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This warm biography of Harry Truman is both an historical evaluation of his presidency and a paean to the man's rock-solid American values. Truman was a compromise candidate for vice president, almost an accidental president after Roosevelt's death 12 weeks into his fourth term. Truman's stunning come-from-behind victory in the 1948 election showed how his personal qualities of integrity and straightforwardness were appreciated by ordinary Americans, perhaps, as McCullough notes, because he was one himself. His presidency was dominated by enormously controversial issues: he dropped the atomic bomb on Japan, established anti-Communism as the bedrock of American foreign policy, and sent U.S. troops into the Korean War. In this winner of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize, McCullough argues that history has validated most of Truman's war-time and Cold War decisions.
Book Description
The life of Harry S. Truman is one of the greatest of American stories, filled with vivid characters -- Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Wallace Truman, George Marshall, Joe McCarthy, and Dean Acheson -- and dramatic events. In this riveting biography, acclaimed historian David McCullough not only captures the man -- a more complex, informed, and determined man than ever before imagined -- but also the turbulent times in which he rose, boldly, to meet unprecedented challenges. The last president to serve as a living link between the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries, Truman's story spans the raw world of the Missouri frontier, World War I, the powerful Pendergast machine of Kansas City, the legendary Whistle-Stop Campaign of 1948, and the decisions to drop the atomic bomb, confront Stalin at Potsdam, send troops to Korea, and fire General MacArthur. Drawing on newly discovered archival material and extensive interviews with Truman's own family, friends, and Washington colleagues, McCullough tells the deeply moving story of the seemingly ordinary "man from Missouri" who was perhaps the most courageous president in our history.
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The life of Harry S. Truman is one of the greatest of American stories, filled with vivid characters -- Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Wallace Truman, George Marshall, Joe McCarthy, and Dean Acheson -- and dramatic events. In this riveting biography, acclaimed historian David McCullough not only captures the man -- a more complex, informed, and determined man than ever before imagined -- but also the turbulent times in which he rose, boldly, to meet unprecedented challenges. The last president to serve as a living link between the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries, Truman's story spans the raw world of the Missouri frontier, World War I, the powerful Pendergast machine of Kansas City, the legendary Whistle-Stop Campaign of 1948, and the decisions to drop the atomic bomb, confront Stalin at Potsdam, send troops to Korea, and fire General MacArthur. Drawing on newly discovered archival material and extensive interviews with Truman's own family, friends, and Washington colleagues, McCullough tells the deeply moving story of the seemingly ordinary "man from Missouri" who was perhaps the most courageous president in our history.
Customer Reviews:
Give 'em hell Harry.......2007-10-03
In the middle of WW2, when Harry Truman became
president, people wondered how such an ordinary
man could ever become president: "If Harry Truman can be president,
so could my next door neighbor. ".
But as David McCulloughs wonderful Truman biography
explains - there is absolutely nothing wrong about
a "common man" becoming president. Quoting
Senator Adlai Stevenson: "The 'lesson' of Trumans life,
was a lesson about ourselves. An object lesson in
the vitality of popular government; an example of
the society to yield up, from the unremarkable origins,
the most remarkable man".
From sunday school and own reading of the Bible
Harry Truman knew many passages by heart:
"Ye are the salt of the Earth.. Let your light so shine
before men, that they may seee your good works."
and prayers like:
"Oh! Almighty and Everlasting God, creator of heaven,
Earth and Universe:
Help me to be, to think, to act what is right, because it is right,
make me truthful, honest and honerable in all things;
make me intellectually honest for the sake of right and
honor and without thought of reward to me. Give me
the ability to be charitable, forgiving and patient with
my fellowmen - help me to understand their motives and
their shortcomings - even as Thou understandest
mine! Amen."
What is more - for what we can gather from McCulloughs
biography - Harry Truman actually believed and lived by these words.
Combined with his midwestern belief in the values
of the farmer - Following Thomas Jefferson belief
in a nation of farmers - In Harry Trumans words: "
.. as long as a country
is one of that kind, people are independent
and make better citizens. When it is made up of
factories and large cities, it soon becomes depressed
and makes classes among people. ".
- he was placed in a world that was anything
but simple. But a world that was in absolute need
of his values and judgement.
Trouble never far away. His wife Bess' father kills
himself age 43, by putting a gun to his head, leaving behind
4 children. No reason given, except a drinking problem.
Harry Trumans father not that good with money -
more or less resulting in no college for bright Harry,
but 10 years of hard work on the farm instead.
Only escape - even with very poor eyesight - to
WW1 France and war horrors. Home again he marries
sweetheart Bess. And opens a business that fails
in 1922. Leaving him broke and strapped for money for 20 years,
Eventually he enters politics - settles as a local Missouri judge,
when fortune offers him to run as a US senator - a race which he surprisingly wins 2 times. And in 1944 Chicago Convention democratic bosses selects Truman as Vp candidate. Ambassadorships and postermaster
jobs etc. promised around to make the deal go through.
However corrupt some of this might seem - somehow
it doesn't cling to the man who is then elected VP -
but escapes intact.
So much so as when asked about his feelings about the
current president Roosevelt - Harry Truman answers
(obviously not in public) that he has only
one objection - that he lies.
When Roosevelt dies an old man age 63. Truman
takes over - a young man of 60. With the remark
to reporters : "Boys if you pray, pray for me now.".
With WW2 still on he offers the 48 presidency to Eisenhower.
But still he is the one to make the decisions.
And he does nuke Japan - making historians
remember that he did use the "n-word" and was
not respectful towards chinese back home in Missouri.
Still, in Trumans mind that was the only way to stop
the war in east without another million dead american soldiers.
And he was happy about the decision.
With the Berlin crisis, Korean war there was no lack of problems.
And yet reporters remark that everyday "is a mothers
day in White House under Truman" with a president who never
fails to call back to see how things are back home on the farm.
Against all odds he is re-elected president in 48.
With the backing of fellow democrats Lauren Bacall,
Humphrey Bogart and Ronald Reagan (later to become a republican).
standing for a government for the people and
against special interest.
When MacArthur threathens to go for all out war with the chinese
in Korea he is fired by Truman, telling the world
that civilian leadership is above military leadership.
He is always well composed - when assassins from Puerto Rico
tries to kill him and all leading newspapers
are certain that he will loose. Except when a music
critic says his singing daughter is no good. Then he explodes.
Making the picture perfect of Harry the man, who became
president.
A real person.
Personally I was amazed when I visited his home in
Independence, Missouri in 2002 - that it was actually the home
of Harry Truman the president. It somehow seemed to humble.
After reading the McCullough book I see it was not.
How amazing. And how amazing the thing called democracy is.
"Give 'em hell, Harry" a spectator said in the 48 campaign for presidency,
and you see why!
-Simon
Outstanding.......2007-09-23
A great read about the man and times. Truman made some of the toughest calls to date about WW II, Korea, MacArthur, etc. This is a good jump off point to learn more about the times and other great figures of the day like Churchill and Marshall.
Fantastic.......2007-09-21
Harry Truman the man, the myth - this book has it all. This is a wonderfully written biography that gets at every aspect of Truman. From his boyhood in Missouri to his rise through the political ranks David McCullough does not dissapoint with his book on the former president.
A must read as a companion to any serious study on World War I, II and Korea - Truman's life touches all these conflicts as a soldier and leader. This is a great biography and I highly recommend it. JVD
Triumph of tireless sleuthing and attention.......2007-09-12
After spending pretty much the course of the summer reading David McCullough's immense biography of Harry S. Truman, I must say that was time well spent. For the first time, I have a largely intact understanding of not only Truman's life and times, but of the forces and events that shaped him and the United States as well. Though Truman's term as president ended the year I was born, the decisions and actions taken by our 33rd president and his staff have reverberated throughout my own life.
