How Truman emerged from Roosevelt's shadow and remade the world.
Born 1884 in Lamar, Missouri his grandfather was a slave owner they were Presbyterians.. They moved to Independence Missouri. He acted as a Shabbos goy for Jewish Neighbors. Graduating at school he worked at a bank as he had no money to go to collage. When his father died he ran the farm for a decade. Aged 33 he went to reenlist in 1917 leading his Missouri National Guard where he earned respect with the Irish and German Catholic soldiers he led into combat till Armistice day. Returned home and joined Eddie Jacobson in the haberdashery business which failed and he took on himself to pay of the debt. He started his political career as a county judge then got into the senate.
FDR doctor warned him to make a good choice for Vice President and he would not survive a 4th term. FDR wanted to remain head of the Army to the end he lasted 82 days after the election. He chose Harry Truman as Harry had a reputation in the New Deal where he had dealt with Harry Hopkins and he set up a committee to check that the armaments companies were not overcharging the government and saved the fortune. Harry was 60 when he became the 33rd President with no planning for the role. He had been reluctant to accept the position of Vice President.
Truman, before Pearl Harbour attack had set up the Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program and had saved the taxpayer 10 to 15 billion in military spending. Look magazine called him one of ten most valuable civilians to help the war effort. In FDR forth election campaign he was against Dewey and could not take a chance. The 4th FDR term was with the smallest crowd as it would be an austere no frills affair. Despite FDR health he went to Yalta at a time when Zhukov was only 50 miles from Berlin.
On the way FDR met Ibn Saud who told him that the Arabs would never allow a Jewish State however he was the first head of state to form a close relationship with the king and Britain would not control Saudi Oil.
1945 April 12,,Truman was inaugurated. He sent the car to fetch his wife and daughter to be present. It would take another 6 month to beat Germany and still a year and a half to beat Japan? This was the consensus of the army Chiefs. They were already planning Operation Downfall to invade Japan. The war would only end with Unconditional Surrender.
Harry Hopkins was the best person who could tutor Truman on the situation. They knew each other from the New Deal years in 1933 when Hopkins was in Missouri directing laborer's to Public Works jobs. Truman had told the FDR staff that he was keeping them all on. Hopkins advised him he must slowly appoint his own people and so the first change he made was secretary of labour Francis Perkins was replaced by Clinton Anderson. Truman did not want a women in the cabinet. She had held this post for 12 years and had established Social Security.
The first speech that Truman gave at a join session of Congress and on the radio he scored a triumph despite not having FDRs skills. With Molotov in the Oval office he said the US could not agree to an unelected Polish government, so already there was a postwar divergence between the US and Soviets. Through the Red Cross, Himmler had proposed a surrender on the Western side but to keep fighting the Russians. But Truman, Churchill agreed it has to be a complete surrender.
1945 April 30, Hitters death followed by May 8th V-E day end of war in Europe. Truman gave a solemn speech that day and that the war against Japan has to be completed. The day ended with a birthday party for Truman with some of his pals and the Whitehouse cook presented him with a birthday cake. ~Afterwards Truman went into the kitchen that thank both the black and white staff. The old staff observed this was the first time since Herbert Hoover and it gave them the feeling that he really understood them.
Henry Morgenthau had plans to not rehabilitate Germany's economy and turn them into an agricultural country.
When Truman went to Potsdam he had an afternoon to wander around bombed out Berlin and its stench and saw processions of hundred of old men, women and children wondering aimlessly along the autobahn and the depths of despair. The meeting took place in the Cecilienhof Palace build by Wilhelm II for his son. A council of foreign minister would negotiate the peace treaties. The Soviets realized that they had to speed up making the Atomic bomb as Leo Szilard had warned on Nuclear Proliferation. The Soviet spy Klaus Fuchs had handed over all the information needed on Atomic research. Truman said that they would not recognize of Eastern Europe unless that were reorganized under democratic lines. Harry Hopkins was sent to Moscow and reported back that it was all window dressing as the Society would never allow free elections in Poland. Truman allowed Poland to take a large swath of Germany as compensation for Soviet land taken from Poland and Germany would permanently be spit in and never unified.
Douglas Mac Author was appointed commander of all Allied forces, ground , sea and air. This he would command Operation Downfall, by FDR over 5 Star General Admiral Nimitz and Truman just accepted this.
