Becoming the advocate for US-based multinationals: The United States Council of the International Chamber of Commerce, 1945–1974

Abstract

The United States Council for International Business today is one of the United States most powerful domestic business organisations and is a leading ambassador for US international business interests abroad. It is also the US affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) and Business at OECD. At its founding in 1945, the United States Council of the International Chamber of Commerce (as it was called until 1981) was intended to represent the specific interests of US-based multinationals striving to expand their international trade and investments. Based on new archival documents, this article aims to shed light on the largely under-­researched history of the US Council, demonstrating that the Council gained prominence during the 1960s and 1970s through a series of political campaigns aimed at defending and expanding American companies’ international direct investments.