Question

What does Truman’s letter reveal about his attitude toward the Soviet Union?

Answer 1

Truman’s Letter indicated that he didn’t trust Soviet Union. Truman was skeptical about Soviet Union and believed that the Soviet Union was untrustworthy. He believed that Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union’s General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, could not agree to the terms that they had previously agreed to.

Answer 2

Answer:

In his 1946 speech, Truman mentioned that the allied powers, including the Soviet Union, were unanimously working toward promoting peace and freedom of expression in the world. The following lines from the 1946 speech support this point:

Early in 1945, at Yalta, the three major powers broadened and solidified this base of understanding. There fundamental decisions were reached concerning the occupation and control of Germany. There also a formula was arrived at for the interim government of the areas in Europe, which were rapidly being wrested, from Nazi control. This formula was based on the policy of the United States that people be permitted to choose their own form of government by their own freely expressed choice without interference from any foreign source.

However, in his 1951 speech, Truman seems to be thoroughly disappointed with the Soviet Union’s agenda to expand its territory. He openly criticizes the leaders of the Soviet Union for their expansionist policies. The following lines from the 1951 speech support this point:

We had hoped that the Soviet Union, with its security assured by the Charter of the United Nations, would be willing to live and let live. But, I am sorry to say that has not been the case. The imperialism of the czars has been replaced by the even more ambitious, more crafty, and more menacing imperialism of the rulers of the Soviet Union

Explanation: