Truman by David McCullough
Truman by David McCullough
A Book Report by Bobby Everett Smith
April 4, 2018
Spoiler Alert
Setting
White House, Washington, D.C. and around the world, 1940 to 1956
Characters
Harry S. Truman, elected American vice president under FDR in 1944. 33rd President of the United States, took office as president upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945.
Bess Truman, wife of Harry Truman and First Lady of the United States.
Margaret Truman, daughter of Harry and Bess Truman, married to Clifton Daniel, mother of four sons; singer.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Governor of New York, 32nd President of the United States–1933 through April 1945. Truman succeeded Roosevelt as President of the United States.
Joseph Stalin, Soviet leader. Governed the USSR from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953, he served as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1952.
Sir Winston Churchill, British statesman, army officer, and writer, served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955.
General Douglas MacArthur, an American five-star general and Field Marshal of the Philippine Army. He was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor and led the reconstruction of Japan after its surrender to World War II.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower an American Army general and statesman who served as the 34th President of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was a five-star general in the United States Army and served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe.
General George Patton, a senior officer of the United States Army who commanded the U.S. Seventh Army in the Mediterranean and European theaters of World War II but is best known for his leadership of the U.S. Third Army.
Admiral Chester Nimitz, fleet admiral of the United States Navy. Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet
Admiral Bull Halsey, fleet admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. Pacific. Commander Third Fleet, South Pacific Area.
Hirohito, 124th Emperor of Japan, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Akihito. In Japan, he is now referred to primarily by his posthumous name, Emperor Shōwa.
General George C. Marshall, statesman and soldier. He was Chief of Staff of the United States Army under presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman and served as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense under Truman.
Dean Acheson, Secretary of State in the administration of President Harry S. Truman from 1949 to 1953, he played a central role in defining American foreign policy during the Cold War. Acheson implemented the Lend-Lease policy that helped re-arm Great Britain and the American/British/Dutch oil embargo that cut off 95 percent of Japanese oil supplies and escalated the crisis with Japan in 1941.
Michael Pendergast, son of Tom Pendergast, the Big Political Boss of Kansas City and friend of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
John L. Lewis, Head of the United Mine Workers Union. Player in the history of coal mining,
Eddie Jacobson, a U.S. Army associate, business partner, and close friend of President Harry S. Truman, influential in decision to recognize Israel.
Tom Dewey, candidate for President in 1948 against Truman; lost election in a surprise upset.
Jimmy Byrnes, judge and politician from South Carolina., Democratic Party, Supreme Court.
Alben Barkley, politician from Kentucky who served in both houses of Congress and as the 35th Vice President of the United States from 1949 to 1953.
Joseph McCarthy, politician, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin; known for alleging that numerous Communists had infiltrated the United States federal government, universities, film industry, and elsewhere.
Harry Vaughan, Military Aide to Harry S. Truman, Truman’s closest friend and poker partner. He appeared to be a court jester and gift taker.
Louis Johnson, second United States Secretary of Defense from 1949 to 1950 under Truman.
General Matthew Ridgway, 19th Chief of Staff of the United States Army. He served World War II, where he was the Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division, turned around the Korean war, when MacArthur was fired in April 1951 for insubordination, Ridgway took command of all U.N. forces in the Far East.
Adlai E. Stevenson, politician, and diplomat, noted for his intellectual demeanor, eloquent public speaking, and promotion of progressive causes in the Democratic Party. Ran for President of the United States
Executive Summary
The Truman legacy still holds the honor of the lowest rating of any president in American History, 26% approval during the Korean war when he fired General MacArthur. Yet, in retrospect Truman has turned out to be recognized as one of the best presidents we have ever had. He certainly had a lot of accomplishments:
- Established the Truman Committee during World War II to protect the country against waste, fraud, and abuse of government contractors during the War.
- Oversaw the end of World War II with the unconditional surrender of both Germany and Japan
- Made the decision to drop the first atomic bomb in wartime bringing the Japanese to surrender
- Established the Truman Doctrine which became the basis for American Foreign Policy to stop the worldwide expansion of Communism.
- Attending the Potsdam Conference and decided with Stalin and Churchill on the division of Germany and Eastern Europe at the end of World War II.
- Appointed General Douglas MacArthur to head the occupation of Japan at the end of World War II and led the reconstruction of Japan after the War.
- Approved the Marshall Plan to help Europe recover from the damages of World War II.
- Stopped the Railroad strike in 1946 and prevented widespread damage to the nation’s economy.
- Stood up to Communist aggression in 1950 by leading United Nations forces to stop the invasion of North Korea into South Korea.
