Truman Foreign Policy

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Since 1900, United States foreign policy actions have often been based on national self interest. These actions have had immediate and long term results. Two very important United States foreign policy actions since 1900 were the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall plan. On March 12, 1947, an address to Congress, President Harry S. Truman declared it to be the foreign policy which was for the United States to assist any country whose stability was threatened by communism. His initial request was specifically for $400 million to assist both Greece & Turkey, which Congress approved. The Truman Doctrine was followed by the Marshall Plan later that year.
When Harry Truman became president, on the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, he was little known to the American public and had little experience in foreign affairs. He quickly learned and picked up the ropes and took Potsdam Conference in July. It was on Truman`s orders that the atomic bombs on Hiroshima were dropped in August. During the war time bipartisanship at home frayed soon after the arrival of peace, along with the war time alliance with the Soviet Union. In October 27, 1945, Truman delivered an address in NYC, in which he set out the outline of his foreign policy. It differed little from that of FDR, and had asserted that the United States sought no territorial expansion or had any selfish advantage, the right of self-determination, freedom of the seas, and the necessity of a United Nations organizations. It made no specific reference to communism, this soon had changed.
By asking for $4 million to support their resistance to communism, Truman had noted that the amount represented was more than a 10% of a percent of the amount that America had spent to win WWII. He described it as simply common sense to spend that amount as an investment in world peace and world freedom. Congress had approved Truman`s request, and it was signed into law on May 22, 1947. American’s had supported and delivered to both Turkey and Greece. Turkey was able to resist Soviet pressure over the Dardanelles and the Greek government had eliminated the communist rebellion by October of 1949. The Marshal program was to provide economic aid to European countries after World War II. The idea was to insure European’s with a self-help plan financed by the U.S. which was proposed by George Marshall in 1947 and was authorized by Congress as the European Recovery Program. It provided almost $13 billion in grants and loans to 17 countries and was a key factor in reviving their economies and stabilizing their political structures form. The plan's concept was extended to less-developed countries. In a speech on June 5, 1947, U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall proposed that European nations should create a plan for their economic reconstruction and that the United States would provide economic assistance. In the proposal it involved the constructive solution of thousands of detailed problems of international countries While attempting to go ahead with the program, the American government found themselves temporarily blocked by the other Allies to reach agreement on the terms of treaties of peace with the major axis countries like Germany and Japan. In December
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