The First Cold Warrior: Harry Truman, Containment, and the Remaking of Liberal Internationalism

334 Pages·2006·1.13 MB·English

by  Elizabeth Edwards Spalding

The First Cold Warrior
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THE FIRST COLD WARRIOR
Harry Truman, Containment, and the
Remaking of Liberal Internationalism
ELIZABETH EDWARDS SPALDING
The University Press of Kentucky
Publication of this volume was made possible in part by a grant
from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Copyright © 2006 by The University Press of Kentucky
Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth,
serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre
College of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University,
The Filson Historical Society, Georgetown College,
Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky State University,
Morehead State University, Murray State University,
Northern Kentucky University, Transylvania University,
University of Kentucky, University of Louisville,
and Western Kentucky University.
All rights reserved.
Editorial and Sales Offices: The University Press of Kentucky
663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508-4008
www.kentuckypress.com
06 07 08 09 10 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Spalding, Elizabeth Edwards, 1966–
The first cold warrior : Harry Truman, containment, and the remaking of
liberal internationalism / Elizabeth Edwards Spalding.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8131-2392-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8131-2392-5 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Truman, Harry S., 1884–1972. 2. United States—Foreign relations—1945–1953.
3. Internationalism—History—20th century. 4. Liberalism—United States—
History—20th century. 5. Cold War. I. Title.
E814.S63 2006
973.918092—dc22
2006002564
This book is printed on acid-free recycled paper meeting
the requirements of the American National Standard
for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
Member of the Association of
American University Presses
To Whittle Johnston
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1. “I’m tired babying the Soviets”
The Beginnings of Truman’s Internationalism 9
2. “The two giant marauders, war and tyranny”
Framing Containment 37
3. “A growing feeling of certainty in the rightness of our step”
The Truman Doctrine 61
4. “A noble page in world annals”
The Politics of the Marshall Plan 81
5. “Bonds far greater than those of mere ideology”
Kennan’s Sources of Soviet Conduct 103
6. “The great principles of human freedom and justice”
The Beginning of the Atlantic Alliance 129
7. “Peace with freedom and justice cannot be bought cheaply”
The Purpose and Structure of National Security 153
8. “To assure the integrity and vitality of our free society”
The Culmination of Truman’s Containment 177
9. “We must put on the armor of God”
History, Faith, and Peace in Truman’s Thought 199
Conclusion 223
Notes 233
Bibliography 299
Index 311
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Acknowledgments
I would like to express my appreciation to those who have helped me
with this project. Among those who read all or part of the manuscript, I
am especially grateful to Patrick Garrity, Robert Kaufman, and Michael
Warner. Pat, in particular, challenged me to clarify general themes and
specific points, and the book is better for his suggestions. I am indebted
to the Earhart Foundation for providing me with a generous grant, which
enabled me to travel to and research at several libraries and archives. And
so I thank the staffs of the Harry S. Truman, Seeley G. Mudd, George C.
Marshall, and Clemson University libraries and of the Library of Congress
for their assistance while I was researching in their manuscript collections.
Anyone writing on the Cold War also owes gratitude to the Cold War
International History Project of the Woodrow Wilson Center. For pub-
lication, I have been fortunate to work with Steve Wrinn—always inter-
ested, thorough, and efficient—and his excellent staff at the University
Press of Kentucky.
My family has been indispensable. My parents, Lee and Anne Edwards,
introduced me to the study of the Cold War, and I first did archival re-
search for one of my father’s writing projects when I was in high school.
With skill and good humor, my mother helped me research at the libraries
in Lexington, Virginia, and Princeton, New Jersey. Joseph and Catherine
created temporary office space next to their mother’s while pretending to
write their own books, and they delighted in manning the printer. Above
all, my husband Matthew has been loving and supportive and has nev-
er grown bored listening to comments about Harry Truman, George F.
Kennan, and the centrality of the Cold War to both U.S. foreign policy
and the remaking of liberal internationalism in the modern era.
ix