For you are the one in trouble now. And he was. That fewsafe to say people if any have come to the presidency of the United States who seem so unqualified for that job, as harry truman did in april of 1945. When he became president , no one knew anything about him. What they did know was not reassuring. It was made worse by the fact that he followed one of the legendary president s in all of American History, frank lindy roosevelt. Income franklin d roosevelt. Manontrast to this little for missouri seemed ordinary, even as appearance. Harken back to the days of an earlier president ial misfit, Warren Harding. At least Warren Harding look like a president. Truman set i look like any other 50 people you meet industry, and he did. He seemed to be hard to caricature, he had no particular distinctive features, sort of generic person. Even his name, by the way, seemed inadequate. Harry s. Trumanto know the s stood for . Nothing. He simply added the s because he thought his given name was inefficient. It did not stand for anything insufficient. The s did not stand for anything. His character i would be characterized as mediocre if that. He was for example the first president since Grover Cleveland and the only in the 20th century not to have a college education. He had been an average student in school and thereafter tried his hand at different occupations. Including farming, banking, with little success at either. Nor was he more successful socially. It seems the only woman he dated wallace,d, was bess his family was or thought it was far superior to the trumans. So trumans affection for bess was unrequited for many, many years. Courted. Person he ever finally she acquiesced. Not with the blessings of her mother who never seem to think harry was suitable for her daughter, not even after he was president. But trumans greatest success 30s, wasife, in his as an artillery commander in france during world war i. Thereafter he retired to missouri, where he wanted with a friend and they started a haberdashery business, leading to his often being referred to as haberdashery harry. He became involved in local politics. , if not terribly successful, always regarded as a likable fellow. And plenty smart despite a lack of formal education. In 1934 truman have been elected to the u. S. Senate from missouri where he remained until chosen as fdr as his Vice President ial running mate in 1944. Roosevelt felt it necessary to drop his bend Vice President , henry wallace, who had become regarded as to radical and chummy with the soviets. Roosevelt chose truman because he was not wellknown enough to detract from roosevelts own candidacy. Truman was well aware of his limitations as Vice President. There is a story one day he was walking on the street with a friend of his in washington. And they walked past the white house. The friend said to him, harry, turnaround and take a look, you will live there soon, twitch truman replied, im afraid i am to which truman replied, i am afraid that i am, and it scares the hell out of me. That did come to pass on april 12, 1945, the realization he would now be president , made him feel as he told reporters, like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me. There is ample reason for truman to be awestruck. In addition to his limitations, it came at a time of extreme crisis. Yet once he moved into the white house, truman performed with considerable ability, far exceeding the dire expectations americans had Many Americans had at the time. Problem t media the greatest immediate problem. There he has with roosevelt and being sworn in with thats president. There he is with roosevelt and being sworn in as president with his wife and daughter. The greatest problem confronting him at the time was several batters to deal with foreign affairs. One fist first major decisions was when he announced the organizational meeting of the United Nations take place in San Francisco as scheduled in late april, 1945. Truman assured the nation that the roosevelt plan performed just proposed for collective security would be carried out. A month after he took office the United Nations charter was signed. The most dangerous problem facing truman and the most immediate was the continuing war in the pacific against japan. Germany surrendered a few weeks after his taking office in early may of 1945. Japan was another matter. And early summer of 1945, it was widely believed by military strategists, that to bring about the defeat of japan which was fighting desperately by this point, was believed to be necessary to invade the home islands. That was calculated to require as many as 5 million troops, with a possible casualty toll in excess of one million men. So even with aid from russia, which they promised, it was a dismal prospect. But there were a small handful of men in the u. S. That work on the development of a highly secret project, known as the Manhattan Project. That and itne was one that we will get to in a moment. It was topsecret. The project that would ultimately mean no invasion of japan would be necessary. And it also would mean the world would never be the same again. Harry truman did not know anything about the development of the atomic bomb when he became president. He had never divulge word of that operation, roosevelt had never told him about the operation. Roosevelt seldom spoke to truman at all after he was sworn in, allegedly talk to him twice after inauguration. The closest truman came to find out about the Manhattan Project was during his days as chairman of the senate investigate and him aware that made of large expenditures of money, for this mysterious project. Truman threatened to hold an investigation. This incident was prevented by a plea from a highly agitated secretary of war stimson. Henry stimson said to truman, sir, i cannot tell you what it is, but it is the greatest project in the history of the world. It is most topsecret. Many people engaged in the work have no idea what it is. And we could do would appreciate your not going