The present text consists in a speech delivered by President Harry S.

Truman before a Joint Session

of Congress on March 12, 1947. Harry S. Truman was an American politician who served as the 33rd
President of the United States from 1945 to 1953, elected right after the death of President Franklin
Roosevelt.

The speech was held due to a previous announcement of the British Government that, starting with
March 31, it will no longer provide the Greek Government with financial and economic support in its
civil war against the Communist Party. The Communist Party was a political party that advocated the
principles of communism, this meaning that all economic and social activity were controlled by a
totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party. Truman addresses to
Congress, asking them to support the Greek Government against communists. He also asks Congress
to help Turkey which, at first, was also aid by Britain.

Truman’s presidency caught the ending of the World War II in 1945 and the beginning of the Cold
War in 1947. The production during the World War II pulled the economy of United States out of the
Great Depression. In order to avoid another global war, America’s policy was to provide economic
assistance to foreign countries in Europe and Asia that needed to rebuild their economy after the
war. The United States also took an active interest in the fate of the colonies that European powers
were having difficulty maintaining, opposing to the will of Soviets that were interested in dominating
the Eastern Europe. This opposition led to an intense conflict between them and the Soviets.
Therefore, the US was forced to form a Western alliance in order to withstand the spread of the
communist power and restructure its military and intelligence forces, both of which would have a
significant influence in U.S. Cold War policy. It is with this speech that President Truman proposed
the so-called Truman Doctrine, the principle that the US should give support to countries or people
threatened by Soviet forces or Communist insurrection, which was seen by the Communists as an
open declaration of the Cold War.
Yalta conference: signed between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin; it was the beginning of the United
Nations (were implemented to preserve peace in the world), an organization designed to promote
international security, commerce and law.

-2 spheres of influence were established

-the Domino Theory: prevent communist expansion anywhere in the world

Introduction:

Truman – President of US

-president after Roosevelt’s death

-democrat such as R.

He ordered the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan in 1945. Known for his Marshall Plan
(agreed after the second World War- economic program which gave economic help after the war:
provide money, assistance to European countries in exchange of allegiance; loyal to US; Europe had
to choose between the 2 spheres of influence)

He is known for The Truman Doctrine- a promise of worldwide American evolvement to

defend freedom.

Concerning the context: this document is a speech delivered before the Congress of… in which he
asked for funds “urgent appeal...” to fight communist oppression in Turkey and Greece. In 1947 the
American audience was not well informed, so he had to convince the audience. There was a long
tradition of isolationism which had been established by another doctrine, the Monroe Doctrine (the
principle of nonintervention of US in the Europe and of the Europe in US, and the principle of non-
colonization of the Euro in US- Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere in the UE; the US will
not interfere in the ..); a drastic change in the American policy is announced here. He asserts that
European countries are victimized by the Soviet Union and he defines his doctrine which is the
following: the US had to follow a policy of containment/repression/control to prevent communist
expansion anywhere in the world. Containment really became the cornerstone of the American
policy trough out the world. This speech is very reminiscent of the Roosevelt Corollary, 1903, that
changed the rules of the Monroe Doctrine; at the beginning R. tried to change the doctrine and
decided that the United States will intervene in conflicts between European countries and Latin
American countries to enforce legitimate claims of the European powers, rather than having the
Europeans press their claims directly.

According to Truman, it is a duty to the US to get involved in internal conflicts not only in the Latin
America but also in Europe in the name of freedom and defense of democracy. Therefore, the
United States became one of the first members of the United Nations, an organization designed to
promote international security, commerce and law. Yalta conference: signed between Roosevelt,
Churchill and Stalin; it was the beginning of the United Nations (were implemented to preserve
peace in the world).
- Yalta Conference
- Cold War
- Domino theory (a political event in one country will cause similar events in the neighboring
countries, like a falling domino causing an entire row of upended dominoes to fall.)
- Truman Doctrine is a form of insistence of the Roosevelt Corollary and it settles a new
American policy

There is a conflict between 2 worlds: USSR with communism and, on the other hand, US with
preservation of freedom. The image of good vs. evil. The govern has two options: give freedom
or coercion. That is way Truman insists on giving aid to these countries. He uses, on one hand,
terms referring to freedom and, on the other hand, terms opposing to it: terrorism, coercion l49,
impose l30, totalitarian regimes l46, aggression l47, intimidation l51, violation 60, suppression
personal freedom, political infiltration 69. Truman wants to show that this lack of freedom can
take many faces –a large variety of words describing oppression to freedom. In contrast, he does
not use synonyms to freedom; only the word itself. The only synonym for freedom is America.
The country is the perfect model of freedom, the epitome (example) of freedom. US=freedom.

-link this idea with the Cold War period (ideological war between these 2 spheres of influence)

II. –introduce the notion of duty. Duty towards freedom is present in the Monroe Doctrine, the
Roosevelt Corollary, and this notion is described in: “should” l64, “should be primary”, and “it
must be”, “we must assist” l62/64/66; “we need”, “assistance is imperative”. It is an American
duty to provide freedom; it is an obligation to interfere- repetiton of “I believe” l62/64/65 –gives
a solemn tone.

This moral involvement is also linked to specific interests. The US wants to guarantee their
national security l 48 “the foundation of international peace…” l 49. The country wants to
guarantee also the security of the wealth l 48, l 46. + the creation of the United Nations after
the Yalta Conference (assure peace in the world) – l43 “establishing the United Nations”

But there are also specific interests. The US had an interest to preserve an international
influence; their aim was to target the week countries like Greece, like Turkey to offer them
protection against allegiance, loyalty. In the name of freedom but also of containment, Truman
offers his help to this week nations -mentioning: l1, l 65 “in helping...” l47 “the assistance that I
am recommending...” + link his argument to the domino theory. In the domino effect, one
nation after another would fall to Soviet domination unless US led the free world by actively
intervening to prevent the expansion of communism. There is a reference to the domino theory
…

His doctrine helps to justify the US influence and to expend US interests abroad.

There was a fear at that time of communism which was prevised as cancer, as a virus. To
Americans’ mind, the spreading of communism would leave millions of American business men,
farmers and workers off the business without a job. People were afraid of losing their jobs.

Conclusion:

Evaluate the document

The Truman Doctrine is clearly changing the rules of the American policy and that in the name of
containment; Americans have the duty to get involved elsewhere in the world. Manifest destiny
(American people are a chosen nation by God to spread their values, their model of civilization
trough out the world). Just like the Truman doctrine, the Manifest Destiny is also mentioned in
many political speeches. That was just the beginning of the Cold War, the premise of the Cold
War and that this war is going to be more violent in the 1970’s with the emergence of the
Second Red Scare.