There Was a Man of UNRRA: Internationalism, Humanitarianism, and the Early Cold War in Europe, 1943-1947

This dissertation analyzes the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), a postwar humanitarian organization. UNRRA represented a new internationalist spirit in humanitarian cooperation, but its demise after only three years of operation reflects the emerging divisions between the Western democracies and the Soviet Union. UNRRA leadership and personnel faced daunting challenges in confronting the refugee crisis and rebuilding devastated nations. Because UNRRA was an innovation in international humanitarian cooperation, no precedent existed for those on the ground. Relief became politicized, as UNRRA staff sought to remain neutral in an increasingly bipolar context. In Greece and Italy, UNRRA implemented vital public health programs that eased the suffering of the populations in those nations. In Poland and Yugoslavia, UNRRA was caught between its neutral mission to provide relief to anyone in need, and the increasing pressure from the United States not to feed Communists. In Germany, leadership undermined the mission to provide help for displaced persons. In Ukraine and Byelorussia, American leadership overcame significant negative public opinion to deliver relief. Ultimately, UNRRA and the internationalism that created it fell victim to the breakdown of the postwar alliance.