David mccullough truman (v4 0)

Praise for Truman “Perhaps the highest tribute one can pay a biographer is to say that through him one comes to know his subject almost as though in person In fostering the reader’s acquaintance with Harry Truman, not once does McCullough get in the way This is in every respect a splendid work.” —Myron A Marty, St Louis Post-Dispatch “Since I’ve been in national politics, whenever I’ve been asked who my favorite political leader of the century is, I have always said Harry Truman… David McCullough has always been a favorite of mine The Truman biography is outstanding.” —Jimmy Carter, The Boston Phoenix “Exemplary and riveting… The book is like a comfortable Victorian three-decker novel There are two plots, a hero and heroine, and a glittering cast of characters ranging from Dean Acheson, Churchill and General Marshall to the Pendergasts and General MacArthur, as well as a splendid collection of Shakespearean clowns… McCullough’s book will stand for a long time as the outstanding analysis of an extremely important subject: the greatness of Truman, and its role as an exogenous ‘cause’ in the history of his time.” —Eugene V Rostow, Times Literary Supplement, London “An impressive and valuable study of Truman, worthy of its subject.” —C Vann Woodward, The New York Review “Truman is biography as good as it gets, as absorbing and readable as it is voluminous McCullough writes like a novelist, digs like a zealous reporter and puts things in perspective like the superb historian he is.” —Lorenzo Carcaterra, People magazine “This is the biography of President Harry S Truman against which not only all other Truman biographies but probably all other presidential biographies will be measured It is comprehensive, well reasoned, insightful and yet elegantly simple It is written with a love for the subject that is contagious.” —Steve Weinberg, The Kansas City Star “McCullough takes us on a beautifully guided tour of recent history—a journey that is as much a celebration of American experience as it is a captivating portrait of the ordinary ‘man from Missouri’ who became an extraordinary figure in the Cold War world Keeping Truman himself always vividly in the foreground, Mr McCullough has written a stirring, masterly, thoroughly absorbing book.” —Jean Strouse, author of Alice James: A Biography “We are always at Truman’s side, at poker and bourbon and at his high moments Coverage is complete and fascinating… Now we know Truman in all his candor, courage, straightforwardness, determination and his occasional blunder… This long, penetrating book is biography at its best.” —W A Swanberg, Chicago Sun-Times “Sweeping and vivid… As a comprehensive and highly readable account of one of the most American of Americans, this is a distinctive and distinguished volume.” —Hoyt Purvis, The Dallas Morning News “An enthralling and fluidly told surprise-success story… A book that handles an enormous amount of material with deftness, taste, and an acute understanding of Truman’s world and the men who made it.” —Rhoda Koenig, New York magazine “Superbly researched and carried forward by McCullough’s narrative drive, Truman is endlessly readable The Harry we were all wild about is re-created exactly as Harry was—feisty, preposterous, decisive, tireless, outrageous, but always honorable, always courageous, always guided by his inner gyroscope of conscience and character.” —William Manchester, author of William Spencer Churchill: The Last Lion “David McCullough brings Truman vividly to life in this masterpiece of American biography It’s a superb political study and human history.” —Steve Neal, The Philadelphia Inquirer “Splendid…an elegantly written, even moving work…deserves a wide audience—if nothing else to remind us of what we were and what we had.” —Stanley I Kutler, Chicago Tribune “Surefooted, highly satisfying biography… an impressive tribute to a man whose brisk cheerfulness and self-confidence were combined with a God-fearing humility.” —Publishers Weekly “Not only outstanding biography but a great American story as well—by a master of the art It is about how modern America was made It is also about character and leadership in a time that needed both.” —Daniel Yergin, author of The Prize “Harry Truman has found his biographer David McCullough’s monumental Truman perfectly mirrors its