But there was always the risk that Russian reaction might lead to war. We had to face the possibility that Russia might deliberately choose to make Berlin the pretext for war. . .- Harry S. Truman.The Berlin airlift was one of the most brilliant American achievements during the post World War II era. President Trumans decision to leave American soldiers in Berlin, could quite possibly be called the proudest decision of his political career (McCollough 630).The original conflict that led to the Berlin blockade arose after World War II. As early as 1947, growing problems between western democracy (United States, Britain et al.) and communism (the Soviet Union), started to take definite shape as the beginnings of the Cold War. Germany had been split into four zones, each occupied by one ally: the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union. Each also had a part of the capital city, Berlin.On March 17, 1948, Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg signed the 50 year Treaty of Mutual Assistance. United States Senator Arthur Vandenberg worked with Truman to find a way to include the United States in the new treaty (Walton 55). The proposal passed 64 to 4 by the senate, and within three months, the United States had joined the newly founded North Atlantic Treaty Organization, otherwise known as NATO. The twelve state organization included the United States, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal when it became official on April 4, 1949 (Pimlott 13).The road toward the blockade became shorter in February of 1948 when the London Conference occurred. France, Britain, and the United States attended the conference. Its purpose was to try and plan a future course of action to the German problem. The conference had taken place without the Russian's consent, participation, or clear knowledge of its agenda. During the next meeting of the Allied Contr...
