Choosing Truman: The Democratic Convention of 1944

By Robert H. Ferrell

Book Overview

As Franklin D. Roosevelt's health deteriorated in the months leading up to the Democratic National Convention of 1944, Democratic leaders confronted a dire situation. Given the inevitability of the president's death during a fourth term, the choice of a running mate for FDR was of profound importance. The Democrats needed a man they could trust. They needed Harry S. Truman. Robert Ferrell tells an engrossing tale of ruthless ambition, secret meetings, and party politics. Roosevelt emerges as a manipulative leader whose desire to retain power led to a blatant disregard for the loyalty of his subordinates and the aspirations of his vice presidential hopefuls. Startling in its conclusions, impeccable in its research, Choosing Truman is an engrossing, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the nation's thirty-third president.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0826213081
• ISBN13: 9780826213082
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: University of Missouri Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.1" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Postsecondary to Grade 5

Customer Reviews

Deja vu

I remember how avidly (at age 15)I followed by radio the excitement which was the 1944 Democratic Convention. This little book does an excellent job of trying to tell what happened behind the scenes, and reads like a novel--where one must continually remind oneself that it IS going to come out all right, that Truman will be nominated, that he will go on to be an outstanding President, and that some things do work out for the best. An entralling and fascinating book, it brought back to me all the excitement which permeated Chicago and the people who were following what went on there in those momentous July days in 1944.