to those plans. One of the few times in his life, truman backed down and did hold those investigations. The result of this is when he became president , he knew nothing of the bomb, which was probably less than Joseph Stalin new. Meetings first cabinet after trumans first Cabinet Meeting in late april, 1945, secretary stimson told truman about veltman of this 90 new weapon. About development of this mighty new weapon. Days later he received information about it from a member of the Manhattan Project staff. Admiral lahey remained after the conference to give truman the benefit of his knowledge on the matter. Speaking of the bomb he said, that is the biggest thing we have ever done. That dam thing will never go off , and i say that as an expert on explosives. It was about this time truman embarked on what would be the last of the highlevel wartime conferences. It was to be held at pottstown in july pots dam at potsdam, in july of 1945. Atlee replaced winston churchill. Im meeting with atlee and Joseph Stalin, the main purpose of the meeting was to coordinate the final war effort, what they hoped would be the final war effort. And since the bomb had not yet been tested, and there were many whose shared and relay hes admiral lakeys skepticism about whether it would work, truman was still intent on getting the russians to enter the war against japan which they had pledged but still had not done in which they were not due for some time. Stalin promised to do that, the soviets would enter the war eventually. But during this potsdam conference, a message whose applications were such that russian intervention would not make any difference, this message came from alamogordo new mexico, the testing grounds. On this code operated morning, diagnoses not complete, resulting satisfactory, already exceed expectations. In other words, the bomb had been tested, and it worked. Trumanays later, casually mentioned to stalin that the United States developed quote a new weapon of unusual Destructive Force quote. As truman later recalled, the russian leader showed no particular interest. All he said was that he was glad to hear it and hoped we would make good use of it against the japanese. Well, make good use of it is what the United States did. When word of the successful test reached Choate Truman at potdam atleet along with issued the potdam declaration or ultimatum in which the japanese were warned to surrender unconditionally or face quote prompt and utter destruction. It did not specific mention the atomic bomb, nor did it mention the emperor could be retained. It made no concessions but said they would face destruction. Two days later the japanese rejected that ultimatum, calling it unworthy of public notice. A week after that, a b29, names the enola gay, took off from guam carrying a single bomb, which at 8 15 a. M. On the morning of august 6, 19 for the five come of that bomb was 1945, that bomb was dropped on hiroshima. 60,00070,000 persons were killed. Still no japanese surrender. In the interim russia did declare war on japan. Bomb was dropped on nagasaki on august 9, and the following day, august 10, the japanese did at last surrender, bringing world war ii to an end. The historiographical battle was just beginning, the battle over the decision to use it bomb, and whether or not was justified. Studies by these revisionist historians question the use of the bomb, have focused on a number of significant questions. To what degree it was the bomb a decisive factor to bring the war to an end . Was it really necessary, or was used primarily for reasons other than sibley strategic ones . Be assumed initial reaction most americans to the news of the bombing of hiroshima and the ensuing japanese surrender, was sibley one of relief. The war was simply one of relief. The war was finally over. Also a form of revenge against japan for. The invasion of pearl harbor. And i suspect that most people accepted it out of as a legend met weapon. The soldiers themselves thought if the japanese are germans had bombed had the bomb, they would not have hesitated to use it against us. As didr, some claimed, secretary stimson, that the bomb actually saves lives in the long run, because it eliminated the necessity for the continuing use of the firebombed raids against japan, which were killing thousands and thousands of people as the war went on. So stimson said, the use of the bomb was, in his words, the least abhorrent choice. Clouds hadmushroom scarcely dissipated over the pacific, before certain critics began to question that use. Support was given to critics by report of the u. S. Strategic bombing survey, which estimated that, and this is a quote. By the end of the year, japan what have surrendered, even if the atomic bomb had not been dropped, and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated. So the big question fundamental is how close was japan to surrender . Ado not think anybody has conclusive answer to that. Suggest wastics perhaps there was some alternative to actually dropping about . They could have done something else, perhaps, they say. Maybe a test of the bomb that the japanese could watch. If the japanese could see it tested on some deserted Pacific Island . The answer to that given by defenders of the use of the bomb , first of all, it would not do sufficient damage to impress destroy things and if you drop in on an island there is nothing to destroy. Theres a big cloud but nothing is obliterated, no buildings, so it might not of been that impressive. Another consideration is, it might not have worked at all, and would have been an embarrassment to bring the japanese leaders out and say this is what is going to happen to you if you do not surrender, watch this. And then he drops it, thought. Thud, not very impressive. And then others who say we do not have bombs to waste. Do you know how many we had at that time . To come and we drop both of them. Two, and we dropped both of them. In atomic historiography, some period, say, iis will give you a quote. Dropping