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The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy: The Truman Doctrine
Mark Newsome
Strayer University
Politics 300
Dr. Sussie Okoro
16 March 2014

The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy: The Truman Doctrine Harry S. Truman was President of the United States from 1945-1953. President Truman presidency was marked throughout by important foreign policy initiatives. Central to almost everything Truman undertook in his foreign policy was the desire to prevent the expansion of influence of the Soviet Union. At the end of World War II it was immediately apparent that Russia was trying to draw as many countries as it could into its influence, if not total control. The United States became extremely alarmed as country after country did indeed fall under Russia’s communist influences. At the time, the United States Government was under suspicion that Russia was supporting the Greek Communist was effort and worried that if Communists won in the Greek civil war, the Soviets would eventually influence Greek policy (state.gov, p1). In light of the appearance of Soviet meddling in Greek and Turkish affairs, and the withdrawal of British assistance to Greece provided the motivation for the Truman Administration to reorient American foreign policy. The Truman Doctrine was the name given to a policy announced by then United States President Harry Truman on March 12th 1947. The Truman Doctrine was a very simple warning clearly made to the Soviet Union, though the country was not mentioned by name. The United States of America would intervene to support any nation that was being threatened by a takeover by an armed minority. Stalin the Russian dictator at that time, had ideas to put an “Iron Curtain” around Russia and that meant each eastern European country that was near to the Soviet borber had to have a loyal communist government in power with leaders who would do what Stalin wished. Poland,

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