Samuel Doe

=== Relations with the United States ===
[[File:Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger - Samuel K. Doe.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Doe with then Secretary of Defense of the United States [[Caspar W. Weinberger]] outside the [[The Pentagon|Pentagon]] in 1982]]
During his first years in office, Doe openly supported U.S. [[Cold War]] foreign policy in Africa during the 1980s, severing diplomatic relations between Liberia and the [[Soviet Union]].

The United States valued Liberia as an important ally during the Cold War, as it helped to contain the spread of Soviet influence in Africa.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bueno |first1=Bruce |last2=Smith |first2=Alastair |title=The Dictator's Handbook |date=2011 |publisher=PublicAffairs |isbn=9781610390446 |page=57 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UBY5DgAAQBAJ |access-date=11 October 2022 |archive-date=8 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408145223/https://books.google.com/books?id=UBY5DgAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> As part of the expanding relationship, Doe agreed to a modification of the mutual defense pact granting staging rights on 24-hour notice at Liberia's sea and airports for the [[United States Rapid Deployment Forces|U.S. Rapid Deployment Forces]], which were established to respond swiftly to security threats around the world.