truman, president of the united states. distinguished senator from the state of missouri for ten years and vice president since the last national election, mr. truman brings to his new high office an understanding of the gigantic war effort. as chief of the famous truman committee on war production, his work was a vital factor in the vast allied war effort. and last summer's democratic national convention, harry truman was chosen as candidate with president roosevelt. his brilliant record hailed at the convention included leadership in legislation for the reciprocal tariff, or lend lease and the repeal of the neutrality act. in 1935, he had voted for the world court. and he had consistently given support to the progressive social program of the roosevelt administration. returning to washington with mr. roosevelt, harry truman was now the vice president elect. in his first speech after his inauguration, truman said in this shrinking world, no nation can live safely alone. peace loving nations must band together for the prese

to truman's credit truman has to listen to them. not all presidents listen. millard fillmore take the other vase and immediately fires the entire cabinet and is left without cabinet heads with her current moment is not the first time we've had a lot of vacancies in the cabinet. from asia to macarthur, he came from them. we talk about the close call. it is fascinating. i found myself overwhelmingly frustrated writing this book because i don't understand why we didn't get the importance of figuring out presidential succession and never treated it with any degree of seriousness we should take 3 presidents to be assassinated to decide it is a good idea to protect the president, we let the white house be overrun with office seekers and people who may or may not have been mentally ill and anybody had access to the president and the extent even by the time we start to protect the president we don't do it professionally, they use protection of the president as a patronage opportunity for their buddies from home. i would not want my buddies from home protecting me. i

then out stepped president truman, former president truman. i was astonished and i remember thinking he is in color. because we only had black-and-white television. and i think the fact that he had high color, he radiated good health made him seem just vital but a person. he certainly didn't seem like a little man to me. that moment he was 6 foot 8 but i never spoke to him, never met him. i often thought wouldn't it be interesting to go back in time, to reach out and touch him on the shoulder in 1956 that fall night and say i am going to write your biography someday but -- c-span: knowing what you know about him what would he think of this? >> guest: i am sure there is some of it he wouldn't like because this is after all an honest attempt to see the complete man with his flaws and faults too but i would hope in some he would think i understood him better than other people have. he was a more complicated, complex, keenly intelligent, thoughtful considerate man in the stereotype harry truman the portrait implies. he is james whitmore, give them

and he said why not harry truman? i looked into it and found that there was not a good biography of harry truman, there wasn't a complete life and times. this next chapter you are talking about, that part of his life is never been written before. comprising 20 years of his life. beyond that there was this immense collection of letters and diaries which he poured himself out on paper all of his life. he left a written personal revealing record unlike that of any president that i know of. i'm sure we will never have another president that leaves anything like that. we don't keep diaries much anymore. he did both his whole life was long before he ever realized he was going to be a figure in history. in one month to give you an example in 1947 when he was president and when his wife beth was back in independence, harry truman, the president of the united states, wrote to her 37 times and these weren't just import how are you, the weather has turned cool or whatever, these were real letters. >> host: did you ever find out?

he said well why not harry truman? i looked into it and i found there was not a good biography of harry truman. there is the complete life and times did this last chapter that you are talking about, that part of his life has never been written about before and it comprised of 20 years of his life, very important part of his life. beyond that there was this immense collection of letters and diaries which he poured himself out on paper all of his life and he left a written personal, very revealing president unlike any president that i know of that i'm sure we will never have another president that leads anything like that. we don't write letters much anymore and we don't keep diaries much anymore. he did both his whole life among before he ever realized he was going to be a figure of history. in one month to give you an example, and one month in 1947 when he was resident and his wife that's was in independence looking after her mother harry truman the president of the united states wrote to her 37 times. these weren't ju

and he said well, why not harry truman. so i looked into it and i found that there was not my life . the last chapter that you, part of his life has never been written about before and advises your life. for part of his life and my own was this immense collection of letters and diaries which he poured himself out on paper, all of his life and he left a written personal very revealing record unlike that of any president that i know of and i'm sure we're never going to have another president leaves anything like that much more i anymore. he did both his whole life and long before he ever realized he was quite the figures in history. in one, in one month in 1947 when he was president and when his wife best was back in and looking after her mother, harry truman, the president of the united states over 37 times. and these are just simple how are you the weather is turning cool, the ever find out how you? >> the actual letters all survive. yet wonderful clear straightforward strong handwriting just like he was. but fortunately, v

truman also has to listen. fillmore takes the oath of office and immediately fires the entire cabinet and then the cabinet heads for some time. so that's not the first time. when they told truman to focus on europe so now we will move to questions shortly but i found myself overwhelmingly frustrated because i don't understand what those presidential succession and with any degree of seriousness. it takes three presidents to be assassinated that we decide it's a good idea to protect the president we usually let the white house be overrun with office seekers and people who may or may not be mentally ill. anybody had access to the president. even by the time we protect the president, is not professionally they use that as a patronage opportunity for their buddies from home. if i was a target i went my buddies from hold protecting me. they like me but were not take a bullet for me. the very first close call was madison who was on his deathbed as president and dolly madison catches wind they are beginning proceeding

