Yugoslavia first requested assistance from the United States in summer 1948. In December, Tito announced strategic raw materials would be shipped to the West in return for increased trade. In February 1949, the US decided to provide Tito with economic assistance. In return, the US demanded cessation of aid to the DSE when the internal situation in Yugoslavia allowed such a move without endangering Tito's position. Ultimately, Secretary of State Dean Acheson took the position that the Yugoslav five-year plan would have to succeed if Tito was to prevail against Stalin. Acheson also argued that supporting Tito was in the interest of the United States, regardless of the nature of Tito's regime. The aid helped Yugoslavia to overcome the poor harvests of 1948, 1949 and 1950, but there would be almost no economic growth before 1952. Tito also received US backing in Yugoslavia's successful 1949 bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council, against Soviet opposition.