Foreign Aid and the Legacy of Harry S. Truman

President Harry S. Truman once said that if he were remembered for anything, it would be for his foreign aid programs. Despite the fragmented appearance of the Truman administration’s various foreign aid programs, they were all inspired by a clear policy “to assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way,” and with the clear purpose of helping create conditions throughout the world compatible with American values and interests. From the Marshall Plan to the Truman Doctrine to the Point Four program, this volume explores the legacy of Truman’s institutionalization of foreign aid as a central feature of American foreign policy. Truman's idea that the United States should assist underdeveloped or developing countries to build up their economies is an enduring legacy that shapes United States foreign policy to the present day and beyond.