The Truman Doctrine (1947)
I therefore ask the Congress to provide authority for assistance to Greece and Turkey in the
amount of $400,000,000 for the period ending June 30, 1948. In requesting these funds, I
have taken into consideration the maximum amount of relief assistance which would be
furnished to Greece out of the $350,000,000 which I recently requested that the Congress
authorize for the prevention of starvation and suffering in countries devastated by the war.
In addition to funds, I ask the Congress to authorize the detail of American civilian and
military personnel to Greece and Turkey, at the request of those countries, to assist in the
tasks of reconstruction, and for the purpose of supervising the use of such financial and
material assistance as may be furnished. I recommend that authority also be provided for
the instruction and training of selected Greek and Turkish personnel.
Finally, I ask that the Congress provide authority which will permit the speediest and most
effective use, in terms of needed commodities, supplies, and equipment, of such funds as
may be authorized.
If further funds, or further authority, should be needed for purposes indicated in this
message, I shall not hesitate to bring the situation before the Congress. On this subject the
Executive and Legislative branches of the Government must work together.
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The Truman Doctrine (1947) - Magic Triangle
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In addition to funds, I ask the Congress to authorize the detail of American
civilian and military personnel to Greece and Turkey, at the request of those
countries, to assist in the tasks of reconstruction, and for the purpose of
supervising the use of such financial and material assistance as may be
furnished. I recommend that authority also be provided for the instruction
and training of selected Greek and Turkish personnel...
Question Being Asked
The motivation for the authorization was to -
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The Truman Doctrine (1947) - Magic Triangle
In addition to funds, I ask the Congress to authorize the detail of American
civilian and military personnel to Greece and Turkey, at the request of those
countries, to assist in the tasks of reconstruction, and for the purpose of
supervising the use of such financial and material assistance as may be
furnished. I recommend that authority also be provided for the instruction
and training of selected Greek and Turkish personnel...
The motivation for the authorization was to give American troops the opportunity to visit Greece and Turkey
B
slow down the influence of the Soviet Union and Communism
C
train the military of Turkey and Greece to be self-sufficient
D
allow free trade in the Mediterranean and Black Sea
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Question Being Asked
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The Marshall Plan - Rebuilding Europe
Two signs sat on President Truman's desk. The first sign quoted a man from Truman's home
state of Missouri. It said, ALWAYS DO RIGHT. THlS WILL GRATIFY SOME PEOPLE & ASTONISH THE
REST. They were the words of Mark Twain. The second sign said THE BUCK STOPS HERE. Which
means: the president has the final word and can't blame anyone else for his decisions.
Harry Truman had some big decisions to make. Those decisions would profoundly affect
Americans and people around the world. In one of the most important of his decisions, he persuaded
the American people to act generously to the defeated nations. What Harry Truman had in mind had
never been done before in the history of the world. Truman knew how defeated people feel after a war.
He knew that his Confederate ancestors carried hate in their hearts all their lives.
He knew that Germany's anger after World War I had helped bring about a second world war.
So he supported a plan that would send billions of dollars in aid and assistance to our allies and
to our former enemies. It was called the Marshall Plan, but it reflected President Truman's thoughts.
After a terrible war, he was asking the winning nation to help everyone recover - including the losers.
The president said:
You can't be vindictive after a war. You have to be generous. You have to help
people get back on their feet… People were starving, and they were cold because
there wasn't enough coal, and tuberculosis was breaking out. There had been food
riots in France and Italy .... We were in a position to keep people from starving and
help them preserve their freedom and build up their countries, and that's what we did.
Marshall Plan aid was offered to all of Europe's nations - including the Soviet Union and those
countries under Soviet control. The Soviet nations refused the aid. Sixteen nations accepted with
enthusiasm. It was very expensive and very unselfish. The plan encouraged Europeans to use
American aid and add their own brains and know-how. It worked. Prosperity began returning to the free
nations of Europe. It also helped us. Those newly prosperous European nations now had money to buy
American goods. And they did.
Hakim, Joy. A History of US: All the People 1945 - 2001. 3rd ed. 10. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. 30-31. Print. (Adapted)
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The Marshall Plan (1948)
I need not tell you gentlemen that the world situation is very serious. That must be
apparent to all intelligent people. I think one difficulty is that the problem is one of such
enormous complexity that the very mass of facts presented to the public by press and radio
make it exceedingly difficult for the man in the street to reach a clear appraisement of the
situation. Furthermore, the people of this country are distant from the troubled areas of the
earth and it is hard for them to comprehend the plight and consequent reaction of the longsuffering peoples, and the effect of those reactions on their governments in connection with our
efforts to promote peace in the world.
The truth of the matter is that Europe's requirements for the next 3 or 4 years of foreign
food and other essential products -- principally from America -- are so much greater than her
present ability to pay that she must have substantial additional help, or face economic, social,
and political deterioration of a very grave character.
