A S S E S S I N G    T H E    2 0 T H     C E N T U R Y

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1960-70: Jet Service,
Space Program Stir Global Thinking
The decade of the 1960s marked the beginning of widespread globalization of business activities. Multi-national firms became common.

This was spurred by the expansion of jet service around the world. It became possible to move from one continent to another within the space of a few hours. For many business managers that made a tremendous difference.

Another very big factor in promoting globalization was the new viewpoint inspired by the space program. Russian Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space in 1961. Then in 1962 there was Telestar, the first international communication satellite. The world began to see photos showing what Earth looked like from out there.

Then came the NASA Apollo project, which landed Neil Armstrong on the moon in 1969. That was the most spectacular achievement of the decade and, perhaps, of the century.

Our economic development programs were becoming more sophisticated. We established the International Development Research Council, a forum for the executives who planned new facilities for major firms.

Also, we launched the first state program for injecting science into the economic development process. This was the Georgia Science and Technology Commission. I served as the first chairman of that commission, and I still remember the exciting possibilities that we saw when we evaluated opportunities for our state in such areas as biotechnology, oceanography, communications and electronics.

Puerto Rico launched their great fomento program. It would become a model followed by many economically lagging areas around the world. Concurrently, we launched the AID/PEP program (Promocion de Empresas Privada) under the auspices of the Agency for International Development. This was a key element in the war against Communism in Latin America. Over a span of some six years, we organized more than 100 economic development agencies at local and state levels throughout the nations of Central and South America.

During this busy decade, we began to see some very significant changes in the pattern of development. Container freight movements, for example, began to be very important. The trucking industry enjoyed explosive growth.

We saw the beginning of the development of "loop cities" -- metropolitan areas having circumferential routes serving as growth corridors. The first was Route 128 around Boston, which attracted many high-tech enterprises. This was part of the evolution of the "super metros," which would later rival the city-states of old.

One of the most interesting innovations was the concept of the "airport city," wherein the runway became the main street and all key elements were connected by aircraft taxiways. This idea focussed attention on hundreds of airport office and industrial sites and spawned many new park projects.

Also of note was the emergence of clusters of R&D facilities. During the decade we made a study of this phenomenon and predicted the locations at which some 20 clusters would occur around the nation. In later decades, we would see this occur at numerous locations in Europe and the Pacific Rim.

At these centers and elsewhere, technology moved swiftly ahead. There were important new medical applications of nuclear energy and advances in automation and robotics. Among the most appreciated devices were new office copying machines.

Despite much progress, the decade of the 1960s saw some important negative developments. This was the period in which the welfare society became a very big factor in our national life. Congress installed negative incentives in one piece of legislature after another, and the business climate deteriorated as a result.

The negative factors included more taxes on business, requirements for more forms and reports, restrictions on hiring practices, favoritism in the award of government contracts, and more support for unions. Government policies and programs, however well intended, produced a large segment of the population featuring unwed mothers, dependence on handouts, increased use of drugs and a high crime rate.

Several decades later the folly of such government policies has been recognized and heroic measures are being taken to institute changes. Yet business firms continue to carry many of the burdens that were created.