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The American Council of Voluntary Agencies for Foreign Service (ACVAFS) in the Early Cold War - Foundation, Organization, Key Agencies, and the Role of Overseas Transportation Subsidies

  • Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University
  • 2025, 82(4), pp.127~169
  • DOI : 10.17326/jhsnu.82.4.202511.127
  • Publisher : Institute of Humanities, Seoul National University
  • Research Area : Humanities > Other Humanities
  • Received : November 5, 2025
  • Accepted : November 14, 2025
  • Published : November 30, 2025

HAN BONG SEOK 1

1국립부경대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study examines the activities of the American Council of Voluntary Agencies for Foreign Service (ACVAFS), a coalition of US private philanthropic organizations, and the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid (ACVFA) within the context of Cold War humanitarian relief and the US-Korea relationship. Their roles are explored by focusing on their establishment, major constituent organizations and activities, and their material foundation, which was the provision of US surplus agricultural commodities and overseas transportation costs. First, a distinction is made between the organizations: the ACVFA was a governmental body, while the ACVAFS was a private entity. The ACVFA carried out official functions such as approving organizations and subsidizing overseas transportation costs. The ACVAFS, on the other hand, exerted strong human and material influence on the ACVFA and advocated for the interests of private charitable organizations until the 1980s. Second, five major ACVAFS-affiliated organizations—including the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), CARE, the Church World Service (CWS), and the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)—each utilized US surplus agricultural commodities for relief under their unique objectives. While CRS and CARE sought close ties with the government, the Protestantaffiliated CWS and MCC emphasized “voluntarism,” striving to maintain distance from governmental influence. Third, US surplus agricultural commodities and the support for overseas transportation costs served as a crucial material basis for these US private charitable organizations. The US government provided these resources to ACVAFS-affiliated agencies while appropriately demanding adherence to governmental interests. Consequently, these US private charitable organizations were compelled to move away from their initial “voluntarism” and incorporate elements of “anti-communism” or “security” into their relief efforts. The US government actively utilized domestic private charitable organizations, represented by the ACVAFS, in its foreign relief efforts during the Cold War. The key instruments for this were US surplus agricultural commodities and ocean freight costs. This mechanism allowed elements such as “security” and “anti-communism” to be reflected even within the private sector of US diplomacy during the Cold War.

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