6The Marshall Plan • Secretary of State George Marshall (1880– 1959) saw clearly that piecemeal relief and patchwork policy would not suffice. In December 1947, Truman submitted to Congress the Marshall Plan. In 1948, an aid of $12 billion was approved for distribution to the countries of Western Europe over a four– year period. To stimulate business at home, the legislation provided that the foreign aid dollars must be spent in USA on American– made products