The relationship between Cold War requirements as set by the US and democracy was often perceived as an adversarial one. Policies formulated by the Johnson and the Nixon administrations, tolerant as they frequently were of authoritarian regimes, would be evaluated negatively as signifying a contradiction between the alliance with the US and the domestic political dynamics in southern Europe or, as a matter of fact, elsewhere.

Three phases are discernible in the evolution of US policy on this field. Under the Kennedy administration the concept of containment was enriched by a reformist dimension, quite distinct from its military aspects, favouring the alignment with centre-left or non-conservative forces contrary to the US policy established since the 1950s. The Kennedy administration's policy pursued the centre-left formula in Italy, tolerated the liberal experiment in Greece and attempted to recalibrate Portugal's colonial policy which was perceived as anachronistic and harmful to the image of the Western world as an adherent to liberty and progress. It was an attempt to enhance legitimacy through the alignment of the US with emerging social and political forces, an effort to respond positively to changes emanating from social transformation.

The Johnson administration's perspective was altered. The effects of social and political change were frequently thought harmful to US security interests.