Post by roman on Oct 23, 2014 9:09:20 GMT -6
A couple of years ago, my wife and I took a two month driving trip out West. I maintained a blog of the entire trip. My comment below is self explanatory.
WE SPENT MOST OF THE DAY in the Truman Library and Museum in Independence, about 15 miles south of our motel. Years ago, we spent some time in the Hoover Library in West Branch, Iowa and enjoyed the visit. Although we enjoyed our time at the Truman Library and Museum, I learned far more at the Hoover Library. Prior to our trip to West Branch, I knew very little about Hoover as president. I came away from West Branch with far more respect for him and his abilities..
In contrast to my knowledge of Hoover, I knew quite a bit about Truman long before our day at the Library/Museum. I had read biographies and/or autobiographies of most of main players on the stage when Truman was president: Truman, Marshall, Acheson, MacArthur, Stalin, etc. For anyone not familiar with Truman, the Library provides a wealth of information about the man and his times. Several movies, dozens of film clips and thousands of photos cover his life from his childhood through his retirement years. All of the high points of his presidency are covered: the decision to drop the A bombs, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, the railway strike, the "whistle stop campaign" and the Cold War.
Compared to the poll-tested and nuanced statements of modern presidents, Truman's public statements were refreshingly straight forward. He did not need any "spin doctors;" people understood exactly what he meant when he spoke. When he referred to his opponents, he used adjectives such as "dinosaurs" and "reactionaries." During most of his presidency, he was at war with the Republicans and the future Republicans, the southern religious right wing. He angered his opponents by desegregating the military and by proposing anti-lynching laws, anti-discrimination laws, national health care, civil rights laws, stronger anti-trust laws, and higher taxes for the rich. Although a supporter of labor, he ended a national railroad strike by threatening to draft the striking workers and put them under military discipline. His firing of national icon MacArthur created a firestorm, but nearly every historian today agrees that his action in firing "the old soldier" was a correct one.
I had always been surprised by his Secretary of State Dean Acheson's admiration for Truman. Acheson was the epitome of an eastern snob intellectual: Groton, Yale, and Harvard. It would be hard to find someone with a background so different from Truman's. Acheson's book Present at the Creation is replete with examples of his condescending arrogance. At one point in his book, he ridiculed former Secretary of State Cordell Hull's speech impediment by quoting Hull phonetically. Yet, he worshiped Truman. After he eventually retired from a long career in politics, one of the networks ran a lengthy interview with Acheson. When he was asked why he so respected Truman, he gave two reasons, one professional and one personal. He explained that Truman was decisive. He would listen to his advisors and make a decision. After he made a decision, he took full responsibility for it. Unlike modern presidents, he never pointed a finger at others for "bad" advice.
Acheson's second reason for his respect for Truman was very personal to Acheson. He told the story of a time when he was involved in highly sensitive negotiations in Europe. While he was involved in those negotiations, his daughter was undergoing a serious operation. In a voice nearly breaking, Acheson said the following:
"During one period, . . . my younger daughter was very ill indeed and had a most serious operation, and it was not clear whether she would pull through. The President telephoned the hospital, where my wife was, got a report on my daughter's condition and telephoned me, when I was abroad, every day as to how that girl was. Well, this is the kind of person that one can adore. You have an affection for that man that nothing can touch."
Truman was never a popular president. He had the misfortune to follow one of the most popular presidents in American history. When he became president, he took aggressive positions on many issues which are still unpopular today: increasing the taxes on the rich, national health care, civil right's laws, etc. It wasn't until several decades after his presidency that historians began to reevaluate him and conclude that he was a very good, perhaps great president. One of the first people I remember who suggested that Truman would one day be considered great was the guy who was the best man at our wedding. Now a retired history professor, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up writing about Truman.
There was nothing in Truman's background which hinted at his future. He failed in several business pursuits and had very little formal education. He owed his entry into politics to a corrupt machine boss. When I reflect on Truman, I recall Woodrow Wilson's comments at the dedication of a national park at Hodgenville, Kentucky, Lincoln's birthplace.