- Formed the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, and the CIA.
- Fired General Douglas MacArthur for insubordination near the end of the Korean War.
- Established the Berlin Airlift to counter a Soviet Blockade in Berlin which protected the citizens of Berlin from starvation during 1948.
- Ended segregation in the U. S. Military.
- Signed the Housing Act of 1949 which granted federal money for the building of more than 800.000 public housing units, authorized the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance.
- In 1948 Truman signed into law the Displaced Persons Act, that allowed more than 200.000 Europeans – including 17.000 orphans – to live in the United States.
- Recognized the State of Israel in 1948.
- Established the United Nations and NATO.
- Initiated and supervised the restoration of the White House.
People who knew Truman well liked him as a man and trusted him as a leader. He was known for his courage, honesty, integrity, and decisiveness. He was thoughtful, courteous, and conscientious. He engendered a feeling of loyalty, and devotion amongst his staff. He was a prodigious reader and a student of American history. He had a strong work ethic and a determination that made it so that he never gave up. He was tough yet gentle with his associates. According to Dean Acheson, he had a priceless gift of vitality and the ability to generate teamwork amongst his colleagues.
The Story
The Missouri Frontier
In 1884, Missouri was the wild west of the United States, the western frontier and it was there on May 8, 1884 that Harry Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri, on the western side of the state.
Harry grew up on a family 600-acre farm not far from Independence, Missouri. Early on, his mother learned he needed glasses and he grew up thinking of himself as kind of a sissy. His friends did not think of him as a sissy, but as a serious boy who paid attention to his studies. As he grew up, he learned the characteristics of truthfulness, integrity, and hard work which carried him on throughout his life.
Harry graduated from high school and he never attended college. His father taught him to say what you mean and mean what you say. Never give up, and never get to big for your britches. Don’t forget a friend. Growing up Harry was described as brisk, cheerful, and dependable. In his studies, history became his passion and his teachers were the most influential people in his life, in addition to his mother.
Harry began taking piano lessons while in high school and he became good enough that his mother sent him twice a week to Kansas City for lessons. Harry thought he had the talent to become a concert pianist.
In 1911, when Harry was 27, he met Bessie Wallace of Independence. He fell in love and Bessie became his wife and life-time partner from whom he never strayed.
World War I
World War I started in Europe in 1914 but the United States was determined to stay out of the war and maintain its commitment to neutrality. The war was bitter with two million casualties in 1916.
In the Spring of 1917, Harry, with his knowledge of history, felt a need to participate in the war. He did this initially by helping to organize a new Missouri artillery battery—Battery F. Harry expected to be made a sergeant but instead he was awarded a commission in the National Guard as a First Lieutenant. His new Battery was activated and became a part of the regular Army, 129th Field Artillery, 60th Brigade, attached to the 35th Division. Harry was sent to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma for training. It was there that he met another First Lieutenant, James Pendergast, son of T.J. Pendergast, Kansas Politician, and political boss.
On March 29. 1918 his battery sailed on the George Washington for Europe. After arriving in France, Harry learned that he had been promoted to Captain and he was to have command of 4 guns and 194 men as they went into action for the first time. Harry was scared.
After settling some initial disputes amongst his men, he became a very popular leader of Battery D. He had a warmth and liking for people that played well with his men. On August 17, his Battery headed for the front. After spending two days setting up, Harry’s group finally were given the order to commence firing. They expended 500 shells in the next 30 minutes. The Germans returned fire and Harry felt the impact of a shell that hit within 15 feet of the horse that he was riding. Captain Truman showed fierce cover under fire. His men declared that he was not only cool under fire but also, he was good luck. None of his men were killed and this became a starting point in a successful Army and political career.
On November 11, 1918, the Great War was over; Germany had surrendered. Harry headed for home, not knowing whether he would go back to the farm or go into politics.
The Prendergast Machine
When Harry got back from the war, he was a new man. He had new confidence in himself, discovered that he could lead men and he liked doing it. He had courage and could inspire others to have courage. He was now, in his own eyes, a somebody.
At age 35 and Bess 34, they were married. Punch and ice cream were served.
Truman’s first attempt at a career started with his shirt store, which he opened in Kansas City with his partner Eddie Jacobson. They sold shirts, ties, underwear, men’s furnishings. It was a nice store which did well for a couple of years. Then the recession hit and the revenue for the store went downhill. It closed in 1922 and Harry lost all the $15,000 which he had invested, and he had taken on another pile of debt which had to be settled later.
