It was the "Hebrews" that were the first to willingly accept monotheism, since during the rise of the Hebrew faith most religious in the Middle East and elsewhere were polytheistic. <span />
The less ending of a punishment is a reduced sentence
By the given statement in question, Truman wanted to imply that the effect of communism was growing and if it could not be checked by aiding such countries as Greece and Turkey, then it would have far reaching effects. Truman feared that communism would slowly grip these countries in financial trouble and spread to the Latin American countries and the countries in the East at a very fast rate.