Greece Lightning
- Truman opens this section by saying that Greece has asked the U.S. specifically for help, and our own intel supports the fact that they need it (note: it's always good to back your claims with evidence, even if you're the President).
- He then makes his first of many examples to the idea of "free"/ freedom.
- He explains how and why Greece got into the mess it's in. Check out sentences 8-13 for an explanation of how this all ties back to WWII. (Remember: it's 1947 and WWII barely ended two years ago, so the aches and pains of the war are still fresh).
- Because of the mess the war left, Truman explains, Greece was put in a state of internal chaos ripe for a communist uprising. Only he doesn't say "communist"—see sentence 14 for some incredibly tactful, but effective language that means "communist" in this situation.
- He makes the case that Greece cannot get out of the mess it's in by itself. They lack basic food and supplies. And without these bare necessities, they can't even begin to focus on recovery.
- He suggests that only the U.S. can help Greece get on its feet, and that American administrators will be sent to make sure any aid sent is spent properly. (There are fears that helping countries like Greece might mean funds go to corrupt governments or, worse, the countries turn into freeloaders).
- Finally, he refers to actual Communists in Greece, and cites an investigation by the UN to support his own disapproval of those nasty hobbitses/communistses.
- Once again, he insists that direct military and economic aid is the only way to get Greece on its feet. Also, he makes one of his first references to "democracy."
- And in case you didn't get it the first time, the U.S. is the only country that can provide that assistance.
- Truman explains that the Brits (who have been funding and supplying Greece for a while now) are pulling out troops and cutting off supplies March 31 (and it's already March 12—yikes!)
- He also admits that in this particular situation, the UN is useless. (It was a lot of people's opinion that this kind of international affair should be handled by an international body. But, the UN requires an investigation, vote, and basically too much paper pushing to be of any use here. Truman emphasizes that time is of the essence if Greece is to not fall to communism).
- There's another reminder that Greece wants us to manage whatever we send—meaning none of it will be misused or misdirected. That word "democracy" comes up again, too. (36)
- Actually, the next two paragraphs are about democracy (37-45), but need to be filled in with some background. Here's the skinny: the Greek Civil War in question is complicated.
- Technically, the Communists creating all this trouble are the sore losers of a previous election. However, there were a lot of accusations (and actually a bit of proof) that the election was fixed so, depending on how you look at it, one could potentially sympathize with the Communists if it turned out they were elected fairly.
- Truman's a smart guy (and a politician, let's not forget), so he anticipates this argument and provides a sort of counter-argument in these paragraphs: "No government is perfect," he concedes.
- But, lots of people who have looked at the election think it was fair (an investigation was in process at the time). And even if it wasn't totally 100% fair, the Greek government is easily the lesser of two evils when the alternative choice is communism.
- Sure, it's probably not the most sound logic, but remember: it's 1947 and communism = bad.