Editing American Council on Germany (section)

==Expansion and Institutional Growth==
(1970s–1980s)[[American-German Young Leaders]] Conference (1973): Conceived by venture capitalist [[John Diebold]], a vice chairman of the ACG, this flagship program began in 1973 in Hamburg, in collaboration with the German sister organization Atlantik-Brücke. Held biennially until 1988 and annually thereafter, it gathers 25 Americans and 25 Germans (aged 28–38) from government, business, academia, media, and the military to discuss transatlantic issues and build networks. Since 2005, the ACG has sponsored its own conferences, with over 1,000 alumni, including figures like [[Joshua Bolten]] (Bush’s Chief of Staff) and [[Thomas de Maizière]] (German Chancellor’s Office head), per acgusa.org. This program is what the World Economic Forum Young Leader's program is modeled on.

John J. McCloy Fund (1975): In recognition of McCloy’s contributions, the West German government granted the ACG $1 million in 1975 to establish the John J. McCloy Fund, aimed at fostering youth exchanges. Supplemented by contributions from organizations like the [[Alfried Krupp von Bohlen]] und [[Halbach Stiftung]], the fund supported the McCloy Fellowships (launched 1976), enabling over 700 young German and American professionals to visit each other’s countries in fields like journalism, law, and urban affairs.

[[Arthur F. Burns]] Lecture Series (1987): Named after the former U.S. Ambassador to Germany and ACG advisory member, this series featured prominent economists like Paul Volcker, Alan Greenspan, and Karl-Otto Pöhl, discussing transatlantic economic issues, per acgusa.org.

Cold War Context: The ACG’s activities during this period supported U.S.-German alignment against the Soviet Union, promoting NATO’s strength and West Germany’s economic recovery. Its conferences and fellowships countered Soviet influence in Europe, aligning with U.S. foreign policy goals articulated by ACG board member John C. Kornblum in 2010.