One need not pile on with any more plaudits or adjectives for the author or his biography for at this point I think everything has been stated. But what is most striking to me is just how much the world has changed since Truman's presidency and how our current crop of politicians are even more vile and odious than the worst of the lot in Truman's day. Reading about a man who strove to achieve the greater good rather than let his decisions be tempered by political motivations proved both startling and refreshing.
McCullough may have burnished Truman's character with a bit more shine and polish than fitting the man himself, but he does not neglect Truman's flaws or humanity, which, in turn, makes this book more compelling. The vivid, memorable characters who play key roles in the story of Truman infuse this historical account with energy and realism and also elevate Truman's character and person. The details contained in this book, both their quantity and quality, require close attention and rereading, a testament to Mr. McCullough's tireless sleuthing and attention.
Let's hope for everyone's sake that a similarly powerful, elegant biography of an American president will someday appear to take its place on the shelf beside this one.
Exceptionally Poor Quality For Papareback Binding .......2007-08-23
The book was great, and the author was most worthy of the Pulitzer Prize award for his work. However, the binding was exceptionally poor. Given the 1,100+ pages of the book, this paperback needs to be bound in a different fashion. The book completely fell apart during my reading of it, as large sections of pages fell out of it. I did not subject the book to any harsh treatment or unusual wear, and it simply fell apart under normal reading conditions.
Average customer rating:
- A must-read on 20th Century American Foreign Policy
|
Woodrow Wilson and Harry Truman: Mission and Power in American Foreign Policy
Anne Pierce
Manufacturer: Transaction Publishers
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Recurring throughout our history are the ideas that repressive governments are doomed to failure; that liberty is a motivating force; that freedom comes with responsibilities and must be guided by principles; that the example of our democracy is a challenge to all forms of political repression and an inspiration to those desiring to be free. Wilson and Truman took these ideas as the starting point for their policy formulation and pronouncements. Truman both acknowledged his indebtedness to Wilson and learned from his mistakes. This study places the two presidents within the broader American tradition and explores the way they combined reverence for the past with innovative policies. Pierce provides a cohesive argument against those who simplify and categorize American ideals in order to demean them. Her findings show that the assumption that Wilson was an idealist while Truman was a realist distorts our understanding of these men and denies the seriousness of their positions. She reveals Truman's brilliance as a foreign policy strategist and his fervency as a spokesperson for American ideals. He was never willing to dispense with geopolitics for the sake of internationalism, nor with internationalism for the sake of geopolitics, but insisted that our mission and our power were combined threads in our work for freedom. Truman's wisely construed version of Wilsonianism, which itself was an interpretation of America's mission and power, holds great promise for the United States today.
Customer Reviews:
A must-read on 20th Century American Foreign Policy.......2003-06-25
This gets you thinking about the importance of the American foreign policy tradition in a way other books don't-provides a refreshing alternative to the cynical and negative view of American history. The focus on Wilson and Truman leads to a much broader discussion of American ideals and foreign policy. The writing is powerful and the research is persuasive.
Average customer rating:
- Dirty Harry a man of deep moral conviction?
- Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel
- An Intriguing Look at the Influence of Religion on Politics
|
Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel
Michael T. Benson
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
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Binding: Hardcover
1945 - Present
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Harry S. Truman sensed something profound and meaningful in the Jewish restoration to Palestine, something which transcended other considerations. As the president recorded in his Memoirs, the Palestine question was "a basic human problem." In the end, Truman was willing to go against the current of his most trusted foreign policy advisers, who were absolutely opposed to the establishment of a Jewish state in the Middle East. These advisers argued that however humanitarian a Jewish homeland might seem, such a proposition posed a real risk to American interests in the Near East and to United States national security in the late 1940s. Despite their continued opposition, Truman stood his ground and maintained that he would decide the entire issue based on what he thought was right. Of interest to historians, and students of Israel and of the U.S. presidency.
Customer Reviews:
Dirty Harry a man of deep moral conviction?.......2002-04-20
While the author heaps truckloads of eulogies about "honor, integrity and deep moral convictions" on a man whom Gen. Douglas MacArthur should have hanged as a traitor, the fact is, it was Truman's flagrant disregard for the U.S. Constitution that gave him the "fortitude" to support the invasion of a foreign nation. The 1st Amendment, as we all know, clearly states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." While everyone is at liberty to endorse and support whatever religious cause or organization they choose, our government is supposed to remain neutral on such matters. As was the case with Harry "atomic bomb" Truman, left wingers always refer to the first amendment when it serves their purpose to subvert our institutions but always flagrantly violate it when it is convenient for them to do so. To refer to Harry Truman, who was directly responsible for the systematic slaughter of American soldiers during the Korean War, the Massacre at Hiroshima, the betrayal of China to his Communist friends, the communising of Europe, as a man motivated by deep moral conviction, humanitarianism, etc, is enough to make anyone puke.
Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel.......2001-07-29
Everyone knows that Harry Truman provided help to the Zionists because he could count votes, and there were few Arab votes in 1948. That, anyway, is the thesis developed by John Snetsinger in 1974 and since repeated ad nauseum. Well, it turns out not to be true. In a masterful and exciting presentation, Benson proves that Trumanýs policies resulted not from nose-counting but from deeply-held beliefs. His pro-Israel outlook ýwas based primarily on humanitarian, moral, and sentimental grounds, many of which were an outgrowth of the presidentýs religious upbringing and his familiarity with the Bible.ý Extensive research into Trumanýs biography and earlier career shows his impressive consistency. Benson, of the University of Utah, establishes Truman as a studious child and deeply religious young man who, when he unexpectedly found himself in the Oval Office, lived faithfully by his precepts. In the case at hand, he expressed sympathy for Zionism as early as 1939 and reiterated his views many times subsequently. Trumanýs determination had great importance; of the many momentous issues in his presidency, he personally involved himself most directly with what he called the ýpuzzle of Palestine.ý In Bensonýs words, these personal interventions against the entirety of the American foreign policy establishment ýconstantly rescuedý the Jews from defeat. The author concludes that the standard account of Truman risking U.S. security interests for cheap political advantage is deeply unfair to this most moral and honorable of American presidents.
Middle East Quarterly, September 1998
An Intriguing Look at the Influence of Religion on Politics.......1998-07-20
Most of us in America presume that religious convictions are checked at the doors of our governmental offices. Benson's book articulates exactly how Truman's deep religious convictions guided--even determined--the U.S. policy toward Isral, leading to the official recognition of its independence. Without that recognition, the Nation of Israel might not have lasted a week--let alone 50 years.
This book is a slightly modified version of Benson's Oxford University Ph.D. dissertation. There he studied Modern Middle Eastern History.
As an academic work, the research is absolutely unmatched, with dozens of references and footnotes for each chapter. The author interviewed several prominent people who knew Truman and participated in the development of the policy toward Isreal.
More importantly, however, the book is accessible to any well-read student of American History. Anyone who is a fan of Truman will love the book; those not already enthusiastic supporters of the! late President, will likely become such after reading Benson's account.
In a country where well over 90% of the population awows a faith in God, it should be reassuring to know that a leader's faith influences his politics and policy-making.
