He testified before Congress to have money appropriated to have presidential papers copied and organized. Truman's predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, had organized his own presidential library, but legislation to enable future presidents to do something similar had not been enacted. The only other living former president at the time, Herbert Hoover, also took the pension, even though he did not need the money; reportedly, he did so to avoid embarrassing Truman. He wrote, "Bonds, land, and cash all come from savings of presidential salary and free expense account. It should keep you and Margaret comfortably." He likely had around $7,500 (equivalent to $131,000 in 2024) in cash and government bonds when nominated for vice president. Eisenhower defeated Stevenson decisively in the general election, ending 20 years of Democratic presidents.

Dropping atomic bombs on Japan

• Truman was a strong supporter of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which established a formal peacetime military alliance with Canada and democratic European nations of the Western Bloc following World War II.
• A 1947 report by the Truman administration titled To Secure These Rights presented a detailed ten-point agenda of civil rights reforms.
• Eisenhower defeated Stevenson decisively in the general election, ending 20 years of Democratic presidents.
• In that speech, Truman laid out the need to end discrimination, which would be advanced by the first comprehensive, presidentially proposed civil rights legislation.
• The final tally showed the president had secured 303 electoral votes, Dewey 189, and Thurmond only 39.

In August, the Japanese government refused surrender demands as specifically outlined in the Potsdam Declaration. Truman loved to spend as much time as possible playing poker, telling stories and sipping bourbon. Truman had been vice president for 82 days when President Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945. In an event that generated negative publicity for Truman, he was photographed with actress Lauren Bacall sitting atop the piano at the National Press Club as he played for soldiers. In one of his first acts as vice president, Truman created some controversy when he attended the disgraced Pendergast's funeral. Truman envisioned the office as a liaison between the Senate and the president.

• Truman’s second inauguration on January 20, 1949, was the first ever televised nationally.
• The latter clause did not apply to Truman’s situation in 1952 because of a grandfather clause exempting the incumbent president.
• Activities of the Truman Committee ranged from criticizing the “dollar-a-year men” hired by the government, many of whom proved ineffective, to investigating a shoddily built New Jersey housing project for war workers.
• Truman had repeatedly said that he was not in the race and that he did not want the vice presidency, and he remained reluctant.
• We must not tolerate such limitations on the freedom of any of our people and on their enjoyment of basic rights which every citizen in a truly democratic society must possess.
• His leadership during the final stages of World War II, the beginning of the Cold War, and the Korean War reflects his commitment to U.S. interests and international stability.

Instead there were proxy wars, fought by client states and proxies of the United States and Soviet Union. Due to the antagonism on both sides and each countries' search for security, a tense worldwide contest developed between the two states as the two nations' governments vied for global supremacy militarily, culturally, and politically. Economic and propaganda warfare against the communist world became part of the American toolbox. The result was the Truman Doctrine of 1947–48 which made it national policy to contain Communist expansion.

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In that speech, Truman laid out the need to end discrimination, which would be advanced by the first comprehensive, presidentially proposed civil rights legislation. The main mission of the committee was to expose and fight waste and corruption in the gigantic government wartime contracts. Despite his supportive stance on civil rights during his presidency, Truman expressed criticism of the civil rights movement during the 1960s. Truman worked to garner private donations to build a presidential library, which he donated to the federal government to maintain and operate—a practice adopted by his successors. In February 1948, the president submitted a civil rights agenda to Congress that proposed creating several federal offices devoted to issues such as voting rights and fair employment practices.
Is flat a good deal of the time—more last night than at any time we have heard her in past years … When Attorney General J. Howard McGrath fired the special prosecutor in early 1952 for being too zealous, Truman fired McGrath. The high court's reversal of Truman's order was one of the notable defeats of his presidency. Truman cited his authority as commander in chief and the need to maintain an uninterrupted supply of steel for munitions for the war in Korea. On November 1, 1950, Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempted to assassinate Truman at Blair House. Truman called the Act "the greatest danger to freedom of speech, press, and assembly since the Alien and Sedition Laws of 1798", a "mockery of the Bill of Rights" and a "long step toward totalitarianism".

Post-War Challenges and the Beginning of the Cold War: 1945-1947

In the November election, Truman defeated Republican Manvel H. Davis by 51–49 percent. St. Louis party leader Robert E. Hannegan's support of Truman proved crucial; he later brokered the deal that put Truman on the national ticket. In his first term, Truman spoke out against corporate greed and the dangers of Wall Street speculators and other moneyed special interests attaining too much influence in national affairs. Truman then thought he might serve out his career in some well-paying county sinecure; circumstances changed when Pendergast reluctantly backed him as the machine's choice in the 1934 Democratic primary election for the U.S. Also in 1926, he became president of the National Old Trails Road Association, and during his term he oversaw dedication of 12 Madonna of the Trail monuments to honor pioneer women.
The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 caused Truman advocates to claim vindication for Truman's decisions in the postwar period. After a review of information available to Truman about the presence of espionage activities in the U.S. government, Democratic Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan concluded that Truman was "almost willfully obtuse" concerning the danger of American communism. Upon turning 80 in 1964, Truman was feted in Washington, and addressed the Senate, availing himself of a new rule that allowed former presidents to be granted privilege of the floor. Truman's statement garnered a response from Martin Luther King Jr., who wrote a letter to the former president stating that he was "baffled" by the accusation, and demanded a public apology. Max Skidmore, in his book on the life of former presidents, wrote that Truman was a well-read man, especially in history. Nevertheless, the Trumans always lived modestly in Independence, and when Bess Truman died in 1982, almost a decade after her husband, the house was found to be in poor condition due to deferred maintenance.

When did Harry S. Truman serve as president?

Harry S. Trumanb (May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. All rights reserved.

He was defeated for reelection in 1924, but won election as presiding judge in the Jackson County Court in 1926. Today, visitors to Harry S. Truman National Historic Site can experience the surroundings Truman knew as a young man of modest ambition through his political career and final years as a former president. President Harry S Truman took America from its traditional isolationism into the age of international involvement. Official websites use .govA.gov website belongs to an official governmentorganization in the United States. In 2004, international relations scholars Rachel Kleinfeld and Matthew Spence founded the Truman National Security Project.

Truman was elected vice president in the 1944 presidential election and became president upon Roosevelt's death in April 1945. Between 1940 and 1944, he gained national prominence as the chairman of the Truman Committee, which aimed to reduce waste and inefficiency in wartime betory casino registration contracts. His term lasted just 82 days, however, during which time he met with the president only twice. The committee made it a practice to issue draft reports of its findings to corporations, unions, and government agencies under investigation, allowing for the correction of abuses before formal action was initiated. Truman’s domestic and foreign policies have a lasting impact on American history, shaping the nation’s approach to global conflict, economic recovery, and civil rights.