subject—vivid, straightforward, fast moving, intensely human, never boring for a moment Truman himself once asserted the right to be both a president and a human being; it is McCullough’s great achievement as a biographer that he has managed to pin both Trumans to paper.” —Geoffrey C Ward, author of The Civil War: An Illustrated History “David McCullough has a rare gift for combining scholarship with storytelling His Truman ranks with William Manchester’s American Caesar and Edmund Morris’s The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt among the finest biographies of our time To call Truman definitive is an understatement For what Mr McCullough has created is a vast panorama of American life and politics, from the stagecoach to the space capsule, all swirling around a seemingly ordinary protagonist whose extraordinary qualities make Truman’s life a stirring confirmation of democracy at its finest.” —Richard Norton Smith, Director, Herbert Hoover Library “A fresh, wonderful new biography…My only complaint about this marvelous book is how much it makes me miss the old guy with the snappy bow tie.” —Daniel Schorr, USA Today “Plain wonderful.” —Justin Kaplan “Masterful… Everyone seems to be reading Truman Those who are sixty years of age or more, and therefore old enough to have adult memories of the man himself, recognize the loving accuracy of McCullough’s account Professional historians of any age will acknowledge that McCullough has done the hard work necessary for good history and has added zest and imagination—qualities often absent from academic writing.” —Gaddis Smith, The Yale Review Also by David McCullough JOHN ADAMS BRAVE COMPANIONS MORNINGS ON HORSEBACK THE PATH BETWEEN THE SEAS THE GREAT BRIDGE THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD SIMON & SCHUSTER Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, New York 10020 www.SimonandSchuster.com Copyright © 1992 by David McCullough All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form SIMON & SCHUSTER and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc Designed by Eve Metz Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McCullough, David G Truman/David McCullough p cm Includes bibliographical references and index Truman, Harry S., 1884–1972 Presidents—United States—Biography I Title E814.M26 1992 973.918′092—dc20 [B] 92-5245 CIP ISBN-13: 978-0-7432-6029-9 ISBN-10: 0-7432-6029-5 Visit us on the World Wide Web: http://www.SimonSays.com FOR DORIE KANE MCCULLOUGH Contents Part One—Son of the Middle Border Blue River Country Model Boy The Way of the Farmer Soldier Part Two—Politician Try, Try Again The Senator from Pendergast Patriot Numbered Days Part Three—To the Best of My Ability The Moon, the Stars, and All the Planets 10 Summer of Decision Part Four—Mr President 11 The Buck Stops Here 12 Turning Point 13 The Heat in the Kitchen 14 Fighting Chance Part Five—Weight of the World 15 Iron Man 16 Commander in Chief 17 Final Days Part Six—Back Home 18 Citizen Truman Acknowledgments Source Notes Bibliography We can never tell what is in store for us —HARRY S TRUMAN Marshall and political career of at Potsdam retirement of Stone, Harlan Stone, I F Story of Harry Truman, The Stout, Stuart Stowe, David Straight, Michael Straus, Noel Strauss, Lewis Street, Charles Strickler, Mrs Thomas J strikes auto workers’ coal electrical workers’ railway steel, see steel strikes Taft-Hartley Act and telegraph telephone Strother, John Strother, Sam Strout, Richard Study of Reconstruction Finance Corporation: Favoritism and Influence Styka, Tadé Sullivan, John L Sullivan, William C Sulzberger, Arthur Hays Sulzberger, C L Summer, Grace “Sunday Evening Hour,” superbomb, see hydrogen bomb Supplies Priorities and Allocations Board (SPAB) Supreme Court, U.S Roosevelt’s plan for steel mill seizure and Surplus Property Administration Susskind, David Suzuki, Kantaro Swanson, Gloria Swayze, John Cameron Swope, Chrisman Symington, Stuart Szilard, Leo Taber, John Taft, Mrs Robert A Taft, Robert A character and appearance of Dewey and on Lilienthal as presidential candidate Taft, William Howard retirement of Taft-Hartley Act (1947) Taiwan, see Formosa Talmadge, Herman Tames, George tax collection, corruption in taxes Taylor, “Fiddlin’ Bob,” Taylor, Glen H Taylor, Tasker Taylor, Telford Teapot Dome scandal Teasley, Walter “Cushionfoot,” telegraph strike