Harry Truman was the president when the airlift foiled the Soviet blockade of West Berlin.
ordering a massive airlift
Russians denying access to West Berlin through territory that they had take from Germany surrounding Berlin.
Berlin was the site of an air-lift that alleviated the Soviet Blockade in 1948-1949.
The Berlin blockade took place during the Cold War. It split the city of Berlin into two separate cities. One was under soviet rule and the other was not. The politicians involved in this were Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin.
create the Berlin Airlift and supply the city with food & fuel by plane from June 24th 1948 to May 11th, 1949
Stalin imposed a blockade on Berlin for 11 months in an attempt to drive the Western Powers control out of West Berlin. As Berlin was in the Soviet bloc of Germany, he closed off all access to West Berlin so no resources could get through. this included food, coal for electricity etc.. The West Powers did not allow this to stop them and used the three air corridors, which they were still able to use, to supply West Berlin will all it needed. It was a massive airlift with planes flying into West Berlin constantly. After 11 months, Stalin saw that the Western Powers were not budging and ended the blockade. hope that helps!
President Truman responded to the blockade by sending planeloads of much-needed supplies to West Berlin. For more information on the Berlin Airlift consult the online Truman Library and Museum by following the link below.
President Trumanâ??s handling of the blockade lead to greater Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. Truman supported an air campaign to supply West Berlin while the Soviets were holding a blockade against Berlin by preventing supplies entering by rail or by truck. The air campaign reasserted the United States and the other Alliesâ?? resolve to not let all of Berlin fall into the hands of the communist Soviets.
Stalin put the Berlin Blockade in place on the 24th of June 1948. The blockades aim from the Soviet point of view was to force all "Westerners" (that is Berliners) out of Eastern Berlin which was the Soviet occupation zone. However, Truman the American president decided to airlift supplies into Eastern Berin and the blockade was lifted by Stalin a year later. The outcome was widespread German resentment against the Communists and support for the Americans
President Truman started sending planes filled with supplies in the summer of 1948.Planes flew none stop to the for almost a year sending Berlin food and water as well as supplies during the cold winters. The Berlin Airlift made more than 200,000 flights for eleven months until the Soviets lifted the blockade on Berlin in May of 1949.
Truman doubted Stalin's motives because he saw the Soviet Union as expansionist and aiming to dominate Eastern Europe. He believed Stalin was not interested in promoting democracy or maintaining peace, but rather in spreading communism and increasing Soviet influence. Truman's doubts were further fueled by Soviet actions such as the occupation of Eastern Europe and the Berlin blockade.