European Youth Campaign
 European Youth Campaign  (NGO, Front organization)   | |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1951 |
| Headquarters | Paris |
| Sponsored by | American Committee on United Europe |
| CIA funded organization to promote European integration and create cadre of young politicians | |
The European Youth Campaign (EYC) was an organization created by the European Movement[1] and in secret fully funded by a CIA front organisation, the American Committee on United Europe (ACUE), and was created mainly as a response to the Comintern in Eastern Europe.[2] The EYC was dissolved in 1958 because its sole funder, the CIA, withdrew its funds because it believed European financiers were ready to take over[3].
The EM aimed to create networks of future Federalist leaders and press corps through EYC activities .The mission of the EYC was to motivate students not just to believe in European integration but to become active citizens promoting union in their local communities and national elections.[1]
History
The EYC was active in the 1950s, targeting youth and cultural institutions to generate support for the EU.and conducted "a massive propaganda campaign of conferences and exhibitions, cinema shows, radio broadcasts and a large array of publications".[4]
The EYC was established after the American High Commissioner in Occupied Germany, John McCoy and Shepard Stone, the American Director for Public Affairs in Occupied Germany,reached out to French educators to organize youth events in Western Germany. All those involved in the initial discussions on the creation of the EYC were associated with French Federalist educator sand American administrators in Occupied Germany. Jean Moreau, the first chairman of the EYC worked as a youth officer in Occupied Germany. The second chairman of the EYC, Philippe Deshormes, held the position of director at youth refugee camps in Occupied Germany. [1]
French pro-Europe activists were especially instrumental in the EYC’s creation. The EYC’s international headquarters were located in Paris. Leaders of the EYC had direct contacts with the French Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Overseas France.The work of French education administrators in Occupied Germany focused on European Federalism, small group education and student exchanges between Germany and France heavily influenced the inception of the EYC.[1]
Members of the press whowere sympathetic to the Federalism played a very active role in the EYC. They developed propaganda, press releases and radio content. Members of the press conductedclasses and lectures to teach young people involved with newspapers howto write about European Unity effectively. Student press attended training courses together, as in France where over 300 such students convened for five days in Caen, France.
Tracey Boyle in her study of the movement in Ireland, pointed out "One of the most important and lasting influences of the EYC in Ireland were the networks developed among elite youth. These networks of educated Irish students were very instrumental in pushing through the application for Ireland to join first the European Communities and later the European Union."[1]
The EYC was the doctoral thesis of Christina Norwig, who reported, "More than 15 European countries were involved in the EYC, each in a different way and with changing intensity. Germany, France and Italy were without a doubt the more active countries, but also the Benelux countries played their part.... Many active personalities thought that the countries in Eastern Europe could still be converted to Democracy and that they belonged certainly to Europe. But the Cold War played in fact an important role in the European integration process, also on a local level.... The international Youth Festival held in East Berlin in 1951 troubled western European and American politicians. In answer to it the grounds for the EYC were laid in cooperation with the European Movement. The Campaign was financed by an American association, the American Committee on United Europe. All of its members were US-secret service agents. Without the US financial aid the Campaign would not have been able to survive."[3]
Apart from having the same parent organization, the EYC is apparently not connected to the Young European Movement, which is part of the European Movement.[5]
Sponsor
| Event | Description |
|---|---|
| American Committee on United Europe | CIA front organization. Proves European unity movement was a heavily US-driven project. |
References
- ↑ a b c d e EUROPEAN FEDERALISTS:ALEGACY OF YOUTH EMPOWERMENTAND THE EUROPEAN YOUTH CAMPAIGN, 1951-195 https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/downloads/2z10ws388?locale=en
- ↑ telegraph.co.uk: "Euro-federalists financed by US spy chiefs" 19 Sep 2000
- ↑ a b eui.eu: "'We are Europe' – The European Youth Campaign (1951-1958) and the role of youth in uniting Europe" 16 Apr 2013, retrieved 31 May 2014
- ↑ Hugh Wilford, David Caute, "The CIA, the British Left, and the Cold War" p.239 (google books)
- ↑ DANGO Database of Archives of Non Governmental Organizations
