Harry S. Truman's Foreign Policy In Greece And Turkey

Submitted By socalboyrocks
Words: 500
Pages: 2

On Friday, February 21, 1947 the British Embassy in Washington D.C. alerted the United States Department officials that Great Britain could no longer provide financial aide to Greece and Turkey. This was a huge problem for the anti-communist government of the United States. Both Greece and Turkey had rapidly deteriorating economies, and perhaps more problematic was the rise of Communist led parties in each country. The U.S. had been monitoring the situation in the two countries before Great Britain sent word of their inability to aide Greece and Turkey. So on March 12, 1947 Harry S. Truman revealed a newly devised policy of foreign policy. This doctrine outlined a new stance being taken by the United States regarding eastern countries and the rise of communism. “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.” . That was the last line of the speech that Truman gave to the joint sessions of congress on March 12, 1947. The aide outlined in Truman’s speech is not a significant amount monetarily, four hundred million dollars were sent as aide to both Turkey and Greece. What this new doctrine put forth by Truman did was allow for the United States to publicly standout against Russia and stand up for any democratic or free country in the world. Many historians feel that this new foreign policy is what kept the United States so strong for many years. Lynn Boyd Hinds and Theodore Otto Windt Jr. in their book the Cold War as Rhetoric viewed the Truman Doctrine as neatly thought out and very necessary to increase both Truman and the United State’s authority as a world power. These two authors go on to state that in this doctrine it is clear and evident that communism in evil and since Russia is the largest proponent of communism they not only pose a legitimate