telephone strikes: of 1946 of 1952 television films about presidency on political conventions on presidential inauguration on White House tour on Teller, Edward Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Tennyson, Alfred, Lord Thacker, Ralph “They’ll Never Believe Me” (Kern) Thomas, Elmer Thomas, J Parnell Thomas, Lowell Thompson, Dorothy Thompson, Ed Thompson, Llewellyn Thomson, Virgil Thorndike, Joseph J., Jr Thurman, Samuel Thurmond, J Strom Tiernan, L Curtis Tighe, Arthur Time Times (London) Times of India Tinley, John P Tito, Marshal (Josip Broz) Tobey, Charles Togo, Shigenori Tokyo Torresola, Griselio To Secure These Rights Tracy, Spencer Traubel, Helen Triangle Club Truitt, Mrs Max Truman, Anderson Shipp (Shippe) (grandfather) Civil War and slaves owned by Truman, Elizabeth Wallace “Bess” (wife) and assassination attempt on HST character of death of European vacations of farewell luncheon for HST and father’s suicide and as First Lady Forrestal and frugality of HST’s Christmas visit and HST’s courting of HST’s engagement to HST’s “final” argument with HST’s hiring of HST’s letters to HST’s political career and HST’s presidency resisted by HST’s reelection campaign and HST’s relationship with HST’s war service and HST’s wedding to Independence summers of as influence on HST Margaret’s singing and mastectomy of miscarriages of oil venture and physical appearance of privacy guarded by Roosevelt’s death and Ross’s post and on Senate staff Washington apartments of White House and Truman, Emma Truman, Harry (nephew) Truman, Harry S.: aging of ambition of in American Legion in Army reserve at Army summer camp artistic tastes of assassination attempt on automobile travels of bank jobs of Bible reading of birthday parties for birth of “The Buck Stops Here” sign of campaign style of character and appearance of childhood accidents of childhood of Chubb Fellowship given to Citizens Security bank venture of clubs joined by as “common man” president confidence of congressional position sought by construction timekeeper job of corruption attributed to administration courage of cronyism ascribed to death of diary of diligence of drugstore job of as eastern judge of Jackson County Court education of energy of European vacations of eyeglasses and eyesight of fairness of falls of farewell address of farewell luncheon for as farmer as father as federal reemployment service director film on first automobile of first Cabinet appointments of first congressional address of first postwar message to Congress of first presidential term of first press conference of friends hired by funeral of Gates residence of “give-’em-hell-Harry” style of as “go-along, get-along Harry,” governor’s post desired by growth and changes of headaches of health of heroes of history and Independence homes of as investigator see also Truman Committee as Jeffersonian jokes about in Kansas City Kansas City Automobile Club job of land speculation trips of last press conference of last weeks of presidency of as late bloomer law school courses of “longhand spasms” of long-range objectives lacked by as Mason memoirs of, see Memoirs memorial tributes to men’s furnishing store of morals and integrity of name and middle initial of in National Guard as nineteenth-century man “nonpolitical” cross-country tours of in oil venture as Pendergast man, see Pendergast political machine piano playing of politics as interest of politics as life work of politics as seen by popularity of portraits of on presidency presidency resisted by presidential “honeymoon” of presidential inauguration of presidential reelection campaign funds for presidential reelection campaign of presidential reelection of as presiding judge of Jackson County Court press conferences of reading of religious views of retirement announcement of retirement financial situation of retirement of road overseer job of salaries of second presidential term of Senate campaign of (1934) Senate campaign of (1940) Senate career of on Senate committees; see also Truman committee shirts of speeches of staff’s relationship with in stage show in television films temper of theater-going of vacations of values and beliefs of vice-presidency resisted by as Vice President as vice-presidential candidate Washington apartments of West Point aspirations of Whistle-stop Campaign of World War I service of at Young