Book Description
Shortly after he left office, President Harry S. Truman began to write down his typically blunt, honest commentaries about FDR and his other colleagues, the job of the presidency, the workings of the government and the Constitution -- and his picks for the nation's best and worst presidents. Since he minced no words, Truman asked that these writings -- sometimes funny, sometimes very serious, always to the point -- be released to the public only after he and Mrs. Truman were gone.Now, this totally frank book by the thirty-third president, lovingly edited by his daughter, Margaret, has been published at last. In it, Truman speaks clearly in his own inimitable voice, and with the down-home, across-the-back-fence feeling of a born storyteller from Missouri, he tells you exactly what's on his mind about these and other subjects:
Customer Reviews:
Take it with a heavy dash of salt........2007-07-14
This book is worth reading only if you've already learned quite a lot of history. In many instances Truman embellishes or distorts historical facts, and on certain points he is embarrassingly wrong. It's a wonder that the editor of the book, his daughter Margaret (who majored in history in college) didn't catch some of his errors. Particularly egregious is Truman's discussion of the American Revolution, in which he asserts that George III was "an absolute monarch." Nothing could be further from the truth. By the late 18th century, the King of England had considerably less political power than the President of the United States would have in later years.
Moreover, Truman's attacks on Eisenhower smack of vindictiveness, and while they may contain some truth they are not to be trusted on the whole. Truman was a suspicious man, and once he took a dislike to someone, he tended to put the most negative possible spin on anything that man said or did.
The book is written in a lively style, but beware: Truman was a politician, a man full of grudges and prejudices. These come out in this book--sometimes strongly enough to make you wince.
Great fun.......2006-03-21
I feel lucky when I find a book I really enjoy and this one I really enjoyed. He called Daniel Webster a "gasbag". He said Teddy Roosevelt did a lot of talking but very little in the way of acting to solve problems. Truman loved Andrew Jackson and after reading his description of Jackson I also feel that he was one of the best presidents and one of the most interesting characters. This was a really enjoyable way of learning the history of this country and seeing these guys the way they really were and not the mythic characters I used to think from taking American History in high school. I think high school students should be made to read this book, so that American History would come to life for them. I never thought anything of James Polk before reading what Harry wrote about him. And Calvin Coolidge sleeping (I mean zzzzzzz) his way through the Presidency! I liked the way Harry didn't blame Hoover for the depression. Harry was the little kid describing the Emperor's new clothes!
Harry Gives 'em Hell Again.......2002-11-21
As a child and young adult, I was taught to have great respect for Mr. Truman. Among the things he was praised for was his plain-speaking manner and the fact that he told it as it was, with no sugar coating. I never really understood what that meant until I read this book. The Harry Truman that comes across here is a person you could easily image as your next-door neighbor. He always gives it to you in a no-nonsense, down-to-earth way that anybody can understand the first time.
That having been said I just want to voice two criticisms. First, I think Mr. Truman's understanding of history might be a little too "black and white". For example, he states that after WWI, the allied powers didn't really go to hard on Germany in terms of making the Germans pay reparations. I think just the opposite is true. The allied powers at Versailles imposed very hard terms on the Germans. Mr. Truman was correct in stating that the allies never entered German soil, however, the severity of the peace terms combined with the fact that the Germans never saw an enemy soldier sowed the seeds for Hitler's preaching that the Germans were stabbed in the back. I'm just saying that perhaps Mr. Truman's historical understanding was not as sophisticated as me might think.
Second, it seems that Mr. Truman's dislike of Mr. Eisenhower finds it's way onto virtually every page of the book. No matter who or what he's talking about, he seems to find a way to turn the subject into a criticism of Ike. I guess he really didn't like him too much.
All that having been said, I think this is great book.
One great read!.......2002-10-30
This book does something very rare--it actually reveals the plain-spoken nature of Harry S. Truman while still demonstrating the depth and breadth of Truman's knowledge of history, politics, economics, and foreign affairs. It was really amazing to me that an essentially "self-taught" man was so brilliant with such a deep understanding of a vast array of issues. Unlike our current president, Harry S. Truman understood the complexities of international relations and implications of taking unilateral approaches in our foreign policy.
Truman also recognized that military action was something to be used as a LAST resort, especially when the rest of the world is against such an action. Although Truman had an appreciation for some military experience in public servants, he also recognized the danger of career military men in those positions. Unlike politicians of today, Truman was bold enough to make the unpopular decision to fire General McArthur because our foreign policy should not be predicated on our ability to anhilate every other country on the face of the earth.
Harry Truman Tells It Like It Is.......2000-07-20
This book is absolutely essential for the student of Harry S. Truman in particular, as well as for the student of History in general. Truman goes through all the important historical phases of our country and makes the information really breathe. In this age of political sophistry, it's very refreshing to hear a politician just being himself. It's interesting that Truman was vilified in his day. Perhaps he told it too much like it was for ears of that time. Nonetheless, this is a book that can be read again and again. This and Merle Miller's wonderful book, Plain Speaking -- An Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman, should be in every Truman admirer's library.
Book Description
In this concise account of why America used atomic bombs against Japan in 1945, J. Samuel Walker analyzes the reasons behind President Truman's most controversial decision. He delineates what was known and not known by American leaders at the time and evaluates the role of U.S.-Soviet relations and American domestic politics. In this new edition, Walker takes into account recent scholarship on the topic, including new information on the Japanese decision to surrender. He has revised the book to place more emphasis on the effect of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in convincing the emperor and his advisers to quit the war. Rising above an often polemical debate, Walker presents an accessible synthesis of previous work and an important, original contribution to our understanding of the events that ushered in the atomic age.
Customer Reviews:
No ideology here just history.......2007-09-26
Ideology defined: The body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or culture.
If you have already made up your mind that the atomic bombings of Japan were wrong, you have two choices: (1) Don't buy the book and participate in the next demonstration against the bombings which will, again, make you feel morally superior; (2)buy the book and realize that it was not as simple a decision as you thought it was. Then ask yourself, what would I have done in 1945? Very challenging book. It certainly provides a very good understanding of the choices Truman had to deal with and the feelings in the US at that time.
One final point for the anti-bombing crowd: Check the stats on the casualties in the conventional bombings of German and Japanese cities.
And educate yourself about Japanese atrocities in China: 350,000 slaughtered in Sungchiang, and between 260,000-350,000 civilians murdered in Nanking. That's for starters.
Historiography at its Finest.......2007-07-30
One of the most complex, divisive, and nuanced debates in the history of the twentieth century is the decision by U.S. President Harry S. Truman in August 1945 to drop two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, thereby ending World War II. A traditional conception of the decision, indeed the one most often voiced by actors in the decision, was that it was done to speed the end of the war and thereby preserve American lives that might be lost in future combat. The revisionist interpretation, often identified with Gar Alperowitz, argues that the war was almost over and that the Japanese were on the verge of surrender anyway. The reason to drop the bomb, therefore, had little to do with the ending of World War II and was aimed more at impressing and influencing future relations with the Soviet Union. Another interpretation suggests that the use of the atomic bomb had more to do with American racism, and that the U.S. would have refrained from using such a horrific weapon on other Caucasians in Europe. Other scholars condemn the use of such a weapon targeting large populations, including non-combatants, as immoral and obscene. Subsequent historians have argued various permutations of these interpretations and the debate remains far from settled.
J. Samuel Walker's "`prompt & utter destruction': Truman and the Use of the Atomic Bomb against Japan" is a superb short discussion of the merits of each of these interpretations and an assessment of the current state of understanding on the subject. He takes an exceptionally even-handed approach, pointing up the strengths and weaknesses of each major argument and assessing how they have evolved over time. In the end, as Walker documents, five fundamental considerations played into the decision to use atomic bombs in August 1945.
