Harry S. Truman's Containment Speech

During the year 1947, a speech delivered by President Harry S. Truman, know as The Truman Doctrine, sometimes called “Truman’s containment speech”, which warned United State Congress that we should support other countries, or they would fall to Communism. Greece was in a sensitive situation, they can fall to communism anytime which would make them more powerful. He talked about some reasons why United State should help others. In his speech, he never mentioned the word “containment”, but all his points were lead to it. First part of the speech, he outlined the situation of Greece. According to his speech, “More than a thousand villages had been burned. Eighty-five percent of the children were tubercular.” Greece was facing civil War, and Germans destroyed most the city of Greece during World War II. People forced to battle the Greek royal government since the end of World War II. He said, “The very existence of the Greek State is today threatened by

The power of communist was growing after World War II. In President Truman’s speech, he never used the word “containment”, However, his points were stopped let the communism become more powerful and large. U.S was afraid if Greece becomes communist, so would Turkey. He used an idea called domino theory that one country fall to communism will effect others. He said, “Should we fail aid Greece and Turkey in this fateful hour, the effect will be far reaching to the West as well as to the East.” President Truman requested $400,000,000 to help both the Greece and Turkey to prevent them fall to the communists. In last of his speech, he re-emphasized Greece was desperate, unstable and easy broken, “The seeds of totalitarian regimes are nurtured by misery and want. They spread and grow in the evil soil of poverty and strife.” He believed the only way to prevent communism was to support other and become allies that can makes United State stronger and