33. HARRY TRUMAN (part 2)
Second Term: Before he was even sworn in for his full term, President Truman introduced a series of bills that he called the Fair Deal as a compliment to FDR’s New Deal programs. He wouldn’t have the same success getting them passed, however, as the still Republican controlled congress would be much less responsive. He did get three of the bills passed, one with the help of Robert Taft of all people.
But most of his bills, including a proposal for national Health Insurance, fell to deaf conservative ears. Still, it was Truman who first pushed the idea of health insurance and future Presidents, notably Lyndon Johnson and Barack Obama, would get improvements in National health plans.
Truman had bigger problems to face in this term and it went beyond the Cold War. Actually, the Cold War had a very sinister effect at home thanks to an opportunistic, and possibly even evil, Senator named Joseph McCarthy. While there already was something of a Red Scare that actually dated back to Woodrow Wilson, McCarthy would make it full blown after he accused the State Department of harboring Communists. This hysteria spread to practically all professions and nearly devastated the movie industry. If you were called to testify at one of McCarthy’s hearings, you could be sure you would be labeled a Communist, especially if you were asked the damning question, “Are you or have you ever been a member of the Communist party.” Thanks to the shenanigans of not only McCarthy, but of J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI, the late forties and much of the fifties would go down as one of the darkest periods in American History.
And who was a Communist exactly? Well, of course, anyone who was to the left of, well, Joseph McCarthy of course. President Truman would later condemn the House Un-American Committee in particular by calling it the most Un-American thing in the country.
Truman’s biggest Achilles heel though would be the Korean War, which broke out in 1950. By now, the US was in a full-fledged war against Communism in general. Korea was in the throes of a civil war between the Communist North and the non- Communist South (South Korea wasn’t exactly Democratic in those days either). The United Nations got involved and sent a multi-national force, led by the US, to battle the invading North Koreans, erroneously thought to be backed by Stalin.
As it turned out, and as we know now, North Korea was led by the wacky authoritarian Kim-Il Sung family and it was Kim Il Sung that initiated the invasion.
Since the US thought they were actually fighting the Soviets, they went all in. Meanwhile, the Soviets announced that they had the bomb, sparking the US to develop an even more powerful Hydrogen Bomb. The arms race was getting hot.
Douglas MacArthur, the scourge of the Bonus Army but the hero of the Philippines during World War II, was appointed to lead the troops in the Korean theatre. He, no doubt too, though he was fighting the Soviets.
But it was Communist China that would get into the act. With the war itself not going well for either side, MacArthur made a suggestion that the United States nuke China. That and some other ill thought out ideas irked Truman to the point that he fired MacArthur. Yes, he was right to do so, but it all but sealed his presidency to doom.
And, with his popularity at an all-time low, Truman decided not to run for a full second term in 1952. He would spend that year attempting, and failing, to negotiate a way out of the Korean War. He also famously seized the Steel Industry in an attempt to avert a strike. That also proved unpopular, and the Supreme Court even ruled it unconstitutional.
So, Truman left the White House an unpopular man. It would take the retrospective lens of history to redeem, perhaps, one of the most accountable Presidents in our history.
Post Presidency: Truman’s post presidency proved to be much more popular than his presidency had been. He was very vocal in his opinions on Presidential decisions in particular. He was not a fan of President Eisenhower and actively campaigned against him. He was also a booster of Adlai Stevenson who would run against Eisenhower twice. He wasn’t really that big a fan of Kennedy either though he did support him in the 1960 election. He had a warmer relationship with Lyndon Johnson, however. And, of course, he absolutely hated Nixon.
Truman’s last years, and he had many, were fairly comfortable for the most part. His standing in the history books was on the upswing and there was even a play about him called, Give Em’ Hell Harry. The Buck Stops Here was a Truman slogan that now was standing the test of time. And, though he lived a quiet life for the most part, he no doubt reveled in the fact that his noted cantankerousness was making him more popular than ever.
Truman passed away right after Christmas 1972, at the ripe old age of 88.
Odd notes: Truman’s middle name was S. The S stood for nothing.
His daughter, Margaret, was notorious for playing the piano- badly.
Final Summary: Okay, first the bad news. Harry Truman was definitely a flawed man.
Now the good news; he was the first person that would admit he was a flawed man. Yes, he was honest to a fault and, while he had his personal peeves, obviously, he didn’t let that control his decisions. He had a knack for doing the right thing even if it meant losing the Presidency. It’s why his legacy is so strong today.
He looks pretty good in my eyes too, especially when it comes to civil rights. Yes, I know, Lincoln freed the slaves and LBJ signed the Civil Rights Bill among other things, but Truman is right up there with them and, in some ways, even superior to Lincoln. I mean, Lincoln freed the slaves, but what else did he do? Truman forced white America to see blacks as equals, at least in the Armed Forces anyway.
Of course, he did make his mistakes, notably with Korea, but also with a few moments that could be construed as anti-union, probably not his intent, but certainly not popular.
But he was possibly the most stand-up President we ever had, and he also was one of the few who dared to stand up the scourge of McCarthyism when it was not very wise to do so. And why not? He was already unpopular in 1952 anyway.
So, what did he have to lose?
Overall rating: B+
https://millercenter.org/president/truman