It would take forty years for the government to officially admit its wrongdoing. in your opinion, why did it take so long?

to protect the united states' role as a world leader, president truman wanted to prevent the soviet union from spreading communism beyond its post-world war ii boundaries. he declared that the united states must assist any nations struggling to prevent a communist takeover.

when world war i broke out across europe in 1914, president woodrow wilson proclaimed the united states would remain neutral, and many americans supported this policy of nonintervention. however, public opinion about neutrality started to change after the sinking of the british ocean liner lusitania by a german u-boat in 1915; almost 2,000 people perished, including 128 americans. along with news of the zimmerman telegram threatening an alliance between germany and mexico, wilson asked congress for a declaration of war against germany. the u.s. officially entered the conflict on april 6, 1917.