| Truman, Franco's Spain, and the Cold War Contributor(s): Bowen, Wayne H. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0826221173 ISBN-13: 9780826221179 Publisher: University of Missouri Press OUR PRICE: $53.46 Product Type: Hardcover Published: March 2017 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | United States - 20th Century - History | Europe - Spain & Portugal - Political Science | International Relations - Diplomacy |
| Dewey: 327.730 |
| LCCN: 2016961091 |
| Physical Information: 1" H x 6.2" W x 9" (1.00 lbs) 208 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 1940's - Chronological Period - 1950's - Cultural Region - Spanish |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Well-deployed primary sources and brisk writing by Wayne H. Bowen make this an excellent framework for understanding the evolution of U.S. policy toward Spain, and thus how a nation facing a global threat develops strategic relationships over time. President Harry S. Truman harbored an abiding disdain for Spain and its government. During his presidency (1945-1953), the State Department and the Department of Defense lobbied Truman to form an alliance with Spain to leverage that nation's geostrategic position, despite Francisco Franco's authoritarian dictatorship. The eventual alliance between the two countries came only after years of argument for such a shift by nearly the entire U.S. diplomatic and military establishment. This delay increased the financial cost of the 1953 defense agreements with Spain, undermined U.S. planning for the defense of Europe, and caused dysfunction over foreign policy at the height of the Cold War. |