Truman Doctrine Signed: Containing Communism in Cold War
President Truman signed the Greek-Turkish Aid Act on May 22, 1947, authorizing $400 million in military and economic assistance to Greece and Turkey, which were facing communist insurgencies and Soviet pressure respectively. The Truman Doctrine, articulated in Truman's March 12 address to Congress, declared it "the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures." This statement marked the formal beginning of the Cold War containment strategy. The aid was effective: the Greek communist insurgency was defeated by 1949, and Turkey remained in the Western camp, eventually joining NATO in 1952. The doctrine also committed the United States to a global anti-communist posture that shaped foreign policy for four decades.
May 22, 1947
79 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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