'Harry S. Truman' a look at the man from Missouri

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By CHARLES STEPHEN / For the Lincoln Journal Star

 (“Harry S. Truman” by Robert Dallek,  Times Books, 184 pages,  $22).

Jefferson called the presidency “a splendid misery,” and Harry Truman agreed, even writing, “I am in a position that is too big for me.”

And so it seemed as he stepped into the presidency at the death of Franklin Roosevelt. He was not prepared for the tasks that fell upon him in April 1945, and he soon was overwhelmed.

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This biography of Truman is part of what the publisher calls The American Presidents Series, short biographies of each of our presidents, written usually, but not always, by historians. Dallek has taught at several universities and has written several books on contemporary history, including a two-volume work on Lyndon Johnson.

Nazi Germany surrendered shortly after Truman became president, but Japan fought on, and Truman had to decide whether to bring the war to an end by using the atomic bomb. His military chiefs, deep into the planning of an invasion of Japan, estimated more than 250,000 U.S. deaths if we had to invade.

The war over, Truman had to slow down the rush to bring the troops home. The Soviet Union was swallowing up eastern Europe, and in China the struggle between the Communists and the Nationalists was heating up. At home labor was pushing for raises that had been put on hold during the war. Truman lifted the wartime price controls, and inflation followed. And in 1946 the Republicans took over the Congress for the first time since 1930. It was a rocky start for the new president.

But he was tough and fought back. He stood up to John L. Lewis, the flamboyant head of the United Mine Workers, and he pushed for civil rights legislation, which most Republicans opposed. He eked out a victory in the 1948 presidential election.

Then came Korea, a near-disaster, and the firing of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, an ego-driven man whom Dwight Eisenhower had once described as a great actor. MacArthur had defied Truman’s orders and tried to turn a limited war into a full-scale conflict with China. His dismissal gave Republicans a strong weapon against Truman as MacArthur was a legend among ordinary Americans (but not the soldiers).

At a congressional hearing that followed his dismissal, MacArthur admitted no errors of judgment and claimed the Joint Chiefs of Staff had supported him, which they, later in the hearings, strongly denied.

Truman did not run for re-election in 1952. With the passage of years his reputation has grown and the issues he pursued — the containment of the Soviets, civil rights and health care — have vindicated him and shown, as Dallek writes at the end, that “ultimate good sense and honesty… can ultimately produce a successful life” and presidency.

This is a small volume; readers who want a more complete picture of  Truman and his times could turn to David McCullough’s 1992 biography, called simply “Truman.”

Charles Stephen is co-host of "All About Books," heard weekly on NET Radio.