By April 1945, VP Harry Truman had been on the job for a couple of months when he learned that President Roosevelt suddenly died.
We remember him as a man who faced many challenges and met them well: the two bombs against Japan that ended the war, economic and military aid to Turkey and Greece, the Berlin airlift (the candy bombers), the creation of NATO to resist Soviet expansion, and the war in Korea that cost over 30,000 U.S. lives.
Another one of those challenges was the Marshall Plan, announced on this day in 1948.
There were 17 nations that participated or received assistance through the Plan: The UK, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Sweden, Iceland, Ireland, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey and West Germany.
To say the least, the plan saved Europe. Most countries were devastated and vulnerable to communist intervention. The Plan, plus the US's commitment to defend European borders, gave Europe the time to get back on its feet.
Along the way, he surprised the experts by beating Governor Wilkie in 1948.
By 1952, President Truman was so unpopular that he did not seek another term. He left the presidency with low approval ratings but is regarded today as a consequential president by most historians.
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