Greece → occupied by Germans in WWI.
- After war → it was run by British → until new govt could be set up.
- Rival groups → disagreed over how Greece would be run
- Greek communist party → wanted communist state while Greek royalists wanted return of a monarch
1946; civil war broke out between 2 sides
- British did not have resources → to control situation → announced their withdrawal on 24 Feb 1947.
- Truman faced the prospect of yet another European country → falling to communism.
Meanwhile → Stalin → trying to gain influence in Turkey
- Wanted to get access to Turkish straits → so that Soviet ships → could sail from the Black sea to Mediterranean Sea.
- Truman → was concerned that if Turkey became an ally of USSR → Stalin might use it as a stepping stone → to spread communist influence in Middle East.
- This area → important → to US ⇒ had oil reserves
To gain support in US → Truman exaggerated scale of threat in Greece and Turkey
- American newspapers → which support Truman’s policy of increasing US involvement in international affairs → aided his efforts.
May 1947: US congress → passed the Greece and Turkey Aid Bill
- was a package of US$400 million → in aid to Greece and Turkey
- secured Turkey as US ally and propped up monarchist govt in Greece → However by exaggerating threat of USSR → Truman worsened relations between Stalin and himself.
- Stalin had actually → kept promise to Churchill in 1945 → not to help communists in Greece.