First, the decision makers, especially Truman, sought to end the war at the earliest possible moment. They believed this new and terrifying weapon would do so and should therefore be employed for what they considered the greater good of ending the bloodshed. Wrapped up in this argument, although Walker thinks it a bit of side issue, was a widely held belief that bringing the Japanese to the surrender table would require an invasion of its islands. This would be, as those considering it believed, a costly and lengthy campaign that might mean the loss of thousands of lives on both sides. Casualty estimates of all types exist, and they have been used in the debate since then to justify or condemn the use of the bomb. Walker finds that those estimates, which are at best educated guesses that range broadly depending on the assumptions and the perspectives of those making them, are less useful in assessing what took place than the understanding that Truman was unwilling to accept any more casualties than absolutely necessary.
Second, Walker notes how Truman and his advisors were intensely concerned that they had to justify the enormous cost of developing the atomic weapon, and a decision not to use it once it existed would open them to significant criticism. As Walker states, "The success of the Manhattan Project in building the bombs and ending the war was a source of satisfaction and relief" (p. 94). In this context, Truman expressed great concern that should he decide not to use the weapon once he had it that every American life lost thereafter would have been wasted. As he explained to Secretary of State James F. Byrnes in 1947, "I believe that no man, in our position and subject to our responsibilities, holding in his hands a weapon of such possibilities for accomplishing this purpose and saving those lives, could have failed to use it and afterwards looked his countrymen in the face" (p. 94).
Third, at least one of Truman's advisors, Secretary of State Byrnes, realized immediately and argued to his colleagues that this weapon would be useful in helping to bend the Soviet Union to American wishes in the post-war era. Truman recognized this as well, but according to Walker this was definitely an added bonus and not the primary consideration in using the bomb. Walker concluded, "Growing differences with the Soviet Union were a factor in the thinking of American officials about the bomb but were not the main reason that they rushed to drop it on Japan" (p. 95). Gar Alperowitz's "atomic diplomacy" thesis, therefore, has merit however overstated it might have been.
Fourth, Walker asserts that there was a lack of incentives among those making these decisions not to use the bomb. "Truman," Walker notes, "used the bomb because he had no compelling reason to avoid it" (p. 95). While many people since 1945 have questioned the morality of its use, Truman and his advisors did not let those scruples--and they did exist among them--outweigh their goal of ending the war as quickly as possible. Indeed, by the last year of the war conventional weaponry had laid waste to so many cities containing thousands of non-combatants--witness the firebombing of or Dresden and Tokyo--that virtually no one in a senior decision making role in the U.S. questioned the use of nuclear weapons despite their destructiveness since they believed dropping these bombs would shorten the war and save American lives.
Fifth, Walker comments that "Hatred of the Japanese, a desire for revenge for Pearl Harbor, and racist attitudes were a part of the mix of motives that led to the atomic attacks" (p. 96). Again, this was not the primary consideration in dropping the bomb on Japan, "But the prevalent loathing of Japan, both among policymakers and the American people, helped override any hesitation or ambivalence that Truman and his advisors might have felt about use of atomic bombs" (p. 96).
Walker ends "prompt & utter destruction" with a series of questions still being debated about the decision to use the bomb. These include: "(1) how long the war would have continued if the bomb had not been used; (2) how many casualties American forces would have suffered if the bomb had not been dropped; (3) whether an invasion would have been necessary without the use of the bomb; (4) the number of American lives and casualties an invasion would have exacted had it proven necessary; (5) whether Japan would have responded favorably to a American offer to allow the emperor to remain on the throne before Hiroshima, or whether such an offer would have prolonged the war; and (6) whether any of the alternatives to the use of the bomb would have ended the war as quickly on a basis satisfactory to the United States (pp. 108-109).
These historiographical questions ensure that future study of this subject will remain contested; overlaying all of it, of course, is the question of the morality of Truman's decision. Walker offers no conclusion to the debate, instead inviting further inquiry and exposition as each scholar makes a contribution to the marketplace of ideas where positions will be evaluated and accepted, rejected, or modified. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the nature of the end of World War II and the beginning of the cold war.
Great History Book.......2005-10-01
I bought this book for school.. I have not read it yet but it arrived in perfect condition.. Very fast shipping.
Was it such a hard decision?.......2004-12-28
They were suddenly heroes to a grateful nation. Scientists, normally accustomed to a life of quiet research, were suddenly, by virtue of their invention of the atom bomb, the saviors of their country. Likewise, the crew of the Enola Gay, surely one of the best-known airplane names in history, became military larger-than-life figures of honor and fame. It was nearly universally accepted that the atom bomb had saved America from a long, bloody, and otherwise pointless invasion of the Japanese mainland. Truman, the man who gave the go-ahead, was mostly relieved that the war was finally over, and no further American lives need be lost. To morally praise him for his decision to drop the device would have been superfluous, like congratulating someone for deciding to save a drowning child. What other decision could there have been? And yet, there were other options for him. Realistic options? Perhaps, in light of sixty more years of history. Or perhaps not, hindsight notwithstanding. The questioning of his motives began in the sixties, and by the time of the fiftieth anniversary of the twin bombings came about there was a loud chorus of voices condemning Truman's decision. Wouldn't a demonstration on a desert island have been better? Why kill so many innocents? Surely it was just racism, wasn't it? Oh, he was trying to scare the Russians, that's it. No president could possibly have wanted to save the lives of the soldiers entrusted to his care. Unlike some controversies, I've never found this one compelling. The case in Truman's favor seems obvious, with only very minor questions to detract from the main problem Truman faced: how to end the war quickly. I tend to think this is also the same conclusion J. Samuel Walker reached before publishing Prompt & Utter Destruction, a short and compelling overview of the decisions Truman faced and how he resolved them.
The thesis is simple. A knowingly unprepared Truman became President in the waning days of the war and had to make momentous decisions. Knowing his own limitations, he kept on hand most of Roosevelt's advisors and maintained Roosevelt's policies. This included, foremost, a desire to minimize American casualties. This is given right from the start, and remains the deciding factor in the end. Most of the book shows the situation Truman faced, including an analysis of what he knew and when. How many casualties would the U.S. face in an invasion? When would the Soviets join? How long would Japan hold out? How would the nation's economy hold up in a protracted war? At hand were figures showing the casualty rates at the time. The battles for Iwo Jima and Okinawa had been horrific, and they were just smallish islands. Even in the absence of major battles, a few thousand a month were dying in skirmishes at sea, including the ill-fated crew of the cruiser USS Indianapolis. Some old myths Walker dispenses with. The oft cited figure of one million casualties in an invasion is probably not one Truman ever saw, and does not square well with other significant, but much lower numbers. In fact, Walker points out that estimates at the time, including the Soviet entry, show that Japan would have capitulated within months of an invasion, if indeed one were ever needed. Whether this is true or not is left to the imagination, as history shows there was no invasion and the war ended when it did. But Truman did not face enormous crippling casualty rates of the sort that plagued the other major countries in the war.
There are factors that have helped advance the claim that Truman had ulterior motives. The day after the successful Trinity test, he did indeed dominate the Potsdam conference where he was meeting with Churchill and Stalin. And Truman's disdain for communists was well known. The thing is, Truman was no idiot. Of course he knew the nuclear weapons gave him a bargaining chip. This can hardly be disputed, as is also true of many other accusations that are at least partially true but not so relevant. The Manhattan project was not, however, started up just to give the president a way to bully Russians. The bombs were earmarked for Germany the whole time, and would have ended up exploding over Berlin or some other city had not Germany cheated and lost the war first. This fact should clear up the question of racist motives. Undoubtedly Truman didn't like the Japanese. This is what happens in a war. Certainly there was racist feeling towards them in the country. But a military decision does not become invalid because its maker really, really dislikes the enemy.
