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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was established by the United States, Canada and 10 European nations. The member countries pledged mutual defense against any Soviet attack in the future. West Germany became a part of NATO soon after its establishment.

The North Atlantic Treaty was the 1st long-term military alliance between the U.S. and Europe since the Treaty of Amity & Commerce just after the American Revolution.

The Soviet Union formalized their eastern European alliance with the Warsaw Pact in 1955.

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September 16, 1947, was the 160th anniversary of the signing of the U. S. Constitution. The 'Freedom Train' opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the site of the signing. The 'Freedom Train' was a traveling exhibition of 133 historical documents that stopped in 300+ American cities. There never was and never has been such a large traveling exhibition. Important documents like the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence & the Gettysburg Address were included. Visitors were encouraged to rededicate themselves to upholding 'American values' by reciting the "Freedom Pledge" & adding their names to the "Freedom Scroll." The idea for the exhibition was conceived of by the Department of Justice in 1946.

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President Harry Truman committed the U.S. to the containment of the Soviets and set up a program to locate "disloyal" government employees.  FBI agents began investigating people who found the "Freedom Train" objectionable. The exhibition's success proved how the Cold War redefined the meaning of freedom and reinforced anti-communist sentiments, free enterprise & the defense of social & economic principles.

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At home Truman had bipartisan support for containment.  He spoke as though the United States had a global responsibility to defend the freedom of countries everywhere.
He wanted to set up military alliances around the world against the Soviets.
Several new national agencies were created in quick succession.  These agencies were "above" democratic oversight.  The following agencies were created in the interest of national security.
1.  The Atomic Energy Commission
2.  The National Security Council
3.  The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
The CIA (1947) was established to gather intelligence and carry out secret military operations around the world.

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The Marshall Plan became increasingly militaristic. After WWII each one of the 4 victors assumed control of a part of Germany even of Berlin which was located in the Soviet controlled zone. In June 1948, France, Great Britain and the U.S. issued their own currency in preparation for the establishment of a new "West Germany." This action ticked off the Soviet Union who then blockaded the roads in and out of West Berlin, depriving the West Germans of needed goods. Western planes had to airlift goods, fuel, food and supplies to the non-communist areas of Berlin for 11 months.
"West Berlin" survived as an "island" within East Germany until 1991 when Germany was reunified.

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George C. Marshall was the Secretary of State and he declared that the United States would contribute billions of dollars to the economic reconstruction effort in Europe.
Food shortages was widespread, the continent was still in ruins even 2 years after the war and runaway inflation was prevalent.
The "Marshall Plan" was a "public relations" campaign to offer a positive vision to offset the containment policy. Marshall's idea was to combat the idea that capitalism was in decline and that communism was on the rise. It also specified that the communist threat was not so much a military threat as it was an economic & political threat to the United States and the rest of the free world. Marshall's plan was based on the premise that economic and political instability could be the "breeding ground" for the spread of communism. The Marshall Plan was in effect a "New Deal" for Europe.

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FDR seemed to think that the U.S. could maintain a friendly relationship with the Soviet Union after WWII. The two powers that emerged from the war were the United States and the Soviet Union.
Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill declared that an "iron curtain" "had descended across Europe" separating the communist east from the free west.  Churchill made the declaration in a speech he gave in Missouri.  He popularized the idea that there was impending long-term conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States.

In March 1947 President Truman announced the U.S. foreign policy would be the "Cold War." He stated that the "Cold War" was a global struggle over the future of the free world. This policy became known as the "Truman Doctrine."