I.

Introduction

Harry S. Truman (1884-1972), 33rd president of the United States (1945-1953). Truman initiated the foreign policy of containing Communism, a policy that was the hallmark of the Cold War. He continued the welfare policies established under his predecessor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Truman helped to centralize power in the executive branch, a trend begun under Roosevelt.

Truman’s willingness to accept responsibility for difficult decisions made him one of the most controversial of presidents. Throughout his administration, Truman failed to rally congressional support for most of his program of domestic legislation, called the Fair Deal. However, he did secure sufficient legislative backing to produce an outstanding record in foreign affairs, especially in meeting what most Americans felt was the challenge posed by the rising power of the Communist bloc. During Truman’s administration the United States became a charter member of the United Nations (UN) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); sponsored important foreign policy initiatives known as the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan (officially called the European Recovery Program), and Point Four Program; and assumed a leading role in the fighting in the Korean War (1950-1953).

Truman’s ability to face situations squarely was well illustrated on November 1, 1950. Two Puerto Rican nationalists attempted to assassinate him at Blair House, his temporary residence during renovations at the White House. Truman’s comment: “A president has to expect those things.”