The Truman Library

Truman proves that dedication and common sense can get the job done, and that we probably are passing by the best potential presidents because they did not graduate from the right school and don't have the right connections.

Truman went outside himself and his racist Missouri upbringing to begin the move to full civil rights--simply because of fairness.

Truman drew the line in the sand in Korea and during his adminstration, George Kennan wrote and Truman implemented, the policy of containment. It took another "outside the box" guy (Reagan) to break all the rules of international relations and push containment to victory in the Cold War.

What tantalizes me are the things he did not quite get done: universal military service (failed by one vote) and universal health care.

How different our nation would have been if EVERY young man since 1947, regardless of family, connections, etc., had been required to perform two years of active duty and 6 years of reserve duty!

 

If I recall correctly Truman (who had been picked for the VP slot for purely politically reasons) had been kept out of the loop on a bunch of important things by FDR and he was quite surprised to find out that there were such things as atomic bombs.

 

FDR thought he was going to live to see his job finished. The pick of Truman to be VP was somewhat political because the standing VP he replaced had moved so far to the left as to be a real liability. He had made a name for himself by being tough as a Senator, and as an investigator of fraudulent arms deals. He also was a combat veteran of WW1.

At the time, there were not very many who know about the Manhattan Project, and there really were not any Atomic Bombs yet--the first was actually contructed after Truman became President.

 

Every VP pick is political. Once in a while one gets picked that can actually do the job. I think Truman's best character trait was humility - he truly did not feel up to the job. It is something refreshing whether one agrees with his political ideology or not.

 

Some people, when they are elevated to a high position, grow into it.

Others actually fall apart. Thank God that we had Truman at that critical point in our history.

 

No one has as yet mentioned the fact that Truman was Baptist. During his early years in Washington he attended First Baptist Church, where they still display a large photographic portrait President Truman gave them. But the relationship became very tense when the pastor at that time, Edward Pruden, opposed Truman's plan to appoint an ambassador to the Vatican, and Truman became very angry and stopped attending First Baptist. Don't know whether he found another place to go to church here.

 

You were two miles from my front door.