This three-volume work constitutes the eighth edition of the Diplomatic and Historical Archive Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and includes historical and diplomatic documents related to the implementation of the Marshall Plan in Greece, at a time when our country truly found itself at the crossroads of a new world, the post-war one.

The precise knowledge of the Marshall Plan and the events of the period 1943-1951 has many facets. One is historical/scientific and aims to broaden our problematic, to prevent historical amnesia, and to provoke interpretations that complement the existing data or even overturn current stereotypes. The other facet is contemporary politics, which aims to highlight the timeless lessons from the implementation of the Marshall Plan in Greece as a project of cooperation between Greece and the USA.

The return of history as a tool for education can today help in the cooperation and understanding of states. With the safe distance we have from the historical events of that tragic era, we are in a position to evaluate with greater calm the effects of the Marshall Plan on the political, economic, and social life of a country devastated by Occupation and Civil War.

For if it is true that the plan helped Greece stand on its feet, it is equally true that it contributed to the at least distorted development of the political system and democratic institutions, as well as the economic and social fabric of Greece.

[Excerpt from the text of the preface]