"Never had fate shoehorned so much history into such a short period." The Accidental President, A. J. Baime
His first response was "No." Truman did not want the position of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's new Vice President.
But FDR commanded it, and Harry S. Truman had to agree.
FDR was not a well man when he took office for a fourth term. And when he died on April 12, 1945, Truman said, "the whole weight of the moon and stars fell on me."
"Who the hell is Harry Truman?"
The Accidental President by A. J. Baime focuses on Truman's first four months in the presidency, portraying Truman as an unknown 'Everyman' kept out of FDR's loop, but who quickly gained the nation's trust and approval while tackling huge challenges. He came into the job with only a layman's knowledge of international politics but scrambled to catch up. Monumental decisions awaited.
Baime offers a condensed biography and profile of Truman and a detailed recreation of his first four months in the presidency. It is daunting to consider what this failed businessman with a high school degree had to contend with! His straight talking, systematic thinking, and unpretentious style was refreshing and his staff was surprised, and appreciative, of his competence.
When Truman took office, the U.S. Army was fifty-seven miles from Berlin. General Dwight Eisenhower had discovered the horrors of Nazi death camps. General LeMay was ruthlessly firebombing Japan, while Japan was sending out mass suicide missions of Kamikaze pilots. Iwo Jima was captured but a third of the American landing force had died.
The Soviets had suffered huge losses battling the Nazis. They wanted payback. Liberating Poland and Austria, they installed puppet regimes. Prime Minister Winston Churchill wrote, "An iron curtain is drawn down upon their front."
What to do with Germany had to be decided. Already the Soviets were plundering, hauling away everything they could. If the Soviets joined in war against Japan, they would want a part of Japan, too. Truman could not allow a Soviet presence in Japan.
All of Central Europe's infrastructure had collapsed. Seven million persons were displaced without food or coal for heating. Children suffered from malnutrition.
Yugoslavia wanted a piece of Italy. Chaing Kai-shek and Mao Tse-tung had divided China.
The United Nations was yet to be organized, it's future unknown.
Would the U.S. recognize the new state of Israel?
The American wartime economy was thriving, but what would happen when the war contracts ended and servicemen returned home?
Churchill, who would soon lose his position as Prime Minister, Truman, and Stalin gathered at Potsdam. Truman need all his poker skills when facing off with Stalin. In his pocket was the upcoming test of the most terrible weapon ever known. If used against Japan, would it mean the end of civilization?
Reading about this tumultuous time was exciting and disconcerting. The whole world I grew up in was determined during these first months of 1945.
In his notes, Bamie states that history is a kind of myth that morphs through time as new evidence is unearthed and interpretations arise. The author spent three years sifting through original sources, diaries, and documents, ferreting out "new accession" including oral histories.
I enjoyed this highly readable and informative study.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair an unbiased review.
The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World
by A. J. Baime
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication October 24, 2017
Hardcover $30.00
ISBN 9780544617346
No comments:
Post a Comment