Former President of Austria celebrates 70th Anniversary of the Marshall Plan
On the 70th anniversary of the Marshall Plan, Dr. Heinz Fischer, alongside the former U.S. Secretary of State, Dr. Madeleine Albright, spoke at the official anniversary celebration at the Marshall House in Leesburg, Virginia, as well as at a commemoration at the U.S. Capitol with congressmen and diplomats, including Ambassador Wolfgang Petritsch, in attendance.
Dr. Fischer delivered speeches filled with personal anecdotes and gratitude to the U.S., and addressed the continuing relevance of the Marshall Plan for Europe and Austria in view of current global challenges.
At the beginning of the event at the Capitol, Dr. Fischer handed over to Dr. Albright and Senator Ben Cardin, ranking member of the Committee on Foreign Relations and Honorary Co-Host of the event, a personally dedicated advance copy of a massive new book "The Marshall Plan – Since 1947: Saving Europe, Rebuilding Austria" by Marshall Plan Professors at the Center Austria of the University of New Orleans Guenter Bischof and Hans Petschar.
After this VIP segment on Capitol Hill, two panels of noted and rising scholars discussed "The Marshall Plan and Its Meaning to the World Today" at the Library of Congress.