Containment of Communism

A dominant theme of the book is the Cold War and the fight against Communism.

The United States and the Soviet Union were allies during World War II. Although Roosevelt and Harriman found Stalin difficult, they didn't really begin to have problems until the end of the war. The two nations disagreed about the future of Eastern Europe. Russia wanted a buffer of friendly governments around its borders. The United States did not want the Eastern European countries to become police states with puppet governments. They also did not want to see the spread of Communism. The group did not want to see a weak Germany or see the industrial base dismantled and sent to the Soviet Union. Once Germany was divided, they could see a strong and prosperous Germany as a bulwark against Communism. The group formulated the Marshall Plan as a means to European...