The COLD War

Leading to Containment

• Yalta Conference – Feb 1945

• Stalin, Churchill, FDR meet to discuss “spheres of influence”

• Agree that Germany will be broken up so that Soviet Union can have some security in its borders

• US wants to keep nuclear monopoly

• Truman Doctrine (based on diplomatic advisor’s George Kennan’s Long Telegram), 1947

• Kennan = pragmatic approach to Communism – limited idealism

• Marshall Plan, 1947• Sec. of State George

Marshall • Help Europe recover

from war through loans and trade agreements

• Eastern Europe did not participate

Containment -- Economic

National Security Act, 1947

• SEE chart hand-out

Containment -- Domestically House Unamerican Activities

Committee• Martin Dies of TX launches in 1938 to investigate

labor activists• Joseph McCarthy picks up in 1947 to follow Truman’s

EO to investigate govt employees• Alger Hiss trial, 1948 GUILTY!• 1951 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg 1951 GUILTY!• Good Night, and Good Luck – Edward R. Murrow

begins to protest McCarthy Witchhunt• Largest Congressional hearings and Hollywood

blacklists 1950-1954• 1954 – McCarthy finally censured by Congress – dies

of Alcoholism in 1957…

• Soviets block east Berlin (Berlin lay wholly in Soviet part of Germany) because they fear US is getting too successful in W. Berlin

• Almost 1 yr Britain and American pilots dropped 2.5 million tons of fuel to help Berliners

Berlin Airlift, 1948

North American Treaty Organization, 1949

• Atlantic nations promised to help each other when one or more is attacked (12 nations including US, Canada, Britain, Italy, France, Belgium, etc.)

• First peace time alliance that America had entered

Containment -- militaristic

• NSC-68

• A memo from the National Security Council (set up in the 1947 National Security Act) that advocates HUGE military expenditures to ward off the threat of the Soviet Union

Korean War, 1950-1953• N and S Korea divided along 38th Parallel in

decisions of US and USSR after WWII• 1950 Kim Il Sung (N. Korean Communist)

launches attack against S. Korea to reunify the country (Stalin supports but does not instigate)

• Syngman Rhee (S. Korean nationalist) defends • Truman urges UN to to create a “peacekeeping

force”• Douglas MacArthur appointed head of US forces• MacArthur becomes overconfident and stops

listening to Truman• Writes scathing letter about Truman –

Republicans try to use it to hurt Truman…Truman fires MacArthur

The Point of Korea?

• Nothing much came from it – except a commitment to keeping Asia from falling

• 36,000 American lives --- $54 billion spent• N and S Korea remain divided at 38th Parallel• Creates precedent for Vietnam• Truman loses support at home…• Dwight D. Eisenhower elected in 1952• Brings “new look” to America• Upbeat, respected general – promises to build

HUGE nuclear arsenal based on “MAD”

Vietnam Before Vietnam

• French colony – occupied by Japanese in WWII

• Post WWII Ho Chi Minh (Communist) moves into fill vacuum left by Japanese

• Wanted American support to oust France and have home rule

• Truman ignores request and supports French troops in region

• Soviets recognize Minh’s republic in 1950

• Vietminh have BIG victory at Dienbienphu in 1954

• Forced France to split country at 17th Parallel (Declaration Line of 1954)

• Geneva Accords say Vietnam will have unifying elections in 1956

• US knows Communists will win open elections – uses CIA to rig election of non-Communist Ngo Dinh Diem (1954)

• Diem denies unification elections of 1956• US takes place of France and occupies Saigon

(S. Vietnam capital)

• Diem becomes horribly unpopular• He disallows religious freedom of Buddhists

(he’s Catholic) and segregated population into “Strategic Hamlets”

• Eisenhower sends LOTS of $$$ to S. Vietnam to try and support Diem ($200 million/year)

• Some troop build-up and Special Forces (16,000 by 1963)

• 1963 Diem so unpopular, Kennedy tells CIA to support military coup