Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1998. [Vol. 5.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 25)
Studies - Tamás Magyarics: From the Rollback of Communism to Building Bridges: The U.S. and the Soviet Block Countries from the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 to the Prague Spring in 1968
U.S. policies and objectives in the "third world" and in Communist Eastern-Europe. 3. "Building bridges" and the impact of the Vietnam War on the U.S.-East-European relations At the death of John F. Kennedy, his successor, Lyndon B. Johnson promised continuity both in domestic and international affairs. With reference to the Communist countries, he proposed to "build bridges" —though the metaphor did not apply exclusively to this group of the countries. The Eisenhower Administration made some weak attempts to open up "new paths" between the East and the West, but Soviet intransigence made the initiative a dead issue at the Geneva Summit in 195 5. 3 0 Lyndon Johnson himself, who was the Senate majority leader at that time, suggested the introduction of an "open curtain" policy in New York in 1957; this approach was at variance with the current Republican policies but it meshed with John F. Kennedy's ideas. As a matter of fact, it was even more radical than those because Kennedy believed that it was only Poland and Yugoslavia that should benefit from the liberalization of American policies toward the East-European satellites. President Johnson announced his new approach at the opening of the George C. Marshall Library at the Virginia Military Institute in Virginia on May 23, 1964. He pledged himself to continue Marshall's vision "to build bridges —bridges of trade, travel, and humanitarian assistance —across the gulf that divide us from Eastern Europe.'" 1 However, the "liberal" Johnson had to be cautious because of his Republican opponents and the conservative —mostly Southern — politicians of his party. Thus, he welcomed the opportunity that the Chamber of Commerce, after its conference held in the White House in 1963, urged the liberalization of the East-West trade: Johnson supported the establishment of further economic ties with the Communist bloc and, at the same time, effected considerable changes in the cultural exchange programs and political relations as well. The Johnson Administration wished to gain broader support for its foreign political initiatives than its predecessor. The most prominent 3 0 Johnson. Lyndon B. The Vantage Point. New York, 1971. 471. 3 1 See McKitterick. op. cit. 1-2. 80