Before the atomic bomb was dropped it was discussed if they should warn the Japanese where it would land but were worried that POWs would be brought to that spot. They had to plan 2 bombs to be convincing the the bomb was not a one time thing but there were lots more, even though it would be more than a week for the 3rd one. Truman considered that the saving a quarter of a million young American soldiers was worth Japans loss of a couple of cities. Stimson also warned Truman that they should be wary of the Soviets in the far east and especially Korea. The same Polish Question of the Far East. The Soviets planned to occupy Manchuria, North Korea and the Sakhalin and Kerile Islands.
1945 August 28 US occupation of Japan began at Atsugi, where a Airforce base was later set up. MacArthur set up as Viceroy over the 80 million Japanese. In Korea north of parallel were ordered to surrender to the Soviets and south to the Americans. North Vietnam to surrender to the Nationalist Chinese and south to France.
Back home Truman had to deal with returning to peace time production and demobilizing 12.2 million active soldiers by the end of 1945. Also 1.8 million workers lost their war time jobs. This was urgent as it had been predicted the war would last another year, even though the conversion to peace plans were ready. There had been price controls and they could not be eased to quickly. Because of war time wage controls companies had made big profits and unions would press for wage increases. There was a post war demand for consumer products and big war time savings thus inflation could be expected.
The Marshal Plan amongst other things resulted in American products being sold to Europe and forced Europe to cooperate laid the groundwork for economic integration. It created economic stability with democracy. It helped the rebuilding of factories and made communism less attractive.
1944 June The GI bill had been signed by FDR. Truman appointed Bradley revitalized the Veteran Administration between 1945 and 1947 before he replaced Eisenhower as chief of Staff. However he did nothing to improve the benefits of African Americans and female Veterans. Vets could get guaranteed loans for farms and businesses, but black veterans had to struggle for the GI rights. The GI bill changed many lives and democratized the country this is what made The Greatest Generation, but it would take another year before Truman addressed civil rights.
Truman wanted Eleonor Roosevelt on his team as she had great influence with Negro voters. She was put on the US delegation for the first UN conference in London.
Because Congress failed to deal with labour relations and preferred Truman to deal with it through executive orders it resulted in massive work stoppages, inflation and product shortages and Truman approval rating dropped.
Steel was important to the health of the US economy and all the steel mills workers went on strike. An increase in the price of steel was authorized and this solved the problem..
Ernest Bevin the British foreign minister confronted the Soviets especially about their occupation of Azerbaijan in norther Persia. The US realized that it needed sufficient force ready to use and the concept of Soviet Containment started a idea by George Kennan. Churchill said that Russia does not want a war but wants the fruits of war and indefinite expansion. Negotiations should be conducted with strength backing up the west.
Truman had to deal with a coal strike and also a strike of railway workers. Clifford Clark wrote a speech for Truman where he said this was not a contest between the government and Labour but between Labour and the management of Whitney and Johnson. The result is that thousand will not be able to get back to their loved ones and people will die. He announced that as Commander in Chief he would get Congress to order the army to operate the trains. The strike ended the next day. The Union of mineworkers negotiations between the Union and Operators got nowhere so Truman ordered the Federal government to get involved. This gave mineworkers federal safety rules, better wages and health funds and retirement packages. Thus the union could claim a victory.
By executive order Truman establish in 1946 The Presidential Committee on Civil Rights. 1947 At Lincoln Memorial, Washington was the first time the US president had addressed a NAACP platform, next to its leader Walter White, and Eleonor Roosevelt. This event had been coordinated with the White House and Truman promised to deliver a major declaration of government policy in front of thousands of spectators and over numerous radio stations
In 1948 he signed an executive order integrating the army, and banned discrimination in Federal hiring.
George Marshall was put in charge of Americas foreign policy because of his stature, judgement and ability. 1947 Marshall arrived in Moscow after stops in Paris and Berlin where he had seen the winter of 1946/1947was the coldest since 1880 with coal shortages in England and throughout the continent, with unheated home , frozen pipes and deaths of exposure. Germanies capacity to produce coal, steel and machinery was the key to Europe's recovery and would provide a market for German goods. The Soviets wanted Western Europe to slide into ruin and chaos rendering it ripe for Soviet influence and domination. The US had to finance so they could get the supplies to sustain life and stop disintegration. In the end a total of 93 billion worth of surplus good over a period of 3 years was supplied. This was supposed to be the Truman Concept but Truman said that the worst Republican can vote for it if it is named after the General. The plan was offered to Eastern Europe and Soviet who did not want western influence Molotov rejected it and Stalin forces 6 Soviet satellites not to take it. At the same time George Kennan in Japan said this same plan has to stabilize and revitalize Japans economy.
