Introductory Statement: Hopes,Expectations,and Realities—The Record of Bilateral Population Assistance

The creation of the Population Council more than 20 years ago symbolizes the traversal of a watershed in the initiation of major American bilateral assistance in the population field. A number of forces, some of which had been increasing modestly during the previous generation, converged in the creation of the Council. The most significant incentive was a growing recognition, during the years following World War II, that rapid population growth in developing countries was likely to become a major deterrent to their progress and development, which were held to be critical conditions for the harmonious world order that Americans sought to achieve.