"This is the sacred mystery of democracy, that its richest fruits spring up out of soils which no man has prepared and in circumstances amidst which they are the least expected."
WE SPENT MOST OF THE DAY in the Truman Library and Museum in Independence, about 15 miles south of our motel. Years ago, we spent some time in the Hoover Library in West Branch, Iowa and enjoyed the visit. Although we enjoyed our time at the Truman Library and Museum, I learned far more at the Hoover Library. Prior to our trip to West Branch, I knew very little about Hoover as president. I came away from West Branch with far more respect for him and his abilities..
In contrast to my knowledge of Hoover, I knew quite a bit about Truman long before our day at the Library/Museum. I had read biographies and/or autobiographies of most of main players on the stage when Truman was president: Truman, Marshall, Acheson, MacArthur, Stalin, etc. For anyone not familiar with Truman, the Library provides a wealth of information about the man and his times. Several movies, dozens of film clips and thousands of photos cover his life from his childhood through his retirement years. All of the high points of his presidency are covered: the decision to drop the A bombs, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, the railway strike, the "whistle stop campaign" and the Cold War.
Compared to the poll-tested and nuanced statements of modern presidents, Truman's public statements were refreshingly straight forward. He did not need any "spin doctors;" people understood exactly what he meant when he spoke. When he referred to his opponents, he used adjectives such as "dinosaurs" and "reactionaries." During most of his presidency, he was at war with the Republicans and the future Republicans, the southern religious right wing. He angered his opponents by desegregating the military and by proposing anti-lynching laws, anti-discrimination laws, national health care, civil rights laws, stronger anti-trust laws, and higher taxes for the rich. Although a supporter of labor, he ended a national railroad strike by threatening to draft the striking workers and put them under military discipline. His firing of national icon MacArthur created a firestorm, but nearly every historian today agrees that his action in firing "the old soldier" was a correct one.
I had always been surprised by his Secretary of State Dean Acheson's admiration for Truman. Acheson was the epitome of an eastern snob intellectual: Groton, Yale, and Harvard. It would be hard to find someone with a background so different from Truman's. Acheson's book Present at the Creation is replete with examples of his condescending arrogance. At one point in his book, he ridiculed former Secretary of State Cordell Hull's speech impediment by quoting Hull phonetically. Yet, he worshiped Truman. After he eventually retired from a long career in politics, one of the networks ran a lengthy interview with Acheson. When he was asked why he so respected Truman, he gave two reasons, one professional and one personal. He explained that Truman was decisive. He would listen to his advisors and make a decision. After he made a decision, he took full responsibility for it. Unlike modern presidents, he never pointed a finger at others for "bad" advice.
Acheson's second reason for his respect for Truman was very personal to Acheson. He told the story of a time when he was involved in highly sensitive negotiations in Europe. While he was involved in those negotiations, his daughter was undergoing a serious operation. In a voice nearly breaking, Acheson said the following:
"During one period, . . . my younger daughter was very ill indeed and had a most serious operation, and it was not clear whether she would pull through. The President telephoned the hospital, where my wife was, got a report on my daughter's condition and telephoned me, when I was abroad, every day as to how that girl was. Well, this is the kind of person that one can adore. You have an affection for that man that nothing can touch."
Truman was never a popular president. He had the misfortune to follow one of the most popular presidents in American history. When he became president, he took aggressive positions on many issues which are still unpopular today: increasing the taxes on the rich, national health care, civil right's laws, etc. It wasn't until several decades after his presidency that historians began to reevaluate him and conclude that he was a very good, perhaps great president. One of the first people I remember who suggested that Truman would one day be considered great was the guy who was the best man at our wedding. Now a retired history professor, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up writing about Truman.
There was nothing in Truman's background which hinted at his future. He failed in several business pursuits and had very little formal education. He owed his entry into politics to a corrupt machine boss. When I reflect on Truman, I recall Woodrow Wilson's comments at the dedication of a national park at Hodgenville, Kentucky, Lincoln's birthplace.
"This is the sacred mystery of democracy, that its richest fruits spring up out of soils which no man has prepared and in circumstances amidst which they are the least expected."
