This aim was met through the ASLA grant fund and Fulbright Centre established at the beginning of the 1950s. The last payment on the debt was made in accordance with a renewed, faster schedule in 1976. There is a lesson to be learned from the episode with “The country that paid its debt”.
The lesson is that it is worthwhile for a small country to uphold its good reputation. The credit worthiness of a nation, however, is only partly based on history. Fundamentals matter at least as much. Finland’s high international credit rating (AAA) is based on us having our own house in order, having a sound economy, and public finances in good health.