1. Harry S. Truman’s Foreign Policy, 1945-1951
Atomic Bomb Decision
Origins of the Cold War
Containment
Berlin Airlift
NATO
Korean War

2. ATOMIC BOMB DECISION PROPONENTS OPPONENTS Led to a dangerous arms race
Japan was losing and the bombings were simply unnecessary
Racism on the grounds that such a device would never have been used against white civilians.
Political move to warn Soviets who were getting involved with Japan
Truman stated that his decision to drop the bomb was purely military.
A Normandy-type amphibious landing would have cost an estimated million casualties.
Truman believed that the bombs saved Japanese lives as well.
Prolonging the war would be disastrous for all

3. Post-WWII, the relationship between the US + the Soviet Union slowly started to deteriorate.
Stalin maintained that, since it had been the Soviets that had liberated Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, & Czechoslovakia from Nazi control, that it should be them who impose their own social and economic systems and no one else.
With the Soviet military established in these countries, Stalin imposed his governments in each of these countries  these nations became known as satellites; they had to remain communist, soviet friendly, & obey soviet approved policies.
When Churchill saw this evolution of Eastern Europe becoming Communist, he stated that “an iron curtain had descended across the continent.”
Iron Curtain

4. Containment
Containment – keeping the communists in their own territory and preventing expansion.
Diplomat George Kennan wrote a “long telegram” (5,540 words) to explain that Russians, under Communism, would always be in a permanent struggle against capitalism and that, to them, America represented the biggest most threatening capitalist country; no permanent settlement could be gained.
Communism is dependent on there being a worldwide revolution in which every country turns to Communism.
Kennan argued that containment and patience (not letting it spread) would see the soviet system of communism collapse.

5. CONTAINING COMMUNISM TRUMAN DOCTRINE MARSHALL PLAN
Truman Doctrine = 1947, Truman went before Congress to request $400 million to fight Soviet aggression in Greece & Turkey.
purpose was to stabilize the Greek gov & ease Soviet demands in Turkey.
became the U.S.’s pledge to stop communism in the world
1947, Secretary of State George C. Marshall proposed the European Recovery Program called the Marshall Plan = give European nations American aid to rebuild
gave billions of dollars worth of supplies, machinery, and food to Western Europe, lessening the appeal of communism & opening new trade markets
USSR/satellites reject the offer
Postwar Western Europe faced economic ruin and starving people.
-an effort to fight hunger, poverty, & chaos
-The Soviet Union and its satellite nations in Eastern Europe rejected the offer and developed their own economic program.
*Marshall Opposition Senator Robert A. Taft opposed the Marshall Plan, calling it a “global-give-away program.” He was concerned that the plan would bankrupt the United States.

6. Rising tension between “East and West” Overview
CONTAINMENT
1946 diplomat George Kennan - the Long Telegram - Proposed long-term containment of Soviet expansion  Truman’s policy of containment = keeping communism within its present territory through diplomatic, economic, & military actions.
WEST GERMANY IS FOUNDED
USA/France/UK zones merge  West Germany vs. Soviet East Germany
THE BERLIN BLOCKADE/AIRLIFT
Soviet troops blockaded West Berlin  For eleven months, US cargo planes supplied Berliners with food, medicine, coal.
NATO
(1949) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) = a mutual defense alliance was created with initially 12 countries (U.S. Canada, W. Eur.) joining - agreed to come to the aid of any member who was attacked – help maintain peace in Europe
WARSAW PACT
Soviet leaders responded to NATO by forming their own alliance system made up of all their satellites and allies.

9. THE KOREAN WAR
WWII ends US & USSR enter Korea to disarm Japanese troops stationed there
Korea divided by Allies at 38th parallel (latitude): Soviet north – communist v. American south – US-backed gov
Soviet military aid to North  expansive military  1950 NK troops invade SK
US/UN/SK troops push back NK troops -> Communist China saw UN troops advancing as a threat & demanded stop
China ignored  China launches massive attack & Chinese troops push UN troops back
General MacArthur wants to expand war against China  Truman refused & MacArthur fired for publically criticizing president
Truman committed to limited war = a war fought to achieve a limited objective, such as containing communism
Truman did not want to expand the war into China or use the atomic bomb. Truman remained committed to a limited war to contain communism.

10. 6 min photo documentary on families separated between the 2 koreas
5 minutes Summary of Korean war