In a speech delivered to a joint session of Congress, Truman for the first time called out that the Soviets were the villain of the Cold War.
1947 The Rio Pact, officially the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR), was a collective security agreement for the Americas, Organized by Marshall and Truman delivered a speech. This mentioned Article 5 that later became part of NATO.
1947 To secure these rights was a long awaited document and became the basis of Civil Rights after that it that catapulted civil rights to the forefront and was a political bombshell that spilt the Democratic Party. Even FDR with all his political skills would not have risked alienating the Southern Democrats.
Berlin Crises. to be added 1948/49
Election of Truman
The polls pundits and media were predicting for of the Republican Thomas Dewey , Governor of NY to win an overwhelming victory so it was not easy to raise money for Truman. The leaders of the Black Americans decided that Truman was really serious when he talked about civil Rights and knew he would not be getting support from Southern Democrats and called for a collection to support him.. Knowing that more women would be voting in the election than ever before and women were worried about rising food prices " Housewives for Truman" was organized. In his whistle stop campaigns Truman accused the "Wall Street big business and glutens of privilege " which was a code name for Tom Dewey. In farming areas he warned the the previous Republican Administration of Harding, Coolidge and Hoover were "do nothing" governments. When their were bumper grain harvest the farmers were forces to sell it immediately at whatever price was offered because the government had not build storage bins. He took part in the Iowa ploughing competition to show he was once a dirt farmer like them. While Dewey knew nothing about growing wheat, corn and soybeans.
In Hollywood Ronald Reagan the president of the Screen Actors guild introduced him. The Berlin Wall Crises was on and Truman claimed that he was the best to deal with Soviet aggression. Dewey also campaigned on trains but only stopped at big cities. The Day after the election the Chicago Daily Tribune came out with headlines Dewey beats Truman. Once Truman won he no longer felt he was under the shadow of Roosevelt. His inauguration speech was meant to be on domestic issues. However his advisors told him he had to talk about foreign policy for the next 4 years. The setting up of the United Nations, Marshall Plan and the defense of Europe and by setting up NATO. To contain the Soviets a 4 point plan was set up to improve growth of underdeveloped nation by taking the them technical assistance, since more than half the population lived in poverty and misery, This was a forerunner for AID and the Peace Corps.
In Japan Mac Arthurs Deconstruction Law where he wanted reform and purge the Industrial leaders who had supported the war. However Truman gave instructions must raise production to get the economy going. Joseph Dodge a Detroit banker who had been successful in Germany was sent to Japan. Truman had supported MacArthur's reforms in Japan between 1945 to 1947 giving women the vote, free elections , land reform, private property protection and constitutional rights.
Truman now had another reason to recognize Israeli it had taken all Jews from displaced peoples camps in occupied Germany. Now there were Jews and others in these camps who had fled from Eastern Europe. Truman's executive order was to open a consulate near the camps to allow them to get US visas. Thousand of exiled Polish Army veterans as well as Greek, and German expellees as well as people who had fled from the Far East. Truman had fought hard to help refugees despite the 1924 quota system.
Epilogue-- By winning the 1948 election Truman no longer felt under the shadow of FDR and could make his own decisions. He had been frustrated by Roosevelt dereliction of duty in not informing him of both foreign and domestic affairs before he died. Roosevelt was always to be careful that nobody else took credit for any accomplishment.
Roosevelt was the first President who had a library opened in his name. Truman had served 8 years minus 82 days.
In 1952 when Eisenhower was elected Truman immediately sent for him to help pass on the office in an organized way.
1965 Lyndon Johnson came to the Truman Library in Independence Missouri where he sighed the Medicare Bill in Truman's presence. Both Truman and his wife were buried at his Library.
Note: This book ends with Truman's only election to the Presidency The transition of power from FDR to Truman was a remarkable success. The term from 1948 to 1952 is not covered.
No comments:
Post a Comment