Protecting the Free World

Abstract

This chapter, covering the years 1950-1952, demonstrates how the United States expanded the American Century by protecting the Free World. In April 1950, the National Security Council led by Paul H. Nitze formalized the grand strategy of global containment in NSC 68. Thereafter, U.S. influence spread throughout the world, especially to Syngman Rhee’s South Korea, Taiwan, Indochina, and the oil-rich Middle East. Economically, the Truman administration turned to economic aid and, importantly, the International Monetary Fund to improve the chances of modernization in developing lands. U.S. officials also sought to strengthen the Free World through cultural programs, which meant Americanization at the local level. These efforts largely succeeded, greatly aiding the cause of the American Century.