Tom Pendergast controlled politics in Kansas City starting in 1925 up until 1939 as the Chairman of the Jackson County Democratic Party. He used a large network of family and friends to get out the votes and do necessary political work. In return, he figured out ways to control the issuance of local government contracts and political jobs throughout the county and he rewarded his friends with those benefits as he saw fit.
Tom did ok for himself and he soon became one of the richest men in the county, but problems arose with his addiction to gambling and his evasion of federal income taxes. Tom controlled the ballot box and some of his friends were accused of voting several times on election day. If necessary, Tom would send out strong-armed thugs to make sure he got the votes that he needed. In 1939 he was convicted in Federal Court and sentenced to 15 months in prison.
Harry Truman met Jim Pendergast in the Army and after the war, Jim came to Harry at his shirt store and asked him if he would be interested in running for office, a county judge’s job which was more administrative than legal. The best part of the job was that it involved the issuance of county projects to favored contractors. The only requirement for Truman would be to agree to follow the Pendergast recommendations when it came time to award jobs and contracts.
Pendergast was not all bad. When constituents had a problem, he would help pay medical bills, provide “jobs”, and hosted famous Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for the poor. Often due to fraud and intimidation, Kansas City voter turnout tended to be close to 100 percent.
With the help of the Pendergast Machine, Truman was elected to the judge’s position. He was criticized as being one of Tom Pendergast’s men, but he does not appear to have had a close personal relationship with the county political boss.
In 1934, Truman was selected to be the candidate for the democratic senator from Missouri. When Mike Pendergast nominated him at the DNC meeting, he said that Truman was a Baptist, a Mason, and a farmer, all characteristics that voters in Missouri liked. He was honest and hard-working, a veteran and recognized by his friends as honest, straight-forward, and reliable.
In 1934, Tom Pendergast, announced that he was backing Harry Truman for the United States Senate. Truman was surprised, in fact, dumb-founded. He never expected to be running for the Senate. The Truman candidacy was announced on May 14, 1934.
Truman presented himself as a common-sense country boy, a good Baptist farmer from Grandview. He looked the part at age 50, strong, healthy, flashing eyes even with his steel-rimmed glasses. Brilliant teeth and a constant smile. Truman was set for the part.
In November, Harry won the general election and became the winner for the U.S. Senate which he assumed in January 1935. In 1940, Truman announced that he was running for re-election as United States Senator from Missouri. Even though Truman had some disagreements with President Roosevelt, he was running on support of the New Deal legislation brought forward by the president.
Truman once again won the General Election and he and Bess set off for Washington.
In Europe Hitler was going full steam to capture all Eastern Europe, Russia, and Great Britain. It was the hold out of Britain and Russia that prevented Hitler from achieving his goals.
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. declared war on the Japanese and a few days later Germany and Italy.
On one of his trips home Truman went to a military base near there, Ft. Leonard Wood. He noticed that contractor personnel were just standing around. Costly equipment was lying around in the rain and snow, getting ruined. On further investigation, he learned that the work was done by just a few large corporations on a cost-plus basis meaning that the contractor did the work, billed the government for the work plus a fixed profit and took no risks. Truman was appalled and when he went back to Washington, he asked for an appointment with the president. “This negligent work on building camps and performing contracts for the government needs oversight,” he told Roosevelt.
The president, on his first visit with Senator Truman agreed. They set up the Truman Committee to investigate waste, fraud, and abuse on military contracts and Truman recruited a few good senators to support him in the effort.
Within a few months, Truman was claiming responsibility for many valuable improvements in procurement and execution of government work. It was his biggest claim to fame, in the Senate so far.
The Truman Committee presented its first report on contractor abuse on January 15, 1942. Fifty additional reports followed based on 400 hearings and the testimony of 1798 witnesses. The Committee discovered a problem with the wings of the B-26 Bomber being built by Martin Aircraft. The wings were not wide enough, but Martin executives denied the problem until Truman threatened to cancel their contract. They then corrected the problem.
Another problem the Committee discovered was the quality of steel being supplied to the construction of Navy ships. About 5% of steel coming out of the Carnegie-Illinois steel plant did not meet Navy specifications, 3,000 tons of steel per month which was labeled and delivered to the Navy as standard, a potentially lethal situation. Because of the Committee’s work, the quality of steel was corrected. Truman gained recognition and respect throughout the Senate.
At the Democratic National Convention in 1944, Truman was selected as the Vice President for Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fourth term. They won the general election and on April 12, 1945, Truman was in his third month as Vice President. Roosevelt, looking in bad health, was in Warm Springs, Georgia, getting some rest. He suffered a brain aneurism and died that day. Truman was now sworn in as President of the United States, much to his surprise.