farm zinc-mine venture of Truman, J C (nephew) Truman, John (great-uncle) Truman, John Anderson (father) businesses and jobs of character and appearance of as farmer financial misfortunes of houses and farms of illness and death of politics as interest of Truman, John Vivian (brother) birth of death of HST’s hiring of marriage of Truman, Lawrence Truman, Luella Campbell (sister-in-law) Truman, Margaret (aunt) Truman, Margaret (daughter), see Daniel, Mary Margaret “Margie” Truman Truman, Martha Ann (niece) Truman, Martha Ellen “Mattie”; (mother) accident of character and appearance of Chiles and death of eviction of failing health of farm mortgages of hernia operation of HST’s automobile and HST’s buying back farm of HST’s letters to HST’s war service and as influence on HST Margaret’s singing and marriage of piano of pneumonia of stroke of surgery of Washington visit of Truman, Mary (aunt) Truman, Mary Jane (sister) birth of character and appearance of farm run by HST’s letters to HST’s relationship with HST’s war service and letters from Truman, Mary Jane Holmes (grandmother) Truman, Mary Martha (aunt) Truman, Ralph (cousin) Truman, William (great-grandfather) Truman, William (uncle) Truman & Jacobson Truman Balcony Truman Committee (Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program) appropriation for atomic bomb and camp construction investigated by corporations investigated by dollar-a-year men opposed by Roosevelt and staff of steel plate production investigated by Truman Doctrine Acheson’s role in aid to Greece and Turkey in as continuation of historic U.S policies HST’s speech to Congress on leadership demonstrated in 1948 campaign and Progressive Party’s denunciation of Truman Library, see Harry S Truman Library Truman Merry-Go-Round, The(Allen and Shannon) Truman Story, The Truman-Wheeler Bill Trumbull, John Tubby, Roger Tully, Andrew Tully, Grace Tunney, Gene Turkey British aid to Soviet Union and U.S aid to Turner, Roy J Turnip congress TVA, see Tennessee Valley Authority Twain, Mark Twenty-second Amendment to the Constitution Twyman, Dr Twyman, Elmer Tydings, Millard Tydings Committee Tyler, John unemployment Union Army Union National Bank unions, see labor, labor unions Union Station Massacre United Mine Workers United Nations (U.N.) Atomic Energy Commission of Charter of Korean War as action of Palestine issue and San Francisco Conference on Security Council of United Nations Association United Press United States United States Relations with China: With Special Reference to the Period 1944–1949 United Steel Workers Urey, Harold U.S News and World Report U.S Steel Corporation V-l rockets Vaccaro, Tony Vaile, Harvey Vandenberg, Arthur character and appearance of as former isolationist Lilienthal and Vandenberg, Hoyt Vardaman, James K “Jake,” Jr Vaughan, Harry character and appearance of on HST’s eyeglasses s HST’s military aide J Edgar Hoover and pearson’s attack on at Potsdam self-importance of Senate investigation of senatorial staff position of Vaughan, Samuel Veatch, N T., Jr Versailles Treaty (1919) veterans: aid to black garden parties for GI Bill and housing for Veterans of Foreign Wars Vietnam Vietnam War Vinson, Fred M special mission planned for Vivian, John Volkogonov, Dmitri Vrooman, Howard wages Wage Stabilization Board Waggoner, William Wagner, Robert Wagner Labor Relations Act (1935) Wainwright, Jonathan M Wake Island Conference (1950) Walker, Frank Walker, Kay Walker, Walton Wallace, Carrie Wallace, David, suicide of Wallace, Frank Wallace, Fred Wallace, George Wallace, Helen Wallace, Henry A character of China trip of HST’s firing of as presidential candidate Progressive Party of speech fiasco and as Vice President as vice-presidential candidate Wallace, Madge Gates death of HST’s residence at house of Margaret’s singing and Wallace, May Southern Wallace, Natalie Ott Wallace, Natalie Wallgren, Monrad C Wall Street Journal Walsh, David I Walsh, Edmund A Walsh, Jerome War Department, U.S see also Defense Department, U.S War Mobilization War Powers and Stabilization Act (1942) War Production Board Warren, Earl Washington, George Washington Evening Star Washington News Washington Post Washington Press Club Washington Star Washington Times-Herald Wasson, Guy Wasson, Yancey waterways proposal Watson, Edwin “Pa,” Weathers, James Webb, James Weizmann, Chaim Welch, Casimir