Foreign Aid and the Legacy of Harry S. Truman

President Harry S. Truman believed 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." From the Marshall Plan to the Truman Doctrine to the Point Four program, this volume explores Truman's legacy in institutionalizing foreign aid as a feature of American diplomacy. The work of Truman's programs was completed before he left office, but his idea that the United States should assist underdeveloped or developing countries to build up their economies shaped United States foreign policy for the next sixty years and beyond.