die Klammer zwischen peninsula similarly separated. Menschen, die im Leben und im The need to bring about, in Sen- Beruf eine gemeinsame Basis und ator Fulbright’s words, “a little gemeinsame Ziele haben und die more knowledge, a little more über die Jahre hinweg den Kontakt reason, and a little more compas- untereinander pflegen. sion into world affairs” was never Eine gemeinsame Basis der more evident than at that moment. „Class of 53-54“ ist nicht nur der deutsch-amerikanische The opportunity to participate in a German-American Austausch unter dem „Fulbright-Dach“, sondern auch vor Fulbright exchange was a radically different proposition allem die Tatsache, dass wir es hier sozusagen mit den Grün- then than it is today. Americans coming to Germany dern der deutsch-amerikanischen Fulbright-Familie zu tun encountered a country still recovering from the effects of a haben. Die Mitglieder der „Class of 53-54“ haben schon devastating war and searching for a new national identity. frühzeitig einen wichtigen Beitrag zu der weiteren Ver- For German Fulbrighters, travel outside of Germany was a tiefung der transatlantischen Beziehungen geleistet, aus novelty in itself, and the chance to spend time in the U.S. denen sich später die deutsch-amerikanische Freundschaft on a Fulbright exchange program was something that few entwickelte. Damals also waren sie schon Multiplikatoren of their countrymen could even dream about. Today’s Ful- eines besseren gegenseitigen Verständnisses. Dabei müssen brighters face a completely different situation. Germany is a wir uns vor Augen führen: der Zweite Weltkrieg lag noch reunited, solidly democratic nation with a well-developed keine zehn Jahre zurück! economy and is a leading member of an expanding Euro- Berichte von „Ehemaligen“ der „Class 53-54“ zeugen pean Union. Germans travel frequently outside of their von großem Interesse am Gastland, akademischer Ernst- country and so German Fulbrighters are usually aware of haftigkeit und zuweilen auch Erstaunen vor der manchmal many aspects of the U.S., its culture, society, and political unerwarteten, im Vergleich zum Herkunftsland als voll- system before starting their Fulbright program. kommen anders empfundenen Lebenswirklichkeit des Although the situations Fulbrighters in 1953 encoun- anderen Landes. Dieses Erstaunen ist trotz des gewachsenen tered may be radically different than those faced today, the Verständnisses zwischen unseren Völkern in den letzten benefits of participating in the Fulbright Program have Jahrzehnten auch heute noch möglich, und es ist eine remained constant for both Germans and Americans: a Chance, die wir uns nicht entgehen lassen sollten. Gewiss, greater appreciation of the other country’s point of view and wir haben uns angewöhnt, die deutsch-amerikanische way of solving problems, a willingness to serve as an Freundschaft, unabhängig von gelegentlichen politischen “ambassador” between cultures, and a commitment to Turbulenzen, als selbstverständlich zu erleben. Aber diese bringing about the goals Senator Fulbright envisioned for Selbstverständlichkeit darf uns nicht dazu verleiten, uns the program. Today, 50 years after the first group of Ger- in zufriedener Passivität zurückzulehnen. Denn die Lebens- man-American Fulbright participants started out on an wirklichkeiten ändern sich; das heißt, die Kenntnisse often life-altering journey, let us rededicate ourselves to the übereinander und das Verständnis füreinander wollen Fulbright vision. ständig ergänzt und erneuert werden. Die Vision von Senator Fulbright bleibt demnach aktuell. Ich bin überzeugt, dass sie auch in den kommenden „classes“ weiterlebt und von ihnen in die Zukunft unserer Länder hineingetragen wird. Dr. Richard J. Schmierer, Chairman of the Board of the Fulbright Commission, Minister Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy, Berlin Frau Dr. Gabriele von Halem, Stellvertretende Vorsitzende der Deutsch-Amerikanischen Fulbright- Kommission, Leiterin der Kultur- und Bildungsabteilung des Auswärtigen Amtes, Berlin The Beginning of the German-American Fulbright Program 1952 by James F. Tent German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (right) and U.S. High Commissioner John J. McCloy (center) sign the Fulbright Agreement, July 18, 1952. HEADQUARTERED IN BERLIN SINCE 1998, man citizens had been isolated from the rest of the world for the German-American Fulbright Program has developed at least half a generation. Starting with the notion of “re-edu- into one of the most active and influential of the binational cation” of a former enemy, followed by a gentler “re-orienta- educational exchange programs operating under the Ful- tion” concept a few years later, OMGUS and U.S. State bright umbrella. Every year it sends hundreds of German Department officials conceived a foreign policy program for students, scholars, and educators to the United States and sending Germans, especially civic leaders open to democratic hosts an equally large and distinguished group of American ideals and possessing leadership potential, to the United students, scholars, and educators at Germany’s institutions States at public expense to witness democracy in action. This of higher learning. The prominence of the German-Ameri- exchange program was launched in 1947, and within six can Fulbright Program in the world of scholarly exchange is years nearly 10,000 young Germans “experienced” the Unit- intimately tied to modern German history. ed States, many of them attending universities there. Upon Following World War II, when the United States joined returning to Germany, many went on to build prominent in occupying a defeated Germany, officials in its Office of careers in the public and private sectors. Military Government (OMGUS) discovered that most Ger- 2 3 AT VIRTUALLY THE SAME TIME, a freshman senator from Arkansas, J. William Fulbright, initiated a new program in the United States intended to bring Americans out of their own brand of cultural isolation and to connect students and scholars worldwide on a basis of equality. A Rhodes Scholar worried that so few Americans had stud- ied abroad or experienced foreign cul- tures, Fulbright, who was profoundly moved by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, conceived of an imagina- tive new use of the obscure War Surplus Property Act of 1944. His idea was to use a portion of the monetary credits derived from war surplus overseas to send young scholars abroad with the twin goals of advancing knowledge and fur- thering mutual understanding. A con- vincing advocate and skilled political strategist, Fulbright won over the initial- ly hesitant Congress, Treasury, and State Department, and on August 1, 1946 Senator J. William Fulbright President Truman signed off on the P.L. 584 Amendment. Using State Depart- ment infrastructure for support, the program set up an not yet attained full sovereignty and because of funding independent Board of Foreign Scholarships (renamed the J. intricacies and legal issues delays ensued. The United States William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in 1991) so signed the (Fulbright) Executive Agreement with the Fed- that participating nations could select qualified scholars and eral Republic on July 18, 1952, and the binational Ful- educators to visit the U.S. while the BFS would choose bright Commission came into existence. young scholars to send abroad. Beginning with the academic year 1953-54, approxi- KNOWN AS THE FULBRIGHT ACT, the pro- mately 200 American graduate students, twenty teachers, gram was destined in Germany’s case to overtake the and a handful of senior scholars arrived in Germany, while a exchange program in the American Zone, elevating the comparable group of German students, teachers, and senior underlying purpose of the exchange from postwar re-orien- scholars traveled to the United States. From its inception, tation to genuine partnership. The Fulbright Exchange Pro- the program was a great success, as evidenced by the sum- gram began operation in 1948, first targeting former Allied mary reports submitted by participants at the conclusion of nations that were recovering most rapidly from the war. their year-long programs.. On both sides, the participants The possibility of creating a German Fulbright Program found their Weltanschauung and their understanding of peo- was first addressed in 1949 after the establishment of the ple (as distinct from nations) immeasurably widened, just as Federal