not to align our cohorts at the truman library, but mrs. kennedy invited them to send the mantle back, it was president truman who said no thank you, it is , mine and i am keeping it. what she was alluding to that she was having the same carving firm create a new white marble version of the greystone mantle that had been installed in 1902. you see that in the lower right, after she was finished working on the room. she kept the drapes from the truman era and the table and the chairs from 1902. new rug, new mantle. here is the mantelpiece. showing the inscription on the center panel. the bison head in the right corner. they installed the metal in 1902 and lived with it for six years. shortly before leaving office, theodore roosevelt said a lion is not an american animal, fix it, so they had to be carved the lion heads to american bison heads. she cited the centerpiece in the center of the dining table. it extends to 14 and a half feet long, has 18 classical figures that hold up the candles. one interesting story, most of the time, it is only

the trouble in greece according to truman's ally winston churchill started in 1941 when the national liberation front known as the e.a.m. was born the e.a.m. and their military arm the las hard against nazi occupation one would think this would make them natural allies with none other than the allied forces were also trying to defeat hitler but the e.a.m. didn't just want to liberate themselves from the nazis they also wanted to be free from the greek monarchy. which was then an exile they wanted a chance to practice that will of the majority stuff harry truman was so fond of but instead of lending a helping allied hand churchill commanded british officers to damage the las by all means available they tried to poach its partisans by bribing them with gold they financed small competitor organizations including those who call themselves nationalist but were in fact accomplices of the germans although these operations were a serious assist to the nazis the e.a.m. an ass persisted they beat back the occupiers in many parts of greece and even formed a counter state institution known as th

so when roosevelt dies, april 45 truman had a lot to prove. a lot of people didn't think he was up to the job, elected to a fourth term just before he died. so during the treatment. this is a real example so very difficult and terrible conditions initially the war did not go well and then it started to get better because we had the general that so many americans admired from world war ii so i suggested to illustrate harry truman was to fire general macarthur. obviously historians will do defining moments of presidents with war and peace of military but so many things i have chosen to illustrate not just war and peace but others that were defining moments for the president. this took a great deal of political courage for truman to fire macarthur he promised to return to the philippines and became the supreme leader of japan is the american general and occupied forces and launched a brilliant move to the invasion of the north , very risky but successful operation so started off after the war and was going well you might remember the history and

the wall fabric dated from the truman renovation of 1952. she had the monroe furniture arriving in the room, you can see the table she cited and the original chair that was given back before it was reupholstered. the unfortunate table in the middle of the room was made by the carpenter shop and was a big plywood disc with a fabric covering, i think she was still working on what would be the centerpiece of the room. she was looking for something more period, and you can see on the left, the striped wallpaper and decorative elements that she felt to be more in keeping with the monroe period. it was criticized at the time. people said the drapery fabric running around the cornice makes it look like a french lady's boudoir and not a formal room at the white house, but she was precient,sy and -- but you can see here that we have an actual document we found smithsonian. ist you see in the room different wallpaper, different upholstery and carpeting, but the feeling of the room that mrs. kennedy created, i think she would be thrilled to know that m

mcgee, go ahead. >> we owe president truman more than that. he is the president that said "the buck stops here." he issued two executive orders, the air force had said we need to integrate because we need to use people based on training, experience and where needed, not the happenstance of birth. and we're not getting enough money to keep bases open segregated and meet our requirements. we need to integrate. ten months later, truman issued two executive orders, 9981 that mandated all of the services' need to integrate. he backed that up, but he also issued 9980. there should be equal access and equal hiring throughout the federal government. unfortunately, even though that executive order was written, it hasn't been followed throughout as you know, but truman was a very -- you need to read his history. he was a southerner from southern missouri but he believed in america and what america should be all about. >> mr. howerton? do you have thoughts on president truman as well? or mr. zeitchik? >> the only thing i have to add to this, i did receiv

truman announces it to stalin there. where do we fit the atom bomb into this, you know, idea about, we need a new world order? we should not repeat the mistakes of 1918-1919, yet there is this hugely complicating factor, the splitting of the atom and the weaponization of that. how does that fit in the way we think about the resolution of the world war ii crisis? mike: one of my favorite anecdotes out of potsdam. as soon as reports come that the trinity test has succeeded, they are in potsdam when this happens. truman talks to the british delegation, basically saying this is the end of all our problems. this is a cheap way to keep military power. any time the soviets push us around, we can do this. destroy this city. alan bruck the british chief of , staff writes in his diary something like, i had to calm winston down and he did not like it. i had to explain this is not like other weapons. alan brooke understood in july 1945, the only way, once world war ii is over, the only way you war ii is over, the only way you can us

