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Strategy and Doctrine

Truman Doctrine

Contemporary

The Truman Doctrine is the US foreign and military policy, announced by President Harry S. Truman to Congress on March 12, 1947, pledging American support, including military and economic aid, for free peoples resisting subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressure, wherever in the world that resistance occurs. It was announced in response to Soviet-backed pressure on Greece and Turkey and became the founding statement of Cold War containment policy. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Core Claim
The United States will support free peoples resisting subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressure, wherever in the world that resistance occurs. 1
Origin Year
1947 1
Connections

Associated With

Containment, Strategy and Doctrine
Source Wikipedia: Truman Doctrine
Korean War, Wars
Source Wikipedia: Truman Doctrine
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Truman Doctrine
Wikipedia
  • lead paragraph
    a U.S. foreign policy that pledges American support for U.S.-aligned nations against alleged authoritarian threats
  • lead paragraph/history section
    announced to Congress by President Harry S. Truman on March 12, 1947
  • Associated With: Korean War, Legacy section, medical-metaphor discussion
    provided the U.S. with an easy transition to direct military confrontation in later years with the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
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Frequently Asked Questions

What did the Truman Doctrine actually commit the United States to?

A pledge of US military and economic support for free peoples resisting armed minorities or outside pressure, anywhere, announced March 12, 1947.

Announced by President Harry S. Truman to Congress on March 12, 1947, it pledged American support, including military and economic aid, for free peoples resisting subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressure, wherever in the world that resistance occurred. It was not limited by name to any one country; Truman framed it as a general policy rather than a one-time aid package.

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