Historical Dictionary of United States Intelligence

key offices, and by murdering his opponents. Trujillo served offi-

cially as president from 1930 to 1938 and from 1942 to 1952.

An astute and ruthless politician, Trujillo brought stability to the

island nation at the expense of civil and political liberties. He looted

the national treasury, tortured and murdered his political opponents,

and brutalized the population. His brutality was well known and doc-

umented. In the late 1950s, he began losing the support of the army

and was assassinated on 30 May 1961. Some critics of U.S. policies

in the Caribbean have argued that the Central Intelligence Agency

(CIA) was behind the assassination, but there is no evidence to sup-

port the allegation.

TRUMAN DOCTRINE. Proclaimed by President Harry S. Trumanbe-

fore Congress on 12 March 1947, the doctrine said that “it must be the

policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting at-

tempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.” At

the time, Greece was in the throes of civil war between royalists and

communists, and the Soviet Unionwas threatening Turkey with ag-

gression. President Truman argued that if such governments did not re-

ceive U.S. assistance, they would fall under the communist yoke, which

“would be disastrous not only for them but... [also] for neighboring

peoples striving to maintain their freedom and independence.” He asked

Congress to appropriate $400 million for economic and military assis-

tance to Greece and Turkey, which Congress authorized in May 1947.

TRUMAN, HARRY S. (1884–1972).Thirty-third president of the United

States between 1945 and 1953, Truman presided over the formative

years of America’s approaches to the Cold War. Trained as a lawyer,

Harry S. Truman was elected in 1922 to be one of three judges of the

Jackson County (Missouri) Court. In that role, he built a reputation for

honesty and efficiency in the management of county affairs. He lost re-

election in 1924 but won election as presiding judge in 1926. He won

reelection in 1930.

In 1934, Truman won a seat as senator from Missouri and distin-

guished himself as a tough politician interested in ensuring that defense

contractors delivered quality goods at fair prices. In July 1944, the

Democratic Party chose Harry S. Truman to be President Franklin D.

Roosevelt’svice president, and after President Roosevelt’s unexpected

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