Beliefs that shaped American foreign policy from Harry S Truman to John F. Kennedy
... implemented with the Marshall Plan. The plan was intended to foster economic recovery in Europe after World War II, and contain growing Soviet influence all over Europe. The Marshall Plan achieved its intended effect. The countries that received aid recovered and communist parties in them were not as influential as before. The Soviet’s view of the Marshall Plan was one of suspicion and they led their own attempts at economic recovery. In this aspect the Marshall Plan also effectively completed the polarization of Europe into two camps. Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” had truly fallen. Many Americans saw this line as wall where prisoners were locked inside desperately wanting to be free rather than a military, political, and ideological dividing line across Europe. Many in the U.S. government saw the “loss of China”, and the Soviet A-bomb as two U.S. foreign policy failures, and that the world had changed into a more terrifying place because of this. In light of the new situation Truman asked for a review of U.S. defense policy. The arrival of NSC-68 did not bring to light any new viewpoints of what Cold Warriors thought of the Soviets, but what it did do is list the assumptions many had about the Soviets and assessments of several plans of action to combat any Soviet influence throughout the world. These viewpoints became official policy when North Korea invaded South Korea in September 1950. The invasion also brought about expanded and heightened security zones, as the U.S. adopted a fateful drive to not allow any additional country to fall to communism. The U.S. intervention in Korea was aimed at deterring communism with force. Mere containment had failed and it was felt that communism had to be pushed out. Korea was the beginning of a hardened approach to dealing with communism. American attitudes toward China had changed as they were seen as becoming as bent on spreading communism as the Soviets were. Closer to home the Cuban Missile Crisis was directly linked to the effects of American beliefs about communism. With Fidel Castro becoming closer to Moscow the U.S. under J.F.K. broke diplomatic relations with Cuba. The U.S. supported coup attempt against Castro ended in total failure, and led to the Soviet decision to place nuclear missiles...