Overview
Harry S. Truman
(1884—1972) American Democratic statesman, 33rd President of the US 1945–53
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A. Philip Randolph
(1889–1979), union head and civil rights leader.A socialist, Asa Philip Randolph saw economic empowerment as the key to African-American advancement, a philosophy he espoused in his Messenger ...
African-American troops
Variously called negro, coloured, and black, the history of African-American soldiers is that of US race relations in general. Even after the abolition of formal discrimination by colour, advancement ...
Air and Space Defense
Recognizing that the two great oceans that had protected the United States from invasion for more than a century could now, at least in theory, be overcome through aerial assault ...
Alben W. Barkley
Vice President• Born: Nov. 24, 1877, Lowes, Ky.• Political party: Democrat• Education: Marvin College, B.A.,1897; studied law, Emory College, 1897–98; University of Virginia Law School,1902• Military ...
American Medical Association
(AMA)The principal professional organization for licensed physicians in the United States. It is an academic society concerned with professional standards of competence and integrity that has ...
Americans for Democratic Action
(ADA) was founded in January 1947 by the liberal leadership of a World War II–era interventionist group, the Union for Democratic Action.The ADA's creation marked the culmination of a ...
Armed Forces Leave Act of 1946
A bill signed by President Harry S. Truman on August 9, 1946, to increase benefits for World War II veterans and to democratize the military service system. It gave officers ...
arms transfer
The transfer of weapons, ammunition, and other military goods from one entity to another (usually between governments), either with or without payment or other reimbursement.
Assassination
The premeditated murder of a political figure for reasons associated with the victim's prominence, political perspective, or some combination of both is known as assassination. As a formal means of ...
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.
(1912–2002) U.S. army officer and aviator. Davis Jr. was born in Washington, D.C., the son of the first African-American general. He graduated from West Point in 1936 as an infantryman ...
Berlin Airlift
(1948–49)A measure undertaken by the US and British governments to counter the Soviet blockade of Berlin. In June 1948 the USA, Britain, and France announced a currency reform in their zones of ...
Bill Clinton
(1946– )US politician, 42nd President of the USA (1993–2001). A Democrat, he was elected on a programme of reducing the federal deficit by cutting military spending and reforming taxation, while ...
Bombing of Civilians
The practice of attacking civilians is as old as warfare itself. Shelling cities by naval or land artillery, for example, long has been commonplace; it continued in the modern‐day sieges ...
Carey Estes Kefauver
(1903–63)US politician. A state Senator (1949–63), he came to national prominence in the early 1950s when, as chairman of a US Senate committee investigating organized crime, he exposed nationwide ...
Central Intelligence Agency
CIA an independent U.S. agency responsible to the president through its Director and to the people of the United States through Congressional intelligence oversight committees. It was officially ...
civil Defense
The organization and training of civilians for the protection of lives and property during and after attacks in wartime.
Civil-Military Relations
Americans have traditionally been suspicious of military governance, a distrust that stems from their belief in individual liberty, representative government, and civilian control of the military. ...
Clark McAdams Clifford
(b. Fort Scott, Kansas, 25 Dec. 1906; d. Bethesda, Maryland, 10 October 1998)US; Special Counsel to the President 1946–50, Secretary for Defense 1968–9 A St Louis lawyer, Clifford became assistant to ...
Clement Attlee
(b. London, 3 Jan. 1883; d. London, 8 Oct. 1967)British; Prime Minister 1945–51; Earl 1955 Clement Attlee's government (1945–51) is widely regarded as Labour's most successful government. The ...
Cold War
The antagonism between the USA and USSR lasting from the late 1940s until the late 1980s, ‘cold’ because it was waged through diplomatic and ideological means rather than force. Britain was allied to ...