Wells, Louise West, J B West Germany (German Federated Republic) Westminster College West Point: cheating scandal at HST’s aspirations to HST’s views of Westwood, Mike Wharton, Edith Wheeler, Burton K Wherry, Kenneth Spicer Whistle-stop Campaign White, Grace White, Wallace H White, Walter White House balcony added to bomb shelter in collapsing structure of entertaining at as haunted Public tours of renovation of television tour of Whitman, Alden Whitney, A F Whitney, Albert Whitney, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, Courtney Whittier, John Greenleaf Wickard, Claude Wiley, Alexander Wilhelm, Warren F Wilkins, Fraser Willa Coates Airport Willard, Daniel William Jewell College Williams, Herbert Lee Williamsburg Willis, Raymond Willkie, Wendell Wilson, Arthur Wilson, Charles E Wilson, Ellen Wilson, Francis M Wilson, Ida Wilson, R P Wilson, Woodrow Winant, John G Winchell, Walter Winslow, Lorenzo Wise, Stephen Wolf, Agnes Strauss women’s vote Wonderful Town Woodham-Smith, Cecil Woodward, Isaac Woodward, Sara Woodward, Stanley Wooldridge, Glen Woolf, S.J Works Progress Administration (WPA) World War I HST’s service in World War II: aftermath of aid to European Jews in atomic bombing of Japan in Battle of Britain in Big Three conferences in see Potsdam Conference; Yalta Conference Churchill’s history of civilian control of military in demobilization after division of Korea in end of HST’s sudden responsibilities in Manhattan Project in mobilization for Nazi attack on Soviets in Nazi-Soviet Pact and 1944 presidential campaign and Roosevelt’s death and Senate probe of spending in, see Truman Committee vice-presidential selection and war agencies developed for WPA (Works Progress Administration) Wright, Fielding L Wyeth, Andrew Xenophon Yale University Yalta Conference (1945) Yalta Declaration Yeager, Chuck York, Alvin Young, Ada (aunt) Young, Brigham Young, Ed Young, E Merl Young, Elizabeth (aunt) Young, Harriet Louisa Gregg (grandmother) death of Lane and will written by Young, Harrison “Harry” (uncle) character and appearance of death of Lane and Young, Hiram Young, Jacob (great-grandfather) Young, Laura Jane (aunt) Young, Loretta (Mrs E Merl Young) Young, Rachael Goodnight (great-grandmother) Young, Sarah Ann, see Chiles, Sarah Ann “Sallie” Young Young, Solomon (grandfather) death of farms of Kansas City exile of slaves owned by wagon-train expeditions of Young, Susan Mary (aunt) Young, William (uncle) Younger, Coleman Younger, Henry Yugoslavia Z Committee Zeisler, Fannie Bloomfield Zemer, Leslie Zhukov, Georgi Zionist Organization of America Zionists see also Palestine Photo Credits SECTION Harry S Truman Library: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 32, 37, 39 Library of Congress: 8, 35 U.S Army: 19 Joe Pruett Collection: 25, 27, 28 Kansas City Star: 29, 30, 31 AP/Wide World: 33 UPI/Bettmann: 34, 36 Chicago Sun-Times: 38 SECTION Harry Goodwin, Washington Post: Independence Examiner: Abbie Rowe, U.S National Park Service: 3, 11, 20 U.S Army: 4, 6, 7, 8, U.S Navy: 5, 14 Harry S Truman Library: 10 Photo World/ FPG/International: 12, 22 AP/Wide World: 13, 25, 27 UPI/Bettmann: 15, 17, 19, 21, 24 Copyright Washington Post; Reprinted by permission of D.C Public Library: 16 Kansas City Star: 18 Courtesy Selby Kelly: 23 St Louis Globe-Democrat: 26 SECTION U.S Overseas Mission: Harry S Truman Library: 2, 6, 14 Copyright Washington Post; Reprinted by permission of D.C Public Library: 3, 5, 16 UPI/Bettmann: 4, 9, 11 AP/Wide World: 7, 12, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25 U.S Navy: Abbie Rowe, U.S National Park Service: 10, 13, 15 Herblock/Washington Post: 18 U.S Army: 17 Chicago Tribune: 21 Levi Photo: 22 Bradley Smith: 26, 27 Randall Jessee/Harry S Truman Library: 28 ... Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McCullough, David G Truman /David McCullough p cm Includes bibliographical references and index Truman, Harry S., 1884–1972 Presidents—United States—Biography... “Harry Truman has found his biographer David McCullough s monumental Truman perfectly mirrors its subject—vivid, straightforward, fast moving, intensely human, never boring for a moment Truman. .. being; it is McCullough s great achievement as a biographer that he has managed to pin both Trumans to paper.” —Geoffrey C Ward, author of The Civil War: An Illustrated History David McCullough