Describe the international role of the United States from 1945 through 1960 relative to the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Blockade, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Chapter 26

 March 12, 1947  Truman asks Congress for $400 million dollars to fight Communism  Immediate effects  Stabilize the Greek government  Ease Soviet demands on Turkey  Long Term Goal  Fight Communism worldwide

 June 1947  George Marshall  Also known as European Recovery Plan  Gave European nations American aid to rebuild their economy  Gave supplies, machinery and food to Western Europe  Soviet Union rejected the help  Goal: weakened the appeal of Communism and opened new markets for trade

 US feels USSR is trying to undermine the economy in Germany.  US, France and Britain merge their holding in Germany together and call it West Germany  Also known as Federal Republic of Germany  No military, but was independent  The Soviet Zone was then called East Germany.  The USSR is upset about the creation of West Germany.  They feel they will not get the reparations they wanted.

 In July 1948, the Soviet Union blockaded West Germany.  Truman’s goal was to end the blockade without provoking a fight with the Soviets.  Long Range bombers were placed in Britain.  Cargo planes brought food, medicine and coal into West Germany.  Stalin lifted the blockade on May 12,  America was determined to stop communism.

 Created in 1949  Military alliance in Western Europe  Stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization  A mutual defense alliance  US commits to maintain peace in Europe.  NATO led to other peace organizations to be created.  Warsaw Pact (military alliance with East Europe)  Organization of American States  Southeast Asia Treaty Organization

 A time of tension, confrontation and competition between the US and USSR that lasted from 1946 to 1990.

 The Red Scare intensifies American’s worries about Communist subversion.  Truman requires government officials take oaths of loyalty.  People were pressured for reading certain books, traveling overseas, watching certain films and belonging to certain organizations.  Those who refused to take the oath of loyalty were fired. Many were heavy scrutinized by the FBI and quit.  Others were fired for questionable loyalty.  State and local government, universities, businesses, unions and churches follow the federal governments example.

 House Un-American Activities Committee  Founded to investigate Communist and Fascist activities in the US  Formed in 1938  J. Edgar Hoover wanted to explore Communists and Communist sympathizers.  Infiltrate groups and wiretap phones

 Whittaker Chambers testifies to HUAC that Alger Hiss is a Communist and a spy.  Government official under FDR, at the Yalta Conference, helped organize the UN  Hiss denies all accounts of Chambers  Hiss gave secret documents from the State Department to Chambers.  Hiss denied even knowing Chambers

 HUAC was ready to drop the investigation until Richard Nixon pressed them to find out who lied.  Later, Hiss admits to knowing Chambers.  Chambers produced secret documents (pumpkin)  Hiss was convicted of perjury.

 In 1950, Klaus Fuchs admitted giving the USSR help with the atomic bomb.  His testimony led to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg’s arrest for heading a spy ring.  They were executed in June  Project Venona: focused on finding Communists spies and cracking their secret code.

 The fear that if one country falls to Communism that those around it will fall and so on until the world is Communist.

 Americans felt like they are losing the Cold War.  USSR successfully tests atomic bomb  China fell to Communism  Because of the deepening concern that Communists had infiltrated the government and a speech made by Senator McCarthy, Americans are ready to believe McCarthy and start a witch hunt to find all the Communists. (Blacklist)  The lack of evidence and irrational fears cause McCarthy to name people as Communists with little question.

 Congress passed the Internal Security Act or McCarran Act in  The act made it illegal to “combine, conspire, or agree with any other person to perform any act which would substantially contribute to... the establishment of a totalitarian government.”  In case of a national emergency, the McCarran Act allowed for the arrest and detention of Communists or Communist sympathizers.

 Duck and Cover  Fallout shelters were built to protect people from the atomic bomb and the radiation left after the bomb had been detonated.