Assignment 1: The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy

a. Presidents and their “doctrines”

i. Truman

1. Containment at all costs

ii. Eisenhower

1. Employ nuclear weapons and CIA to achieve containment

iii. Kennedy

1. Flexible response to communist expansion, especially guerilla warfare

iv. Johnson

1. Commit troops to Vietnam as a way to follow through on the Kennedy Doctrine

v. Nixon

1. Prevent communist takeovers by supplying arms but not troops

vi. Ford

1. Continue Nixon Doctrine

vii. Carter

1. Emphasize that Persian Gulf is vital to U.S. interest

viii. Reagan

1. Encourage the overthrow of pro-Soviet regimes by sponsoring anti-Communist guerilla groups