The remedy lies in breaking the vicious circle and restoring the confidence of the
European people in the economic future of their own countries and of Europe as a whole. The
manufacturer and the farmer throughout wide areas must be able and willing to exchange their
products for currencies the continuing value of which is not open to question.
Aside from the demoralizing effect on the world at large and the possibilities of
disturbances arising as a result of the desperation of the people concerned, the consequences to
the economy of the United States should be apparent to all. It is logical that the United States
should do whatever it is able to do to assist in the return of normal economic health in the
world, without which there can be no political stability and no assured peace. Our policy is
directed not against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and
chaos. Its purpose should be the revival of working economy in the world so as to permit the
emergence of political and social conditions in which free institutions can exist. Such assistance,
I am convinced, must not be on a piecemeal basis as various crises develop. Any assistance that
this Government may render in the future should provide a cure rather than a mere palliative.
Any government that is willing to assist in the task of recovery will find full cooperation, I am
sure, on the part of the United States Government. Any government which maneuvers to block
the recovery of other countries cannot expect help from us. Furthermore, governments, political
parties, or groups which seek to perpetuate human misery in order to profit therefrom
politically or otherwise will encounter the opposition of the United States.
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The Marshall Plan (1948) - Solve the Problem
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Aside from the demoralizing effect on the world at large and the possibilities of
disturbances arising as a result of the desperation of the people concerned, the
consequences to the economy of the United States should be apparent to all. It is
logical that the United States should do whatever it is able to do to assist in the
return of normal economic health in the world, without which there can be no
political stability and no assured peace.
Question Being Asked
The speaker about felt that America should -
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The Marshall Plan (1948) - Solve the Problem
Aside from the demoralizing effect on the world at large and the possibilities
of disturbances arising as a result of the desperation of the people
concerned, the consequences to the economy of the United States should
be apparent to all. It is logical that the United States should do whatever it
is able to do to assist in the return of normal economic health in the world,
without which there can be no political stability and no assured peace.
The speaker believed that America should sell materials to Europe in order to make sure they pay back their debts.
B
distribute armed forces around Europe for protection from Communism.
C
decide on whether or not to import European food and essential products.
D
provide support to Europe to avoid consequences on the U.S. economy.
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Question Being Asked
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Two Plans for Europe
Truman Doctrine
Both
Marshall Plan
Costs and Benefits for the United States:
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Berlin Airlift - Action=Reaction
Action
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Reaction
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Berlin Airlift
Base your answer to question 31 on the cartoon
below and on your knowledge of social studies.
The Soviets, trying to push the west out of
Berlin, countered this move by requiring that all
Western convoys bound for Berlin traveling through
Soviet Germany be searched. The Trizone government
(The United States, The United Kingdom and France),
recognizing the threat, refused the right of the Soviets
to search their cargo. The Soviets then cut all surface
traffic to West Berlin on June 27.
American ambassador to Britain, John Winnant,
stated the accepted Western view when he said that
he believed "that the right to be in Berlin carried with
it the right of access." The Soviets, however, did not
agree. Shipments by rail and the autobahn came to a
halt.
belo
No Pushover
33
34
Source: Fred O. Seibel, Richmond Times-Dispatch
31 The United States carried out the idea expressed
in this late 1940s cartoon by
(1) forming
a military
alliance with
Russia
A desperate Berlin, faced with starvation and in need
of vital
supplies,
looked
(2) airlifting supplies to West Berlin
to the West for help. The order to begin supplying West Berlin
by Russian
air was
approved
(3) accepting
authority
over West Berlin
(4) agreeing to turn over control of Berlin to the
later by U.S. General Lucius Clay on June 27. President Truman,
wishing to avoid
United Nations
war or a humiliating retreat, supported the air campaign, against many advisors
wishes. Surviving a normally harsh German winter, the32 airlift
carried
two of Cuba by
What was
a result ofover
the takeover
Fidel Castro?
million tons of supplies
in 270,000 flights. The
(1) Relations between the Soviet Union and
Cuba
worsened.
blockade of Berlin was finally
lifted by the
(2) Many Cuban Americans returned to their
homeland.
Soviets on May 12, 1949.
Berlin became a
(3) Trade between the United States and Cuba
symbol of the United States
increased.resolve to stand up
(4) Many people fled from Cuba to the United
to the Soviet threat without
States. being forced into a
direct conflict. The Berlin Airlift officially
ended on 30 September 1949, after fifteen
months. In total the USA delivered 1,783,573
tons and the RAF 541,937 tons, totaling
2,326,406 tons, nearly two-thirds of which was
coal, on 278,228 flights to Berlin. A total of 101
fatalities were recorded as a result of the
operation.
U.S. Hist. & Gov’t.–Aug. ’04
35
36
[6]
Source: NY Regents Test - U.S. History and Government / Truman Library
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U.S. Responds to Soviet Aggression
Soviet Aggression after World War II
U.S. Response
Truman Doctrine
Marshall Plan
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO)
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