The final answer is that Truman did know of other options, but they weren't important. He did worry a bit about the long-term implications, but there were immediate problems to deal with. In keeping with a policy he held even before learning of the atom bomb, Truman wanted to minimize casualties and end the war sooner rather than later. As commander-in-chief, not to mention as a combat veteran, he was obligated to take this stand. The number of casualties avoided is almost certainly not close to a million, but it could easily have been in the tens of thousands. There are enough conflicting accounts from that era to make at least plausible the case that there were other major factors, but they don't stand up. In fact, Truman's decision was straightforward. Walker does good by clearing up some of the persistent myths, on both sides of the question. But, and not to take away from Walker's effort, this isn't that hard a question (perhaps this is why the book is so short). To see the situation mapped out for history, here is the source to read.
very good overview.......2001-12-10
This book gives a good overview but just that - an overview. The events and circumstances surrounding the use of the A-bomb simply must be addressed in greater depth for one who wishes to become truly knowledgable on the subject. However, its brevity is also a strength in that for one just getting into the subject it serves as a fabulous introduction and for those already familiar with the subject, it sums things up into a nice recap. Contrary to some reviews of the book, the author does NOT ever say or even imply that the bomb should not have been dropped. Quite the opposite, he provides compelling reasons why the decision to use the bomb was sound and wise militarily, politically, diplomatically, and morally. Nor is this book any where near a "one-stop-shop" on the subject. So while not the final say, this book would be a good addition to a collection for the reasons mentioned above. The research is credible and the arguments are as a whole very sound. Highly recommended.
Book Description
Here we see Truman in his most public roles; as "senator from Pendergast," successor to FDR, maker of such controversial decisions as the dropping of the atomic bomb and the firing of General Douglas MacArthur. But throughout these events Harry Truman revealed his innermost thoughts to his family in thousands of hand-written memoirs. The ways he approached the decisions he made were widely attributed by Truman and those who knew him to lessons learned in the earlier, less public part of his life.
This is the story of a common man from Missouri with uncommon, indeed unprecedented challenges thrust upon him, and how he met them.
Customer Reviews:
The Book Starts Here..........2004-03-23
Brian Burnes new book on Harry Truman is a pleasure, impeccably researched and extremely well written. Rather than piling detail upon detail, Burnes opts for well-chosen anecdotes that add up to Truman's full story: his Kansas City boyhood, World War I service, political rise, presidency , and later years back in Kansas City. Truman is remembered for his momentous decision to drop the atomic bomb, but this book also delves into less-known aspects of his presidency. For example, Burnes recounts a wonderful episode involving an old poker buddy named Eddie Jacobson who, in 1948, helped convice Truman that the U.S. should recognize the brand new state of Israel.
Throughout, Burnes does a masterful job of interweaving the story of Truman, the politician, with humanizing details about Truman, the man. While attending the Potsdam conference in 1945, for example, Truman purchased a luncheon set of Belgian lace for Bess. The first lady, in turn, thought the gift a bit extravagant. This book also has wonderful photographs and illustrations, including a Thomas Hart Benton portrait of Truman so closely observed and revelatory that it's worth a thousand words, easily.
Amazon.com
On November 1, 1950, two Puerto Rican nationalists, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola, nearly assassinated President Harry Truman. If this historical fact surprises you, you're not alone. American Gunfight, a new account by suspense novelist and Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Stephen Hunter and journalist John Bainbridge Jr., examines this largely forgotten episode in meticulous detail, including the conspiracy surrounding it and the misconceptions associated with the would-be assassins. As the book makes clear, it's remarkable that these two men even came close to succeeding, given the disorganized nature of the plot. Intending to attack the president at the White House, they only learned in passing from a cab driver that it was being renovated and that Truman was in fact living at the nearby Blair House. When they made their assault on Blair House, they quickly lost their element of surprise when Collazo's gun misfired, leading to a 38-second shootout in front of the residence that left Torresola and one policeman dead. Meanwhile, Truman witnessed the action from an upstairs window.
At his ensuing trial, Collazo was depicted as a crazed fanatic, but the authors argue that this simplified assessment unnecessarily dismisses a potential political conspiracy involving Puerto Rican nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos, who was believed by some to have masterminded the plot in an effort to bring attention to his cause. Hunter and Bainbridge provide in-depth portraits of Collazo and Torresola, as well as the Secret Service agent and three White House policemen who saved Truman's life. The descriptions of the remarkably light presidential security of the era reveal much about 1950s Washington, D.C., a time in which the president would take a daily walk around the neighborhood with just a bodyguard or two in tow. As a result of the attack, the Secret Service would forever change the way it guarded the president. This fast-paced book reads like a detective thriller, shifting quickly between various story lines and characters, including a second-by-second breakdown of the gunfight itself. The potboiler narrative may seem over the top at times, with its conjecture and imagined internal dialogue, but this comprehensive account succeeds in bringing this unlikely plot vividly to life. --Shawn Carkonen
Download Description
"American Gunfight is the fast-paced, definitive, and breathtakingly suspenseful account of an extraordinary historical event -- the attempted assassination of President Harry Truman in 1950 by two Puerto Rican Nationalists and the bloody shoot-out in the streets of Washington, D.C., that saved the president's life. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Stephen Hunter, the widely admired and bestselling novelist and author of such books as Havana, Hot Springs, and Dirty White Boys, and John Bainbridge, Jr., an experienced journalist and lawyer, American Gunfight is at once a groundbreaking work of meticulous historical research and the vivid and dramatically told story of an act of terrorism that almost succeeded. They have pieced together, at last, the story of the conspiracy that nearly doomed the president and how a few good men -- ordinary guys who were willing to risk their lives in the line of duty -- stopped it. It is a book about courage -- on both sides -- and about what politics and devotion to a cause can lead men to do, and about what actually happens, second by second, when a gunfight explodes. It begins on November 1, 1950, an unseasonably hot afternoon in the sleepy capital. At 2:00 P.M. in his temporary residence at Blair House, the president of the United States takes a nap. At 2:20 P.M., two men approach Blair House from different directions. Oscar Collazo, a respected metal polisher and family man, and Griselio Torresola, an unemployed salesman, don't look dangerous, not in their new suits and hats, not in their calm, purposeful demeanor, not in their slow, unexcited approach. What the three White House policemen and one Secret Service agent cannot guess is that under each man's coat is a 9mm German automatic pistol and in each head, a dream of assassin's glory. At point-blank range, Collazo and then Torresola draw and fire and move toward the president of the United States. Hunter and Bainbridge tell the story of that November day with narrative power and careful attention to detail. They are the first to report on the inner workings of this conspiracy; they examine the forces that led the perpetrators to conceive the plot. The authors also tell the story of the men themselves, from their youth and the worlds in which they grew up to the women they loved and who loved them to the moment the gunfire erupted. Their telling commemorates heroism -- the quiet commitment to duty that in some moments of crisis sees some people through an ordeal, even at the expense of their lives. "
Customer Reviews:
This is a winner!.......2006-11-22
This has everything you want in a good book. A great story, history, drama, and pathos. I am a history teacher and was impressed by both the depth of research and the quality of the writing.
This is about 2 Puerto Rican Nationalists who, compelled by their fervent beliefs, tried to assassinate President Harry Truman in 1950. Most people do not realize how close they came to succeeding.
The story alternates between historical background and a moment to moment account of the gun fight that occurred on that day.
This book kept me enthralled the entire time I was reading it. I can't think of anyone who would not thoroughly enjoy this book.
