The American Government under President Harry S. Truman struggled to work what type of threat the Soviet Union represented. Between 1946-1950, American policymakers answered the question. Below are three documents that show the evolution of American Cold War policy.
THE THEORY: George Kennan (1904-2005) was an American diplomat and historian. In 1946, Kennan was stationed in Moscow and was extremely concerned that the Soviet Union was trying to take over the world. He shared his concerns with Washington in a secret “Long Telegram” that argued the Soviet regime was expansionist and could only be contained by the United States. The arguments that Kennan made in the Long Telegram would go on to influence American Cold War policy in the 1940s and 1950s known as the Truman Doctrine.
You can find a copy here: https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu//coldwar/documents/episode-1/kennan.htm (Links to an external site.)
THE POLICY: The Truman Doctrine was an American foreign policy to counter Soviet expansionism around the world. The Truman Doctrine, named after President Truman, was first announced to the world in 1947 and then expanded upon in 1948 when the United States pledged to stop the spread of communism in Greece and Turkey. The Truman doctrine was the closest the United States came to declaring war during the Cold War. The policy defined the Soviet Union as the enemy of mankind and committed the United States to fight communism where ever it appeared around the world.
You can find a copy here: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/research-files/truman-doctrine (Links to an external site.)
THE MILITARY PLANS: In 1950, President Truman reads a top-secret 66-page document written by the National Security Council called United States Objectives and Programs for National Security. Better known as NSC-68, this document contained a blueprint for the militarization of the Cold War from 1950 until its end in the early 1990s. NSC-68 called for a large expansion of the military budget, the maintenance of a conventional peacetime army, and most importantly, the development of the hydrogen bomb. The NSC argued all of these changes were necessary to defeat the Soviet Union. This document was the point of no return. From 1950 onwards the United States was committed to fighting the Cold War using nuclear weapons.
You can find a copy: https://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/116191.pdf?v=2699956db534c1821edefa61b8c13ffe (Links to an external site.)
Instructions:
Today, you have a job in the White House advising President Truman on American Cold War strategy. You can choose which key moment in the formulation of US strategy – the theory, the policy, or the military plans – you want to focus on. Your job is to summarize key arguments of the document and present a short bullet point briefing to President Truman. This is a crucial moment in the early Cold War and your words will have a major impact on what happens next.
Specifically, your briefing is worth 50 points and should be no longer than 1 page. Note, as the US President is a very busy man, assignments longer than 1 page will be downgraded. You should include the following elements:
You should introduce your document and explain its significance.
1. This should be a quick statement that only focuses on the most important conclusion of the document.
2. You should use bullet points to summarize key conclusions, quotes, or statistics from your source. You should have only three bullet points you think President Truman must see before making any decisions. Remember, this is briefing and you must carefully select the information.
3. Finally, you should end with a personal recommendation about whether the president should accept or reject the conclusions of your document. Remember to think like an American official in the 1940’s. Remember, you are only concerned about the future of your country.
