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George Washington to New Hampshire, 29 December 1777
(Detail, GLC03706)
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The Cold War:
Harry Truman: Fertilizer For A Cold War
by Sheri Myer
Arcata High School
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http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/episodes/03/documents/truman/
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/episodes/03/documents/marshall.plan/
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/episodes/03/documents/vyshinsky/
On March 12, 1947, United States President Harry Truman addressed a joint session
of Congress in a speech specifically calling for $400 million in aid for the countries
of Greece and Turkey, both of which he suspected were threatened by communist
insurgencies. Thus, his doctrine for containing the spread of communism had begun.
On June 5, 1947, United States Secretary Of State George Marshall layed out in
more detail the economic plan by which Truman hoped to "contain" communism.
In his Harvard speech, Marshall claimed that unemployment and poverty running
rampant in post World War II Europe would reinforce communism's appeal, but that
economic recovery would serve to create stable, democratic institutions.
The European Recovery Program, or Marshall Plan was offered up to all war-torn
nations in Europe, including the Soviet Union. European nations were urged to
decide their economic needs so that materials and financial support from the United
States could be administered on a wide basis. With the combination of the Soviet
Union refusing such help from the U.S. and the overall fear of the spread of communism
throughout Eastern Europe, a reluctant Congress passed The European Recovery Program.
The Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA) was established in April 1948 and
was responsible for awarding over $12 billion in aid to European nations before
the program ended in 1951.
In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in September of 1947, Soviet
Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Vyshinsky not only made it clear that the Soviet
Union would not participate in the Marshall Plan, but denounced it as a political
tool in violation of a U.N. General Assembly resolution passed in 1946 limiting
countries from buying political favor through financial "good deeds".
TRUMAN DOCTRINE SPEECH (Excerpt)
…The gravity of the situation which confronts the world today necessitates
my appearance before a joint session of Congress. The foreign policy and the national
security of this country are involved.…One aspect of the present situation,
which I wish to present to you at this time for your consideration and decision,
concerns Greece and Turkey. …Greece must have assistance if it is to become
a self-supporting and self-respecting democracy.…The future of Turkey as
an indpendent and economically sound state is clearly no less important to the
freedom-loving peoples of the world than the future of Greece. …Turkey now
needs our support. …No other nation is willing and able to provide support
for such democratic governments.…At the present moment in world history
nearly every nation must choose between alternative ways of life. One way of life
is based upon the will of the majority, and is distinguished by free institutions,
representative government, free elections, guarantees of individual liberty, freedom
of speech and religion, and freedom from political oppression. The second way
of life is based upon the will of a minority forcibly imposed upon the majority.
It relies upon terror and oppression, a controlled press and radio, fixed elections
and the suppression of personal freedoms. I believe that it must be the policy
of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation
by armed minorities or by outside pressures.…The seeds of totalitarian regimes
are nurtured by misery and want. The free peoples of the world look to us for
support in maintaining their freedoms. If we falter in our leadership, we may
endanger the peace of the world-and we shall surely endanger the welfare of our
own nation. Great responsibilities have been placed upon us by the swift movement
of events. I am confident that the Congress will face these responsibilities squarely.
MARSHALL PLAN SPEECH (Excerpt)
…Our policy (of aid) is directed not against any country or doctrine but
against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos. Its purpose should be the revival
of a working economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political and
social conditions in which free institutions can exist. …Any government
which manuevers 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. … What can best be done? …What
must be done?
VYSHINSKY SPEECH TO THE U.N. (Excerpt)
…The so-called Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan are particularly glaring
examples of the manner in which the principles of the United Nations are violated,
of the way in which the organization is ignored. …These policies conflict
sharply with the principle expressed by the General Assembly in its resolution
of 11 December 1946, which declares that relief supplies to other countries should
at no time be used as a political weapon. …It is becoming more and more
evident to everyone that the implementation of the Marshall plan will mean placing
European countries under the economic and political control of the United States
and direct interference by the latter in the internal affairs of those countries.
…I need only recall these facts to show the utter incompatibility of this
policy of the United States, and of the British and French governments which support
it, with the fundamental principles of the United Nations.
1. What are three justifications Truman uses in his address to Congress for helping
Greece and Turkey recover from Worl War II?
2. How does Truman describe America's democratic ideals? Does it describe what
you see as the American democratic ideal of today? Explain.
3. Describe Truman's view of what totalitarianism represents for those who experience
it.
4. What appears to be Truman's ultimate fear if Congress fails to pass his proposals
to contain communism and help rebuild post WWII Europe?
5. For what purposes does Marshall claim for his plan? Explain your answer.
6. Compare Truman's speech with Marshall's. In which is there an overt threat
to those who may try to thwart economic recovery of any post WWII European nation?
Site the example.
7. To what organization is Deputy Foreign Vyshinsky appealing to in his address?
Explain his main points or concerns. What are his justifications for bringing
these concerns to this organization? In what ways do you agree with Vyshinsky?
Disagree? Explain your answer.
8. Create a video-taped debate.
a. Break into groups of four students.
b. In each group of four, one student will take the role of
Truman, one Marshall, one Vyshinsky, and one the moderator.
c. Each group will create a series of questions that will be
administered by the moderator to the panel of Cold War experts as named above.
All group members will participate not only in the creation of the questions
but also in the scripted responses that each expert proclaims.
d. Please take the opportunity to not only use the full text
of the above primary documents, but also any other information made available
through other assignments, readings, research, etc. to formulate your questions
and answers in your debate.
e. Creativity is encouraged but be time, place, and historically
accurate. (Truman should not be answering a cell phone during the debate).
f. Video debate will be 10-15 minutes in length.
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