Dean Gooderham Acheson (pronounced /ˈætʃɪsən/; April 11, 1893 – October 12, 1971) was an American statesman and lawyer. As the 51st U.S. Secretary of State, he set the Foreign policy of the Harry S. Truman administration from 1949 to 1953. He was Truman's main foreign policy advisor 1945-1947, especially regarding the Cold War. Acheson helped design the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, as well as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He was in private law practice from July 1947 to December 1948. After 1949 Acheson came under partisan political attack from Republicans led by Senator Joseph McCarthy over Truman's policy toward the People's Republic of China.