The Atom Bomb
The war in Europe was essentially over but the Japanese were hanging on. After his swearing in, one of the first things that Truman learned is that America had developed a new weapon, the atom bomb, which could deliver enough explosive power in one blast to destroy an entire city. The new bomb had not been tested yet and it would be up to Truman to decide whether to test and use the bomb against the Japanese to achieve the Unconditional Surrender that the Allies had required since the Casablanca Conference between Roosevelt and Churchill.
General MacArthur was preparing for an invasion of mainland Japan. The Joint Chiefs of Staff predicted that hundreds of thousands of Americans and perhaps millions of Japanese would be lost in a mainland invasion which could last well over a year. Truman’s goal was to save as many American lives as possible and when it came time to approve the use of the atom bomb, he gave permission with little hesitation.
On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first atom bomb in history on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, destroying much of the city and killing 100,000 people including military, men, women, and children. Two days later a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki with slightly less casualties. The Japanese government agreed to Unconditional Surrender, but the Allies allowed them to keep their Emperor. World War II was over.
Berlin Airlift
Truman attended the Potsdam Conference in Germany in August 1945 as the U.S. representative (replacing Franklin D. Roosevelt). Joseph Stalin represented the Soviet Union and Winston Churchill represented the United Kingdom (although he was replaced mid-conference by Clement Atlee.) Germany and Austria were each to be divided into four occupation zones (earlier agreed in principle at Yalta), and similarly each capital, Berlin and Vienna, was to be divided into four zones.
The Soviets joined the war against Japan in August shortly before the surrender.
Truman faced many post-war challenges after the enemy surrendered. Millions of military personnel were discharged without jobs, the Soviets continued their expansions into Europe and Asia, and the U.S. economy was shifting from a wartime footing to a civilian basis. Europe was devastated with millions of people without work and food.
Coal and railroad strikes presented the president with a great crisis. The railroad strike alone could create an economic disaster for the country. In the year after V-J Day, more than five million American workers were involved in strikes, which lasted on average four times longer than those during the war. They were the largest strikes in American labor history.
On May 24, 1946, Truman issued an ultimatum declaring that the government would operate the railroads and use the army as strikebreakers. Truman went before Congress to seek the power to deny seniority rights to strikers and to draft strikers into the armed forces. Just as Truman reached the climax of his speech, he received a note saying that the strike was “settled.”
The president had proven himself to be tough and decisive when the “chips were down.” The House passed the Truman request for authorization to draft the strikers by a vote of 306 to13. The Bill was defeated in the Senate, but the strike was over anyway.
Truman ended his State of the Union speech in 1947 by talking about sharing America’s bounty with the war-stricken people all over the world. On January 21, 1947, he appointed George C. Marshall to be the Secretary of State.
The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was a program, in which the United States gave over $13 billion (nearly $110 billion in 2018 US dollars) in economic assistance to help rebuild Western European economies after the end of World War II. The plan was in operation for four years beginning on April 3, 1948. The goals of the United States were to rebuild war-torn regions, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, improve European prosperity, and prevent the spread of Communism.
The plan had bipartisan support in Washington, and President Truman signed the Marshall Plan on April 3, 1948, granting $5 billion in aid to 16 European nations.
In June 1948, the Soviets blocked railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control. The Soviets offered to drop the blockade if the Western Allies withdrew the newly introduced Deutsche mark from West Berlin.
In response, the Allies organized the Berlin airlift (26 June 1948–30 September 1949) to carry supplies to the West Berlin. Aircrews from the Allied air forces flew over 200,000 flights in one year, providing to the West Berliners up to 8,893 tons of supplies each day, such as fuel and food. The Soviets did not disrupt the airlift for fear this might lead to open conflict.
By the spring of 1949, the airlift was clearly succeeding, and by April it was delivering more cargo than had previously been transported into the city by rail. On 12 May 1949, the Soviets lifted the blockade of West Berlin.
Cold War
At the end of World War II, the Soviets were determined to maintain control of Eastern Europe and in fact, they were intent on spreading communism throughout the world.
The Truman Doctrine was first announced to Congress by President Truman on March 12, 1947 when the president pledged to contain threats to Greece and Turkey. Direct American military force was usually not involved, but Congress appropriated financial aid to support the economies and militaries of Greece and Turkey. The Truman Doctrine implied American support for other nations allegedly threatened by Soviet communism. The Truman Doctrine became the foundation of American foreign policy, and led, in 1949, to the formation of NATO, a military alliance, that is still in effect.
