The ideology of the corporation was inspired by the prevalence of U.S modernisation theories in the 1950s that believed in developing these rural areas in the hopes of obtaining political support in the war.
[1] The Development and Resources Corporation was founded in 1955 in New York City by David E. Lilienthal and Gordon R. Clapp with support from investment banking firm Lazard Freres.
[2] This ideology built upon Lilienthal's role as chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority where he developed hydroelectric power hubs in urban American areas.
[3] Throughout the 1960s, the Development and Resources Corporation obtained a worldwide reach, establishing projects in Colombia, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Haiti, Peru, Italy, Nigeria, Malaysia, Australia and other nations across the globe.
[3] However, the 1968 Tet Offensive and President Johnson's decision to not run for reelection, led to the withdrawal of Vietnamese cooperation and a decline of support for the Development and Resources Corporation.
Lilienthal's involvement with President Kennedy's 'Peace Corps' program included the training of volunteers in agricultural skills at a centre in the Californian Imperial Valley.