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Harry Truman (1)
Truman policy of containment consisted in first, to focus on economic reconstruction, mainly in war damaged European countries like Greece, West Germany and Japan, by means of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshal plan. Second, the contention of USSR sphere of influence within the territories occupied by the red army at the end of the Second World War. and third, the creation of the NATO to assure the second focus and security between countries that were part of the treaty. -
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Harry Truman (2)
Then, there was a moment of change in Truman policy. It was added to containment aims the territory of Eurasia, thus, it was necessary to limit soviet influence into the periphery of South East Asia. In order to achieve this new goals, according to NSC 68 statements, conception of contention changed, it favored rearmament an military alliance, it wad defines as "a policy of calculated and gradual coercion" that not only included USSR, but China and North Korea. -
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Dwight D. Eisenhower
Eisenhower administration was aimed to practice containment without overtaxing and bankrupting the US treasury, hence, it was characterized by psychological warfare. His administration concerns were charismatic nationalist and populist leftist that could be outmaneuver by communist parties within Satellite countries, thus, he embraced right-wing dictators to avoid the spread of these nationalist. -
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John F. Kennedy
Containment in Kennedy's administration was characterized by the thought that fiscal and monetary policy was the mean by which US government could incentivize economic growth and support a more audacious, flexible, and calmed policy. He made creative counterinsurgency techniques, and he encouraged good relation by his Alliance for Progress in Latin America. -
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Lyndon B. Johnson
Johnson considered that "US great society at home depended on the success of containment abroad", which is why his administration was marked by a strong-belligerent containment policy. He was the responsible of the deployment of troops to Indochina and the expansion of bombing campaign in Vietnam. -
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Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon felt that the U.S strength was waning, thus, along with Henry Kissinger, his national security adviser, hoped that through a detente (release from tension) with Russia and rapprochement with China they could manage the withdrawal of U.S troops from Vietnam and maneuver the two communist rivals to balance one another.
Also during Nixon's administration foreign policy was based solely on consideration of power, not ideals or moral principles. -
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Jimmy Carter
Containment wasn't the central issue, instead, he found important to improve ties with USSR and China. However, this changed when USSR sent troops into Afghanistan.
As consequence, Neoconservatives argued that the USSR was surpassing the U.S in strategic weapons as well as conventional capabilities. Hence, they charged the US during carters' administration of abandoning the strategy of containment, allowing the USSR to gain power in the international system -
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Ronald Reagan
In his administration, US had to rebuilt its military power and conduct negotiations from a position of strength in order to condemned Carter for a policy of weakness.
Reagan deployed a new generation of intermediate range missiles to Europe and supported anti-Communist factions in the third world. Also, supported military aid to the Muyahidín fighting soviet forces in Afghanistan, and assisted Solidarity in Poland.