Every day, the change in the President became more obvious. Ironically, it had been the sweeping Republican triumph in the congressional elections that had given Harry Truman a new lease on life. At last, he was free from the shadow of Franklin Roosevelt. Charlie Ross told White House reporters,...

In springtime 1948, the President was in good high humor, cheerful, chipper, but also very busy. Among new appointments he named Perle Mesta to be the new minister to Luxembourg, an appointment of no great importance but remembered fondly because it inspired a hit Broadway musical, Call Me...

Much was going on during the Campaign of 1948, including the laying of the groundwork for what would be called “The Marshall Plan.” Next, we focus on the forces that led to the Plan as well as re-visiting a famous speech. As already noted, Secretary of State George C. Marshall (1880–1959)...

We have arrived at the edge of Harry S. Truman, politician. But he was no ordinary politician. Already, we have inferred how populism was in the background. In the Introduction, we briefly defined what we mean by Progressive Populism. There nonetheless is a gap to be filled. We need to...

Many years ago I had my first encounter with Harry S. Truman. It was the summer of 1964. I was writing my Master's thesis in economics, which covered the President's Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) under President Truman, as well as under other Presidents. On a whim, I decided to visit the...

On April 12, 1945, Harry S. Truman was sworn in as the 33rd president of the United States upon the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In the days immediately after becoming President, Alben Barkley advised Truman: “Have confidence in yourself. If you do not, the people will lose...