The Attempt on President Truman's Life.......2006-10-21
Authors Stephen Hunter and John Bainbridge provide the reader with minute details on the assassination attempt by Puerto Rican Nationalists on President Harry Truman outside Blair House on November 1, 1950. Many of the details provided are those they perceive to be in the mind of each of the assassins and those they are attacking during the gunfight. These details are interesting and perhaps correct. I feel it makes for a more interesting book. To me, the main drawback of the book is its disjointedness. Whenever a character is introduced into the story we are provided with a chapter delving into their background from years before. Due to this method of writing the book loses its continuity. The authors make a convincing case that the attempt may have been a part of a wider conspiracy. Security for presidents tightened significantly following the attempt on Truman's life. Truman did not run for reelection in 1952, and the attempt on his life may very well have been a factor in his decision. I have to admit to being one of those the authors refer to as those who weren't aware of this attempt on the life of President Truman, but confuse it with an incident in 1954 when four Puerto Rican Nationalists had a shootout in Congress. The book educated me, but I did not like getting sidetracked with chapters introducing the characters when they entered the story.
great...love it.......2006-07-07
This book is awesome. First book I read about the subject. You will find yourself reading a chapter and saying what the hell...and then he draws it all together. It is written very well.
Fascinating Story, Could Have Been Told Better.......2006-05-01
One of the thinks I particularly enjoy about history is its depth. While most people have at least a general familiarity with history, even students of history can always be surprised by in-depth looks at various periods of history. American Gunfight is a great example of this; while I was aware that two Puerto Rican nationalists attempted to assassinate President Truman in 1950, the details of the incident and the context surrounding it were not covered in any of the other histories of Truman I've read. While that was a logical decision on the part of the authors, as aside from this incident, Puerto Rico was a very small part of Truman's presidency, it left out a fascinating story that illustrates a slice of American history that is often forgotten.
American Gunfight provides a detailed look at the gunfight outside Blair House that left two men dead and three wounded, reviving the memory of American hero Les Coffelt, who almost certainly saved the President's life by killing one of the assassins even as he was bleeding out from three gunshot wounds. But the book goes well beyond the gunfight, branching out to explore the history of the men involved in the battle and the history of Puerto Rican nationalism. The book also takes on some of the common myths regarding the gunfight, in particular the theory that President Truman's life was never in danger.
The book's layout is somewhat distracting. The book jumps from the gunfight to background with each chapter, so the gunfight develops over the course of the entire work rather than being described as a discrete event. While it does serve as a useful means of introducing the characters and events surrounding the gunfight, I found it somewhat annoying. I also disliked the writers' tendency to mix tenses; in the middle of one paragraph they mix past and present with abandon.
Nonetheless, the book is well-researched and easy to read despite the issues I had with it, and I recommend it to anyone interested in President Truman, American history, or history in general.
Could have been a great magazine article ..........2006-04-29
In a nutshell, this is a compelling story that's essentially ruined by horrible prose. The authors have adopted an almost "Memento"-esque flashback method of telling the backstories of all the personalities featured--no matter how mundane or irrelevant the detail. There's a great deal of repetition of key events and plot points as a result. I could live with this, but what absolutely ruined the book for me was the constant use of past and present tenses interchangeably--often within the same sentence! Additionally, the prose slips from formal to conversational too easily to suit me, though this is far less annoying than the incessant changing of tenses. It made me feel as if I was reading a book that had been hastily cobbled together over a weekend.
The authors introduce one of their interminable flashbacks at one point by saying "this book is about 38.5 seconds of gunfight, however ..." and therein lies the problem. This is undoubtedly a fascinating story, one with which most Americans are probably unfamiliar, and one that definitely deserves to be told. However, it would have read much easier as a 10- or 12-page magazine article; stretching it out into 325 pages really seems unnecessary.
Book Description
In
The Last Campaign, Zachary Karabell rescues the 1948 presidential campaign from the annals of political folklore ("Dewey Defeats Truman," the Chicago Tribune memorably and erroneously heralded), to give us a fresh look at perhaps the last time the American people could truly distinguish what the candidates stood for.
In 1948, Harry Truman, the feisty working-class Democratic incumbent was one of the most unpopular presidents the country had ever known. His Republican rival, the aloof Thomas Dewey, was widely thought to be a shoe-in. These two major party candidates were flanked on the far left by the Progressive Henry Wallace, and on the far right by white supremacist Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond.
The Last Campaign exposes the fascinating story behind Truman’s legendary victory and turns a probing eye toward a by-gone era of political earnestness, when, for “the last time in this century, an entire spectrum of ideologies was represented,” a time before television fundamentally altered the political landscape.
Customer Reviews:
I love this stuff........2003-01-16
But I'm a historical, political junkie. As it happens this book is very relevant today. Senator Trent Lott has been having problems with his segregationist toasts at Senator Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party & there hasn't been so much interest in the 1948 election since.... 1948.
1948 was a watershed election on several levels. It was the last elections of an old era of politics & at the same time, the first of a new. There were four major canidates. President Truman got down & dirty. His vitriolic, uncompromising partisanship would be unacceptable today. At the other end of the spectrum, milk-sop Governor Dewey, the big favorite, was too cool, emotionless & refused to fight. That stand pat attitude wouldn't fly today. Then Governor Thurmond was a southern Democrat, at best a segregationist & proud of it. He ran a credible campaign in the south & captured the electoral college in three states. Henry Wallace did not get any electoral votes. He was a former vice president & could have caused a constitutional crisis in several states where he was popular. Seen as the peace at any price canidate he was controlled by the communist & considered by some as Stalin's stooge. He forced president Truman to campaign a little further to the left than he wanted. That's four different major canidates. It will not happen again. It was the last campaign in which major canidates traveled by train in extensive whistle-stop fashion. Radio & newspapers were the media. Television was first used at the conventions but was primitive & did not impact on the election. As in todays campaigns a major concern was money, campaign financing & contributors. Governor Thurmond was always strapped for cash & got a little help from oil companies anxious to drill for oil in the gulf. Wallace actually charged admission to his campaign appearances. Then there were polls, polls & polls. However, polling was not the exact science it is today. Thus polling organizations missed some key demographics. They predicted for Dewey & we know what happened. One of my favorite photos of all time is DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN. Mr. Karabell pulls the whole election together in an informative & entertaining manner. Definitely five stars.
A great book about a great campaign........2002-08-04
Looking at the 1948 election one always wonders how Harry Truman did it. Not only did the polls show him way behind, not only did the Republicans as usual have more money, but Truman's party was split three ways. Zachary Karabell not only makes Truman's victory make sense, but he does so in a very readable way.
First of all, the Wallace and Thrumond movements probably helped Truman much more than they hurt him. Wallace was so far left that Truman was able to move himself far enough to the left to take back most of Wallace's voters while still looking like a moderate to most voters in comparison to Wallace. Thurmond and his Dixiecrats actually suprised Truman and his staff. They had assumed Truman could push for civil rights and that the south would grumble and complain but in the end would have no choice but to support Truman. Still, the black votes Truman picked up ended up being far more important to Truman than the few votes Thurmond actually took from him. Black voters were still not a block that could be counted on for Democrats in 1948. In the long run however, those people in the south who voted for Thurmond in 1948 found that voting against the Democratic candidate was fairly easy and the "solid south" would in a few decades be solidly Republican.
Truman and his staff decided the polished Harry wasn't working so it was decided to let Truman be Truman. Being a Missouri farmer there was a lot of populism in Truman and it came out in 1948. People then and Karabell now accuse Truman of promoting class conflict. In 1948 and today that is always the charge against anyone who dares to attack the greedy few who run Wall Street and for the most part, the country. I am always proud when one of our leaders tries to point out to the average American what is really being done to them and find myself at odds with Karabell on this point but it does not hurt the overall book and the reader should make up his on mind about Truman's populism.