The Cold War had solidified by 1947–48, when U.S. aid provided under the Marshall Plan to western Europe had brought those countries under American influence and the Soviets had installed openly communist regimes in eastern Europe.
The Soviets exploded their first atomic warhead in 1949, ending the American monopoly on nuclear weapons; the Chinese communists came to power in mainland China 1949.
1948 Election
At the Democratic National Convention in 1948, President Truman was nominated as the Democratic contender for re-election to the White House. Alban Barkley was selected as his running mate.
No one gave Truman any chance of winning the general election in November. The Republicans had nominated Tom Dewey as their standard bearer and he had an almost unbeatable 44-31 margin over Truman as the campaign began.
But somewhat unknown to the leaders of American politics, Truman was a fighter. “I am going to fight hard,” Truman said. “I am going to give them hell.” Truman started his campaign by train and motorcar across the country.
In Detroit over Labor Day Truman drew 100,000 people to hear his political speech. In five other stops, Truman delivered speeches from the rear platform of his railroad car, the Ferdinand Magellan, drawing an estimated 500,000 people at all six stops.
In traditionally Republican Iowa in following weeks, Truman drew tremendous crowds as well as his train pulled into multiple locations and he spoke from the rear platform. At the plowing contest at Dexter, Iowa, the crowd numbered 90,000. Nearly all the audience were farmers. That crowd suited Truman just fine. He talked to them about his experiences as a farmer and when his speech was over, he asked if they would like to meet the “boss” at which time, he brought Bess and Margaret onto the platform where they made a few well-received words.
In Texas in just four days Truman made 24 stops. The train trip continued back home and when it was over they had made 140 stops and delivered 147 talks. Still, the election looked like a sure thing for Thomas Dewey, 49 to 45% in favor of the Republican.
When the November election finally was counted, Truman won 303 electoral college votes to 189 for Dewey. No one, even Truman, who had gone to bed early thinking that Dewey was the winner could believe that Truman had won.
The Korean War
The government of North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, setting off the Korean War that lasted until 1953. Truman was in Missouri when Dean Acheson, the Secretary of State called from Washington to inform him that the North Koreans had invaded the South. Truman feared it would be the beginning of World War III.
The President decided that the United Nations, with the U.S. leading, had to stand up to the North Korean invasion. He got full Congressional support and he ordered General Douglas MacArthur to bring four divisions of the Eighth Army to full strength to support the South Korean Army. MacArthur sent word to Washington that he would need twice that many men, a total of 60,000 ground troops. Congress appropriated $48 Billion in 1950-1951 and $60 Billion for the following fiscal year to support the war.
MacArthur’s forces soon stopped the North Korean advance and began pushing them back to North Korea. MacArthur assured Truman that the war was won and that U.S. ground forces would soon be coming home.
China had other ideas. They sent a force of 260,000 men to support North Korea and quickly began pushing South Korea and U.S. forces back again. By then it was winter which exacerbated the problems for Truman and the American forces.
Truman began pushing for authority to use atom bombs against the Chinese. He wanted to deploy 40-50 atom bombs the size of the Hiroshima bombs against the Chinese in Manchuria.
MacArthur continued his direct contacts with the press. He put out a proclamation that there was no other alternative than to expand the war against China, a statement contrary to Truman’s and other administration executive’s beliefs.
After much discussion with members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Cabinet, Truman fired MacArthur and relieved him immediately sending General Matthew Ridgway to replace him.
The American people were opposed to the dismissal of MacArthur. He came home to ticker tape parades and a dramatic speech to a joint session of Congress. Truman’s rating declined even further to 26%. The Korean war was settled with an armistice signed on July 27, 1953 and was designed to “insure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea” until a final peaceful settlement is achieved.” This was not victory for the United States who lost a total of 36,574 soldiers during the fighting.
Retirement
At the American presidential election held on November 4, 1952, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower easily defeated Democrat Adlai E. Stevenson. Truman returned to Independence, Missouri, where he worked on the construction of the Truman Library. He died on December 26, 1972.
Rating
Four stars out of five. Harry S. Truman did not expect to be elected as Vice President of the United States in 1944 but he was and further to his surprise, he became the President when Franklin D. Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945. Truman turned out to be a better president and leader than most people expected. He was decisive, cheerful, and determined. Even though his ratings dropped to a low of 26% approval during the Korean War, he still managed a host of positive accomplishments, many of which served this country well for years to come. Truman is now thought of highly by most historians. I highly recommend reading about Truman’s leadership and accomplishments as President of the United States.
Recent Comments