<P> In early 1947 , France , Britain and the United States unsuccessfully attempted to reach an agreement with the Soviet Union for a plan envisioning an economically self - sufficient Germany , including a detailed accounting of the industrial plants , goods and infrastructure already removed by the Soviets . In June 1947 , in accordance with the Truman Doctrine , the United States enacted the Marshall Plan , a pledge of economic assistance for all European countries willing to participate , including the Soviet Union . Under the plan , which President Harry S. Truman signed on 3 April 1948 , the US government gave to Western European countries over $13 billion ( equivalent to $189.39 billion in 2016 ) to rebuild the economy of Europe . Later , the program led to the creation of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation . </P>
the main western economic alliance that developed in the early years of the cold war centered on the
Marshall Plan , a pledge of economic assistance for all European countries willing to participate