Dewey carried scars from the 1944 campaign into 1948. In '44 he had attacked Roosevelt, probably too much and was convinced that was what cost him the election. So, in 1948 he refused to attack Truman at all. No matter what Truman said about him Dewey said nothing. Dewey in fact was probably the first candidate of the television era. He said nothing that might offend anyone. By the end of the campaign there were warning signs of a Truman come back but Dewey and his people refused to notice. One of Dewey's top backers, E. F. Hutton tried to warn Dewey that if he didn't start to respond to Truman's attacks he was going to get beat. This book is well worth five stars for this one line. "E.F. Hutton spoke, but no one listened."
Buy this book. When someone complains that today's milk toast campaigns are too dirty hand them this work and tell them to read it. We need more campaigns like 1948 where there is a clear choice for the voter. Our system is drowning in Dewey like candidates who refuse to offend anyone. No wonder people don't vote. Before you hand Karabell's book to someone else be sure to read it yourself. Love Truman or hate him, this book will help you understand him.
provocative and fun.......2001-10-28
Zachary Karabell has written an exciting account of the 1948 election, surely one of the most dramatic presidential elections ever. Not only does he capture the two main candidates - Harry Truman and Tom Dewey - he also brings the two other candidates to life and shows how Strom Thurmond and the Dixiecrats on the one hand and Henry Wallace and the Progressives on the other played a vital role in the ultimate outcome of the unexpected Truman victory. Though it was written before the strangeness of the 2000 election, the book remains relevant to today's political questions, especially the question of why presidential politics have become so vacuous. One of Karabell's central themes, about the role of television in American politics, is also thought-provoking. Though he doesn't seem to be overly nostaglic for the pre-television camapign, he does place some of the blame for contemporary politics squarely on the shoulders of television. Not everyone will agree, but the fact that the book is more than just an entertaining story gives it a richness that many cut-and-dry history books lack.
1948: An electoral mystery.......2001-10-23
Forget FDR. Forget JFK. Forget Reagan. When it comes to naming the President that Presidents themselves most often seek to emulate, Harry Truman takes the prize. At one point or another, all first-term Presidents will go through an intense period of scrutiny where their ability to win a second term is called into question. Without fail, they'll play the Truman card, promise to bring `em hell, and rally from behind to win when no one thinks they can make it.
Zachary Karabell has written a book assessing the validity of the Truman '48 mythology. Though he is the first to admit that no one will ever know for sure exactly why Truman was able to overcome a double-digit deficit and win decisively, the things he hints at probably come pretty close to the truth: undecided voters breaking massively for an unloved incumbent in a time of peace and prosperity; Thomas Dewey's refusal to attack or engage Truman's attacks; the fact that Dewey really had no message, leaving an open field for Truman's grating anti-Wall Street boilerplate to sweep the farm belt; and pollsters' refusing to recognize that the race had in fact tightened - all of these things took their toll on Dewey's inevitability and contributed to the greatest electoral shocker of the last century. Similar factors were probably at play in creating the squeaker of an election we had last year, where George Bush's last-minute lead evaporated by Election Day.
There is no doubt that Karabell really is an engaging writer. But it is also true that he is better at asking questions than answering them. Karabell has a strong sense of the basic questions he needs to answer in the beginning of the book: Why was Truman was so unpopular, even among Democrats? Who was Tom Dewey, and what was his appeal? Unfortunately, the answers he gives seem superficial at best. Karabell explains Dewey simply by saying he was a bland politician whose views were not well known. The Dewey-as-cipher theory sounds a little bit like a cop-out, especially when I have read more detailed portraits of Dewey in chapter-length accounts of the 1948 election. Karabell praises Dewey for taking a principled stand against outlawing the Communist party, but doesn't explore why Dewey believed that and doesn't really probe the philosophical differences between Dewey and his main Republican competitors. And Karabell's extensive re-telling of the Thurmond and Wallace third party campaigns does sometimes come at the expense of covering the two major candidates, especially Dewey, the man most people really did think would be the next President.
A Very Good, but still flawed campaign history..........2001-08-13
Dr. Zachary Karabell's "The Last Campaign" focuses on the legendary 1948 presidential campaign - one of those rare campaigns which are remembered and discussed decades after they took place (as, I suspect, the 2000 campaign will be discussed by historians fifty years from now). The primary reason this campaign has achieved "legendary" status is because of the fact that President Truman won the election when practically every poll and every "political expert" showed that he was a certain loser. The shock and surprise of his victory - and the Republican defeat - would have major consequences on the 1950's and beyond. The 1948 campaign is indeed a great story, and the dramatic events of that year seem like something out of a suspenseful novel. Unfortunately for Dr. Karabell, there have already been two excellent books written solely about the 1948 campaign, and while they are both more than thirty years old, they are both better than "The Last Campaign". Jules Abel's "Out of the Jaws of Victory", and Irwin Ross' "The Loneliest Campaign" provide an even better and more in-depth story of the 1948 election than does Karabell. Karabell's book is well-written and at times even witty. Unlike most historians, Karabell does accurately point out that Truman's famous upset was not simply the victory of a "plain-talking", folksy Truman over a "packaged" and artificial Republican opponent. Truman's famous "Give'em Hell" campaign was just as calculated and "packaged" as was his Republican opponent. Karabell is also right on the mark when he points out that Truman's upset was brought about when Truman ran a very negative and divisive campaign filled with nasty references to Dewey and all Republicans as "gluttons of privilege" and the like. Many historians, such as David McCullough in "Truman" refuse to point out that Truman's harsh rhetoric and language are what led to his victory, and also so infuriated the Republicans that they declared war on Truman in 1949, and unleashed their own demagogues, such as Joe McCarthy, to smear Truman and the Democrats as Communists or Communist sympathizers. Dewey, meanwhile, ran a campaign that was a model of what most Americans say they want in a candidate - he was upbeat, refused to attack the Democrats or even mention Truman's name, and emphasized the need to bring Americans "together" after the election. But if Karabell is right about the reality of Truman's harsh campaign, his other analysis is much less successful. Karabell's thesis is basically that television - which came to the fore after 1948 - has "ruined" our presidential campaigns by turning them into bland, boring contests in which images and style are more important than issues and substance. This complaint has been voiced in virtually every political era (it might amuse some people to know that in 1948 there were growing complaints among critics about the "issueless" politics of the time), and Karabell never really proves that the "issues" in 1948 were adequately discussed. A big part of Karabell's argument is that the two third parties in 1948 - Strom Thurmond's right-wing, racist States Rights' (or "Dixiecrat") Party, and Henry Wallace's left-wing "Progressive" Party made 1948 the "last" year in which the voters of America were offered a "genuine" choice of candidates. However, this book was published during the 2000 campaign, which as in 1948 featured two centrist candidates (Gore and Bush), a genuine left-winger (Ralph Nader's Green Party), and a genuine racist right-winger (Pat Buchanan's Reform Party). It's hard to be nostalgic for the past when you've got a strikingly similiar campaign happening in the present! The difference between 1948 and 2000 is that whereas the two third parties in 1948 couldn't keep Truman from winning the election - they simply cut into his victory margin - in 2000 the two third parties DID prevent Gore from beating Bush (by taking votes away from Gore in Florida and elsewhere). In short, Karabell's "The Last Campaign" is a well-written, but somewhat superficial and analytically flawed, look at the most famous upset in presidential politics. But I'd still say that the two older books on the 1948 campaign I mentioned above are better.
