A t th e sourc e the truman doctrine and the marshall plan

Truman Doctrine

At the present momen t in world history nearly every natio n mus t choose be- tween alternative ways of life. Th e choice to o ofte n is no t a free one.

On e way of life is based upo n th e will of th e majority , an d is distinguished by free institutions, representative government , free elections, guaranties of individual liberty, freedo m of speech an d religion, an d freedo m fro m political oppression.

Th e second way of life is based upo n th e will of a minorit y forcibly impose d upo n th e majority. It relies upo n terro r and oppression, a controlled press an d radio, fixed elections, an d th e suppression of personal freedoms .

I believe tha t it mus t be th e policy of th e Unite d States to suppor t free peoples wh o are resisting attempte d subjugatio n by arme d minoritie s or by outside pres- sures

Should we fail to aid Greece an d Turkey in this fateful hour , th e effect will be far-reaching to th e West as well as to the East

Marshall Plan

In considering th e requirement s for the rehabilitation of Europe, the physical loss of life, th e visible destructio n of cities, factories, mine s an d railroads was cor- rectly estimated, bu t it has becom e obvious durin g recent month s tha t this visible destructio n was probabl y less serious tha n th e dislocation of th e entire fabric of Eu- ropea n economy.

Th e trut h of th e matte r is tha t Europe's requirement s fo r th e next three or fou r years of foreign foo d an d othe r essential products—principall y fro m America—ar e so muc h greater tha n her present ability to pay tha t she mus t have substantial addi- tiona l help or face economic , social, an d political deterioratio n of a very grave char- acter. Th e remed y lies in breaking th e vicious circle an d restorin g th e confidenc e of th e Europea n people in th e economi c futur e of their ow n countrie s an d of Europ e as a whole... .

It is logical tha t th e Unite d States shoul d do whatever it is able to do to assist in th e retur n o f norma l economi c health i n th e world, withou t which there can b e n o

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12 4 C H . 4 The Cold War Context: Origins and First Stages

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political stability an d no assured peace. Ou r policy is directed no t against any coun - tr y o r doctrin e bu t against hunger, poverty, desperation , an d chaos. Its purpos e shoul d be th e revival of a workin g econom y in th e world so as to permi t th e emer - gence of political an d social condition s in which free institution s ca n exist.

Sources: Harry Truman, "Special Message to the Congress on Greece and Turkey: The Truman Doctrine," March 12, 1947, in Documents on American Foreign Relations (Princeton: Princeton University Press for the World Peace Foundation, 1947), 19: 6-7; George Marshall, "European Initiative Essential to Economic Recovery," speech made June 5, 1947, at Harvard University, reprinted in Department of State Bulletin 16 (June 15,1947), 1159.

capitalizing on economi c discontent. To mee t this threat to containment , th e Marshall Plan pledged enormou s amount s of money, th e equivalent of over $60 billion today, as U.S. economi c assistance to th e countrie s of Western Europe. Thu s began th e first majo r U.S. Cold War foreign-aid program .

Th e creatio n of th e North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949 marke d th e first peacetim e militar y alliance in America n history. To th e Truma n Doctrine' s political-diplomati c commitment s an d th e Marshal l Plan's economi c assistance, NATO adde d th e militar y commitmen t t o kee p U.S. troop s i n Europ e an d th e collec- tive defense pledg e tha t th e Unite d States woul d defen d its Europea n allies if the y wer e attacked . Article 5 of th e NATO treat y affirme d thi s pledge of collective defense : "Th e Parties agree tha t a n arme d attac k against on e o r mor e o f the m i n Europ e o r Nort h Americ a shall be considere d an attac k against the m all" (see "At th e Source," p. 125). Thi s include d th e commitmen t t o use nuclea r weapon s against th e Soviet Union , even if th e attac k was on Europ e bu t no t directly on th e Unite d States. All thi s was quit e a chang e fro m earlier America n foreig n policy, suc h a s Georg e Washington' s "bewar e entanglin g alliances" an d 1930s isolationism . Th e 82-1 3 Senate vote ratifyin g th e NATO treat y mad e clear tha t this was a consensua l change .

Yet withi n month s th e Soviet threa t becam e even mor e formidable . Report s emerge d in August 1949 tha t th e Soviet Unio n no w also ha d nuclea r weapons . This cam e as a sur - prise t o th e America n publi c an d even t o th e Truma n administration . Coul d th e Soviets really have achieved this on their own? Were spies at wor k stealing America's nuclea r se- crets? Althoug h th e answers to these question s were unclea r at th e time, wha t was cer- tain was tha t th e U.S. nuclear monopol y was broken , an d thu s th e requirement s of nuclear deterrenc e were going to have to be recalculated.

At virtually th e sam e tim e th e threa t to containmen t grew worse as th e Cold War was extende d fro m Europ e to Asia. On Octobe r 1, 1949, th e People's Republic of Chin a was proclaime d b y th e Chinese communists , led b y Ma o Zedon g an d Zho u Enlai, wh o ha d

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