Harry S. Truman and the Bomb: A Documentary History

By: Truman Library Staff

Book by This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1881019128
• ISBN13: 9781881019121
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: High Plains
• Length: 125 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 0.8" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

The buck stops here

This was required reading for a graduate course in American history. In this engaging biography, Robert H. Ferrell, who has authored and edited eight previous books on Truman, does an admirable job of presenting the life and presidency of Harry S. Truman. Although one can detect Ferrell's admiration for Truman, one senses from the extensive notes, bibliography, and research conducted at the Truman Library as well as his willingness to criticize Truman for his mistakes, that Ferrell has written a very balanced biography of Truman. Ferrell's book is a good introductory biography of Truman's whole life; the first eight chapters are devoted to his life prior to his ascendancy to the presidency in 1945 after the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. One gets the sense that Truman was the last president of an earlier and simpler time in America. He was the last president who was not a college graduate nor was he well--off financially. Ferrell's biography captures the essence of what type of a man Truman was and what history and his fellow citizens perceived him as. "A plain-speaking, straight-talking, ordinary fellow (people thought) who did what he saw as his duty without turning his obligation into opportunity for personal gain" (179). Ferrell also exposed Truman's flaws such as being overprotective and too loyal to friends that had done wrong. Often he took it as a personal affront when anyone differed with him. Ferrell presents a few experiences from Truman's early years that formed his character. From farming, Truman gained a work ethic that served him well throughout his life. His experience as an artillery captain and battery commander during WWI was instrumental in proving to himself and others that he was a very capable and caring leader of men. This experience was instrumental in putting him on the path of a political life. His experience as a failed haberdasher and bank speculator in the 1920's caused Truman to be a fiscal conservative the rest of his life and a good steward of the government's money. In addition, he learned about and came to understand and respect ethnic minorities, such as Catholics and Jews, from his Army and haberdashery experiences. Thus, Ferrell astutely proved that understanding Truman's early life experiences are instrumental if one wants to properly analyze Truman's decision-making process in the domestic and foreign policy arena. "The Buck Stops Here" placard on Truman's desk has become legendary in presidential history. One of his secretaries of state, Dean Acheson, admired Truman for capably understanding the complexities of a situation and his willingness to make a hard decision without vacillating. Truman was adept at gathering all of the facts in a timely manner, listening to people's opinions and turning the options over in his mind, and then when he arrived at what he thought was the correct decision, he made it and stuck to his guns. Truman wound up making many important decisions that

A Needed Book!

Revisionist history upsets me very much. I especially dislike revisionist history dealing with the ending of the Second World War and the Cold War. Somehow, despite all common sense, reality, and historical evidence there are people who believe, write and teach that Harry S. Truman had alternative motives when he ended WWII by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.I am a big fan of Japanese history and culture. I love it. I have been to Japan two times. However, it can not be denied that Japan was not ready to surrender in August of 1945.The Bottom line is this, Harry Truman bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the Second World War. He did it to end the war quickly. He did it to save American lives. He did it to save Japanese civilians.Truman did not use the atomic bombs for nuclear diplomacy with the Russians. He did not use it because of racial biases. Fortunately this book, which is really a collection of documents sets the record straight.Harry Truman was a great president. He was honest and he was not afraid to make tough decisions. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was one of those tough but neccessary decisions that Truman fortunately had the moral courage to make.Historians and fans of history should look at this book and the documents discussed. Revisionists will unfortunately ignore the evidence and spread bad information. But in reality, this book helps set the record straight.