The First Cold Warrior This page intentionally left blank 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 This page intentionally left blank 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 This page intentionally left blank 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