The MPS’s survival in 1956 hinged on finding American fundraisers

Evidence

In 1956, Crane’s attitude toward the Society shifted. In November 1956, directly following the reelection of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Crane wrote to Hayek to press him on organizing an American meeting of the MPS, saying he thought it a “very important move.” Through such a meeting, “the American public, and particularly the thinking people, would learn … of the widespread advocacy of the liberal philosophy and its strong intellectual foundations.” Hayek responded in language that seemed designed to urge Crane to step up as an organizer, saying that while he, too, thought an American meeting was of the greatest importance—“any further development of the Society, indeed its fruitful further existence, depends largely on the possibility of holding an American meeting”—he himself was unable personally to devote the time to raising money for such a meeting. “Unless some friends will take over the effort of fund-raising for an American meeting, I see no prospect of success.” — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1456

Categorization

• QUESTION: Why did the MPS, founded 1947, only convene an American meeting in 1956? What stalled American organizing through its first decade?
• XREF: connects to: Funders sought to shape MPS program and membership through their money — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 1465

Broader Connections

• Funders sought to shape MPS program and membership through their money #expands (0.75) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1465