Truman [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

In the army Truman established himself as a leader of men. Like Theodore Roosevelt, Truman would never have been president without his army service. After service in a light artillery battery of the Missouri National Guard, Truman, with several reasons to avoid service in World War I, enlisted and rose to the rank of Captain in Battery D of the Second Battalion, 129th Field Artillery. From training at Camp Donaphan through service in France and return to Kansas City, Truman earned the trust and affection of the men who would form the nucleus of his political support.

1919 was a momentous year as Harry married his long time beau, Bess, and, with army buddy, Eddie Jacobson, opened the haberdashery of Truman & Jacobson. Although a hangout for veterans from Battery D, Truman & Jacobson fell victim to the recession and failed in 1922.

Even before the haberdashery failed, a lifeboat arrived under the direction of another Battery D brother, Jim Pendergast. Jim, the nephew of Boss Tom Pendergast and machine representative in eastern Jackson County, solicited Truman as the machine candidate for Eastern Judge of the County Court. Not yet the dominant political power, the Pendergasts needed a popular veteran with a clean record in 1922 as badly as Truman needed them. This enabled Truman to run with Pendergast backing, but not as the machine candidate. After two years in office an alliance between a rival Democratic machine and the Republicans handed Truman his only electoral defeat. In 1926 he was elected presiding judge where his political leadership was evident in road construction and a new courthouse, paid for by the bond issues which he introduced.

Term limited by tradition, Truman was looking for a job in 1934. After being passed over by Tom Pendergast for a Congressional seat and while considering a future run for governor, Jim the machine backing for the U. S. Senate. Surviving another tough primary race, he won and began his career as the much scorned "Senator from Pendergast." Despite the handicaps of his background, Truman gradually won respect from his colleges. The 1940 primary fight against Governor Stork, who he had helped win election in 1936, returned him to the Senate with new respect. Truman distinguished himself through The Truman Committee to Investigate The National Defense Effort. Careful not to repeat the errors of the Civil War Committee On The Conduct Of The War, Truman worked tirelessly to save millions in defense costs.

I had often wondered how, among all of the potential candidates for Vice-President, Truman was chosen. The interplay between Roosevelt, Henry Wallace, James Byrnes, Truman and behind the scenes Democratic operatives is one of the most interesting parts of the book. What emerges is a candidate who had gained the confidence of moderate Democrats who saw him as Presidential Timber.

The only incident of significance during Truman's short Vice-Presidency showed something about his character. Attendance at the funeral of convicted felon Tom Pendergast demonstrated his strong loyalty to friends.

I had known of some of the momentous events of Truman's presidency, but this book shows the nonstop sequence of crises which was thrust upon him. The confrontations at Potsdam, the worry about the development and use of the atomic bomb, the terms of settlement with Japan and the founding of the United Nations were just the beginning. Pent-up industrial unrest unleashed a wave of strikes which confronted the President with labor challenges unparalleled in American history. Soviet pressures in Europe, Jewish-Arab rivalries in Palestine and British financial collapse presented international challenges. The imminent threats which lead to aid to Greece and Turkey and the Marshall Plan are presented better than I have ever seen. The agonies over the Berlin Blockade and Airlift are skillfully told.

The many angles of the 1948 election, in which Truman survived challenges to his nomination, defections to the left and right and a strong Republican challenge are deftly woven into a story which you will not want to put down.

The 1948 victory was truly a summit from which Truman descended for the rest of his life. The second term during which the White House was restored, NATO established, China "lost" and Korea invaded was an era of frustration for a president whose hopes of establishing a "Fair Deal" degenerated into a struggle for survival. Committed to maintaining the gains of the Roosevelt-Truman administrations, Truman's intervention in the 1952 election was depressing as Adlai Stevenson ran away from the Democratic record. Upon his return to Independence, Mr. Citizen learned that he could never be plain old Harry again. His endorsements of Averill Harriman in 1956 and Stuart Symington in 1960 demonstrating his declining influence in party councils.

Throughout the story is the ever supportive Bess, who with Margaret, Harry's mother and sister, Mary, provided him with support that would never desert.

I have read many biographies, as my Amazon reviews document. This is one of the best. Whether you are a fan of "Give 'em Hell Harry" or believe that "To Err Is Truman" this book will help you understand and appreciate Truman in a deeper light.

Truman was eulogized as the president who faced the momentous decision of whether to use the atomic bomb, he was praised for the creation of the United Nations, for the Truman Doctrine (to support free peoples), the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, the recognition of Israel, NATO; for committing American forces in Korea and for upholding the principle of civilian control over the military. To this end, it must also be noted that Truman was the first president to recommend Medicare and that he had the courage to take a very strong stand on civil rights.

Truman was a man who lived by simple small-town Missouri articles of faith that urged individuals to, "say what you mean, mean what you say...keep your word...never get too big for your britches and never forget a friend." McCullough observes that, "they were more than words-to-the-wise, they were bedrock, as clearly established, as integral to the way of life, it seemed, as were the very landmarks of the community...not everyone lived up to them, of course, but to Harry it seemed everyone ought to try."

McCullough packs this book with an enormous amount of historical and personal information. For instance, Truman was the seventh man to succeed to the office after the death of the President...he was the first U.S.President to visit Mexico...he had a portrait of George Washington and Simon Bolivar in his White House office...he detested corporate greed...he was dedicated to his wife and daughter...he was a terrible speller...he was not an exciting speaker...he once worked in a haberdashery...he was in debt for years...he loved bourbon, he was uncomplicated, open and genuine...and without a doubt he was a great American. Highly recommended.

Bert Ruiz