mar 28, 1947 - Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan and Kennan's X article

Description:

The Truman doctrine was one of the most significant American foreign policy stances of the early cold war and effectively promised American help to any country perceived to be threatened by Communism such as Greece and Turkey.

Sometimes referred to as containment as it aimed to contain communism and prevent its spread.

In June 1947, US secretary of state George Marshall made a historic offer of aid for Europeans the key to this offer was the Europeans would help themselves whilst being funded by the US.

Paris negotiation: `
Stalin suspected this was a masked attempt by the US to intervene in the domestic affairs of European states.
The Soviets wanted financial aid from the US but with no conditions attached. However, Britain and France argued that the European states should draw up a joint program for spending the aid as the US had demand instead of individual states sending in a separate list of requests.
Molotov rejected this and left Paris as Stalin feared an economic agreement like this would allow the US to undermine Soviet power in Eastern Europe.
On the 16th of July, 16 western European nations including Greece and Turkey were represented as detailed negations on the Marshall plan began.
By mid-August, the US were disappointed to find that western Europeans had not made plans for economic integration and had instead made selfish demands far beyond what the United States were willing to grant ($29 bililon).
A program for 5 billion dollars was approved
the Soviet union set up cominform in retaliation to the Marshall plan

The essence of Kennan's telegram was published in Foreign Affairs in 1947 as The Sources of Soviet Conduct and circulated everywhere. The article was signed by "X" although everyone in the know knew that authorship was Kennan's. For Kennan, the Cold War gave the United States its historic opportunity to assume leadership of what would eventually be described as the "free world."

Added to timeline:

Date: