Lot 251

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Description:

Truman Reflects on Events Leading to the Need for the Marshall Plan Post World War II

Archive on the events post WWII, and the , including a single page typed letter signed on White House letterhead, 6.75" x 8.75". Dated "October 3, 1949", and signed by Harry Truman as "H.S.T." Accompanied by two photocopies, one is a letter to Truman to Mr. Fred Kent, with the other a copy of a four page typed letter from Mr. Kent to Truman. Near Fine.

Britain reeling from Post World War II, was in the middle of an expected economic and financial turmoil. The war had stripped Britain of virtually all its foreign financial resources, and the country had built up “sterling credits”—debts owed to other countries that would have to be paid in foreign currencies—amounting to several billion pounds. Moreover, the economy was in disarray. Some industries, such as aircraft manufacture, were far larger than was now needed, while others, such as railways and coal mines, were desperately short of new equipment and in bad repair. With nothing to export, Britain had no way to pay for imports or even for food. To make matters worse, within a few weeks of the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945, U.S. President Harry S. Truman, as he was required to do by law, ended lend-lease, upon which Britain had depended for its necessities as well as its arms. John Maynard Keynes, as his last service to Great Britain, had to negotiate a $3.75 billion loan from the United States and a smaller one from Canada. In international terms, Britain was bankrupt. At Britain's initiative the Truman Doctrine came into existence. Relief came with U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall's announcement that the United States would undertake a massive program of financial aid to the European continent. Any country in the Eastern or Western bloc was entitled to take part. Although the Soviet Union immediately denounced the Marshall Plan as the beginning of a division between the East and the West, all western European countries, including Britain, hastened to participate. It can be argued that the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine represent the permanent involvement of the United States in Europe. The United States feared that the poverty, unemployment, and dislocation of post World War II period were reinforcing the appeal of communist parties to voters in western Europe. The Marshall Plan was very successful. The western European countries involved experienced a rise in their gross national products of 15 to 25 percent during this period. The plan contributed greatly to the rapid renewal of the western European chemical, engineering, and steel industries.In the letters offered here, Truman writes to the secretary of Treasury that he is enclosing a "copy of a letter which I have received from Fred I. Kent, together with his reply …" Fred's letter dated "September 26, 1949" came at the original request of Truman to understand the effect of "the devaluation of the pound sterling". Fred wrote to Truman noting "A Socialist Government was put into power, which reduced the work week … when to meet the emergency it certainly should have been increased … One other thing that we must not forget in measuring the development in Great Britain is that in two wars, World War I and World War II which were close together, the cream of the young men of Great Britain were killed. They were the young men who in present years would be bearing the burden in large part of British economic problems, and it is inconceivable that they could have been led to nationalization of British industries had they been alive and been able to help the British people to better understand the problems with which they were saddled."Kent also discussed Britain's massive debt, the convertibility of sterling, the valuation of the American dollar, and the massive devaluation of British Pound to cover Britain's extensive difficulties post the War. A fantastic archive over-viewing the state of Europe and Britain which ushered in Truman's policies.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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June 24, 2020 10:30 AM EDT
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