Book Description
In this invaluable account, President Truman provides extraordinary insight into events and decisions that have shaped the world we live in. The momentous year, 1945, witnessed the accession of a new president in wartime, the first use of atomic weaponry, the end of the war with Japan and the founding of United Nations. Engaging and informal, Truman's Memoirs display the sterling character of a man who, thrust into a job he neither sought nor wanted, proved to be one of the ablest men ever to hold the office of the presidency.
Customer Reviews:
Amazing.......2007-05-10
This memoir, written by Truman because he was badly in need of money, is nothing short of a masterpiece. Truman starts with the days leading up to FDR's death, and makes a special note of how the president looked very ill.
Truman spend two volumes going over his critical eight years in office, a time which included Korea, Communism, the fall of China, the beginnings of Joseph McCarthy, as well as Truman's amazing 1948 victory over New York governor Thomas Dewey.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the presidency. It is well written, and informative.
Book Description
Harry S. Truman is remembered today as an icon--the plain-speaking president, "Give 'em Hell Harry," the chief executive who put "The Buck Stops Here" on his desk. But Alonzo L. Hamby shows that there was more to Truman than the pugnacious fighter so prominent in popular memory. Insecure, ambitious, a man of honor, a partisan loyalist, an agrarian Jeffersonian Democrat who became a champion of big government, Truman was a complex figure who fought long and hard to triumph over his own weaknesses. In Man of the People, Hamby offers a gripping account of this distinctively American life, tracing Truman's remarkable rise from marginal farmer in rural Missouri to shaper of the postwar world. Truman comes alive in these pages as he has nowhere else, making his way from the farmhouse, to the front lines in France during World War I, to the difficult small-business world of Kansas City--all the time struggling with his deep feelings of inadequacy and immense ambition. Hamby provides an honest, incisive look at the rising politician's relationship with Kansas City political boss Tom Pendergast, who sponsored his career from the county court to the U.S. Senate. We see how Truman, a ferocious and skilled fighter in factional party battles, tried to balance his sense of honor with his political loyalties. Free of corruption himself, he nevertheless refused to repudiate Pendergast even when the boss was sinking under the weight of his ties to organized crime. Hamby also offers the best account yet of Truman's critical years in the Senate, covering not only his World War II probe of the defense program but also his neglected and revealing populist investigations of the railroads during the 1930s. He demonstrates that Truman was one of the most popular and respected members of the upper house. Hamby is particularly acute in his portrait of Truman's volatile presidency. He criticizes some aspects of the decision to drop the atomic bombs against Japan but concludes that, considered in context, the act was understandable and justified. Providing new insight into the Cold War, he identifies the Turkish and Iranian crisis of 1946 as crucial turning points in Truman's attitudes toward the Soviet Union. Thoroughly covering Truman's struggle for "liberalism in a conservative age," Hamby also sheds great light on the president's Fair Deal domestic program. Harry Truman, Hamby writes, was a flawed man--insecure, often petty and vindictive--yet one of the great presidents of the twentieth century. But Americans cherish him less for what he did than for who he was: an ordinary person who worked his way up the political ladder to the summit of power. In Man of the People, Alonzo L. Hamby provides a richly perceptive biography, giving us the best look yet at who Truman was, how he changed, and why he triumphed.
Customer Reviews:
Whatever you do, READ MCCULLOUGH BEFORE THIS!!!.......2007-10-11
I was unfortunately persuaded by a review of this book that it was a better one to start with than McCullough's Pulitzer-prize-winning book "Truman." So I gave it a try, but had to quit about 100 pages in because it was SO bad.
I suspect that Hamby (who wrote a book on Truman in 1972) had this book in the works when McCullough came out with his tour-de-force a few years before. Not wanting to lose out on his efforts to date, he packs his text with the most meaningless minutiae (eg, endless quotes of dollar figures regarding Harry's business ventures) just to show the reader, I think, how many hours he spent slogging through county records and such -- but at the cost of any flow to his narrative.
Now this is actually a very favorable spin on his writing, but I suspect the truth is that -- even without this junkyard of data -- he is not a writer capable of holding the reader's interest. SO many times while I was reading this book I kept a running argument with the author over why he was not providing more backstory to the events in Harry's life. When I finally dove into McCullough's book it was a man starved for oxygen finally breathing it in.
Perhaps the most telling part of Hamby's book is his dig on McCullough's book (p722). He describes it as "a nicely told story but (despite its length) episodic and lacking much in the way of historical perspective." From this I can assure Hamby that he has succeeded beyond his wildest expectations in producing a book that is A POORLY TOLD STORY. Congratulations.
As for his own implication that he, and not McCullough, has provided historical perspective for Truman's story, well, I guess he's right if "historical perspective" is defined as "a mind-numbing recitation of meaningless but accurate little facts."
Using the "forest-for-the-trees" analogy, McCullough is a pilot carrying you effortlessly over the forest with a flawless narration. Hamby is a blind stuttering lumberjack who gets off on the texture of tree bark while you quitely go insane with boredom. (My apologies to any blind stutterering lumberjacks who may take offense.)
Truman the man as president.......2002-03-15
This is one of the better biographies of a US President I have ever read. Hamby avoids the hero worship which plagues other authors and, instead, takes a frank look at the man and how he discharged his duties, public and private, throughout his life. I found this book invaluable resource for understanding the cold war and American politics in the middle of the 20th century.
Difficult reading........2000-11-22
I had a hard time getting through this book. The first half was pretty dull, and throughout the book the writing is workman-like, but not inspiring. As for the author's integrity, I would say the book is written fair-mindedly and with adequate research having been done.
An Excellent Biography of a Great President!.......2000-02-23
David Mccullough's book on Truman is great. It is well written, full of great information, and though many people think too pro-Truman it does show why he was a Great Man. Unfortuantely many professors and especially those with Revisionist Tendancies don't feel Mccullough's book is scholary. They see it as Pop History. I think this is academic snobbery, and also stubborness upon the part of the revionists to admit Truman was a great President. However, a good way to silence the revisonists and to read another great book on Truman is to read Hamby's Man of the People. Though a little more critical than Mccollough, Hamby again paints a great portrait of a great man. For whatever reasons, Hamby is considered more scholary and his book more scholary. Whatever makes our Professors happy. But regardless, this is a great book. Though long like Mccollough, it tells a great story. Hamby is a fine historian who was also on c-spans look at Truman for its President's series. So in short, a more "academic" but just as great book on Truman.
Superb bio without the mythology that has obscured Truman.......1999-01-22
Hamby uses the tools of a professional historian -- excellent documentation and sources, superb prose, and healthy skepticism -- to brilliantly move beyond the standard adoring view of Truman as a plain-talking, quick-deciding everyman. While he is shown to have been those things, he is also revealed to have shared much of the pettiness, anger, and impulsiveness that have marked many of his predecessors and successors. He is (surprize, surprize) a human being rather than an icon. Especially good is Hamby's narrative of the downhill trajectory of Truman's second term and the post-Potsdam evolution of his anti-communism. Historical biography at its absolute best. And by rendering Truman human, he ultimately produces a more admiring portrait than other books that set out to be adoring.
Books:
- Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs: Official Companion Book to the Exhibition sponsored by National Geographic
- Uncommon Wisdom: Conversations With Remarkable People
- Your Daily Walk with The Great Minds: Wisdom and Enlightenment of the Past and Present (Pocket Edition) (Spiritual Dimensions Series)
- 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
- Against All Odds: My Story
- Air Force (U.S. Military Series)
- America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It
- At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England
- Between Worlds: The Making of an American Life
- Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West
Books Index
Books Home
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John Adams
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