The Truman Doctrine, announced in 1947, pledged U.S. aid to any country threatened by communism or totalitarianism. Which two countries were specifically named as major beneficiaries?

• A. Italy and Greece
• B. Poland and Czechoslovakia
• C. Greece and Turkey
• D. Japan and Korea

Answer: (C)

Containment is the theme here. The Truman Doctrine announced in 1947 pledged U.S. aid to countries threatened by communism or totalitarianism, signaling a commitment to stop Soviet influence from expanding in Europe. It named Greece and Turkey as major beneficiaries because Greece was embroiled in a civil war with communist rebels and Turkey faced pressure from the Soviet Union over strategic access to the Mediterranean. Providing military and economic help to these two nations was meant to shore up governments and demonstrate that the United States would stand with free peoples resisting subjugation. The other options don’t fit because they involve countries not singled out in this pledge or are outside the European focus of this policy.