As the winter of 1947 approached, millions of Europeans faced the horror of mass starvation. A combination of wartime destruction, postwar drought, and the coldest winter in memory was crippling production. The United States had already sent as much surplus grain as it had available, but Europe needed an additional 100 million bushels, if it was to avoid an apocalypse. There was simply no more to send – at least, not until Truman enlisted the aid of a savvy advertising executive named Charles Luckman. Under Luckman’s leadership, the government embarked on a campaign to persuade Americans to eat less in order to make more food available for shipment overseas. But Luckman’s campaign would have to overcome the fierce opposition from individual and industries that demanded America’s needs come first.