of the atomic bombs was not so much the last military act of the second world war, as it was the first major operation in the cold diplomatic war. Is, ite thesis of this is predicated on the belief japan was essentially ready to surrender so it was not necessary militarily. Then why was it necessary . They claim truman and his associates knew this well. But they dropped the bomb to ds play to displaythey had determined the soviets were going to be our big adversary. They wanted to impress the soviets to show them the power he possessed so the soviets would be more tractable in the postwar world. I could see possibility to that. But i tend to agree with the observation of another historian, and this is a quote. The decision to use the bomb was taken in good faith, not to unleash a weapon in vengeance against an enemy, but primarily to bring an end to a barbaric war. Secondarily, to drive the benefits of a timely victory. 2d arrive the benefits of a timely secondarily to derive the benefits of a timely victory. And might be well to remember it was never really a debatable question among the persons responsible for making this decision. Church hill made it clear in his memoirs that he supported the use of the bomb. And trumans position was certainly clear. This is what he wrote in his memoirs. Let there be no mistake about it, he wrote. I regarded the bomb as a military weapon. I never had any doubt that it should be used. Later, he said quote, i cannot worry about what history would say about my personal morality. I made the only decision i ever knew how to make. I did what i thought was right. , he could not have lived with himself, if another american soldier had died, with him knowing that the war could have ended and saved that person. To maintain the decision to use the bomb. One vignette i think is illustrative. The story is, the scientist robert oppenheimer, instrumental in developing the bomb,. He was like many scientists. They helped develop it and then it was used to had second thoughts about it. Oppenheimer was one of those. He called upon truman one day in the oval office and explained that the bomb having been used he said now, we scientists. I feel i have blood on my hands. Whereupon truman took out his handkerchief said here, do you want to wipe your hands off . And then, after often hyper left, truman said to an associate quote i do not want to see that as a be in that office ever again. And then after oppenheimer left, i do not want to see that sob in this office ever again. Soon was touched off the cold war with the soviet union. The basis was the spread of soviet communism in Eastern Europe after the war. The soviet armies occupied much of Eastern Europe, and continue to stay there, until the russians establish control over those countries. Was developednse by a career diplomat, george kennan. His philosophy was containment. The idea is the u. S. Must do whatever is necessary to contain the spread of communism, not to destroy it. Some attacked out and set was not Strong Enough because it not to go after it and get rid of it, but its said two week must contain the spread of communism. In order to do that the u. S. Undertook an minute initiatives. In 1947, the truman doctrine was a plan that gave aid to two countries in particular, that were believed to be in danger of falling to call me nessim to communism, greece and turkey. That was expanded to the Marshall Plan bella by george c marshall, noted general in world war ii, and secretary of state under truman. The Marshall Plan expanded the concept of aid to countries in danger of succumbing to common nessim, to any succumbing to communism, to any country that would accept it. So many European Countries did benefit from the Marshall Plan. And the spread of communism in europe was pretty much stopped at that point. It was not eradicated where it existed, but it did not essentially spread. On inthere was, later trumans presidency, the berlin the u. S. N 1948, where flew supplies into west berlin. The east germans tried to block it off and force the western powers out. So the berlin air left allowed west berlin to survive. Then, later, implementation of this, there was the establishment of nato, the nato, 1949. 49 in while this was going on, truman had domestic problems. Economic and postwar, was troubled by inflation. Even now when people talk about the rate of inflation so bad, almost as bad as postworld war ii or worse than that. At that time a tremendous inflation. Disputes. Off labor the country was almost brought to a halt by nationwide strikes. One was the railroad strike. Truman had an interesting solution. They were threatening to strike and sherman b known if they did truman let it be known if they did strike he would draft the Railroad Employees into the military. Imagine your job youre going to work and the next thing you know youre drafted. The strike was avoided. Of the laborive disputes that took place at the time. Eventually led to the passage of the tafthartley act, still may the primary labor act. Among other things it did, it was regarded as antilabor. One reason labor was not a strong post tafthartley was that it permitted states, a federal law that permitted states to pass what we refer to as right to work laws and a number of states did and virginia was one of them. Were also rum legs of civil rights issues. , supportviews on those of such arguments for civil rights in various ways, alienated much of the segregationist south. This brings us to the 1948 election. An interesting one, to say the least. Had people thought truman no chance to be reelected. It was widely regarded as a failure. A he was why the regarded as failure. Almost universally believed that new york governor tom do a wide feed him. Because of his bungling of Domestic Affairs truman was discredited. I new york make thing came out with a frontpage headline that said truman should quit. In his various blunders, agree just in themselves, were compounded by personal unconfessed uncouth nests. Uncouthne