what i suggested to illustrate harry truman was firing general macarthur. obviously, a lot of historians will do defining moments of presidents in terms of military conflicts of war and peace but presidents have to deal with so many things now that i've chosen to illustrate this book with examples that are not just war and peace but other things that would defining moments for the president did this was firing macarthur. this was or took a great allele of political courage for truman to fire macarthur one of most popular people in the country and during the pacific he promised to return to the philippines and became the supreme leader of japan as the american general in command and occupy forces and launched a brilliant move to do an invasion of the north and very risky but successful operation so he started off after the war was going badly and he started off the war was going well and you might remember the history of it in the american forces in south korea started to move farther and farther north pushing the north koreans back and they got too close to

howerton, do you have thoughts on president truman as well or mr. zychek? >> the only thing that i would add to this is that i did receive four bronze clusters and two years ago , the french president, the french legion of honor made me a chevalichevalie just receiving the medal by the french government put a highlight to my life. thank you. >> mr. howerton? >> yes. what i would like the say abo e this is that i, too, saw very few in any black soldiers and so, to me, the cultural mix that we had otherwise was great. and if i would say anything that is in response to the question of how can you advice people going into the military today, it would be that, you know, a couple of things. first of all, they are going to be exposed. thank god. to all americans in the military even with the volunteer army, i think. so, another factor about that is that the military will give a young person a family. a second family. i think that we would all agree to that. i think that those of us in combat units and i know that in my case those of us in company k with the heavy

it's the way that i described this is truman was a poker player. he did not want to go to potsdam until he had ships and his pockets. before he left for potsdam he knew senate approved -- the woods agreement, the international monetary fund, all these instruments of power that the u.s. would have economically and of course he knew when he got's to potsdam -- we're going to take the same principles that we could. truman took the oath of office for president, but we are not doing this by persuasion anymore of the wilson ian rhetoric. this time we will say if you do not want to play the game our way, here is the ways in which we can hurry. the atomic bomb is obviously the most extreme version of that. but even the lone terms to the british empire at the end of the war are things that you can use. part of the land leases we will get the trade inside your empire. those days of the imperial preference system, they are done. the way i think about potsdam, it is the americans coming in with very similar ideals but very different ways that they want to achi

the curator, it was president cheer truman who said no thank you i am keeping it. she was alluding to it, she was having the same carving firm to create a white marble them. you see that in the picture in the lower right, which is after she was finished working on the room. she kept the drapes from the truman era, and the chairs and table from 1902. new rug, new mental. here's the mantle piece, it is a little closer showing inscription as it is carved in the center panel. you can see the bison head in the lower right corner where theodore roosevelt installed the mantle in 1902 and lived within six years. mrs. kennedy said the, line is not an american animal, fix it. they had come back in and re-carve the lines had as bison heads. she has the great monroe centerpiece. it extends to 14 and a half feet long. it has 18 classical figures that hold up the candles, one interesting story is that it's mostly five sections on the table and to in storage. it is difficult to see but at the bottom of the plinth where the ladies in the black and white picture it has the company'

truman, you need to read his history. he believed in america and what america should be all about. >> your thoughts on president truman as well? >> only thing i have to add to this, i did receive four bronze clusters. >> two years ago, the french president, the french legion of honor -- i think just receiving the medal by the french government put a highlight to my life. >> what i would like to say about this is i too saw very few if any black soldiers. the cultural mix we had was great. how can you advise people going in the military today--it will be a couple of things. first of all they are going to be exposed. think god -- thank god. to all americans the military. even with the volunteer army. another factor about that >> is the military will give a young person a family, a second family. i think we would all agree to that. i think all of us in combat units, in my case, there are such heavy casualties, we knew in our own minds that we may not have ever come back. these people were our family. we may never give back --

the black marble mantel piece is what was instilled in the truman registration. the lion's head carved on it changed to bison heads was, in fact, removed by the truman renovation and sent to the troouman library. mrs. kennedy actually invited them to send the mantel back and it wasn't the no thank you. it's mine. i'm keeping it. what she was alluding to was that she was having the same firm, the same carving firm, create a new white marble version of the gray stone mantle that was installed in 1902. you see that in the picture of the lower right which is after she was finished working on the room. she kept the drapes from the truman era and the table, and the chairs. new rug. new mantle. there's the mantle piece closer showing the inscription as it's carved in the panels and the bison head at the lower right corner where theodore roosevelt, he lived with it for six years. theodore roosevelt said it's not an american animal. fix it. they had to recarve the lion heads as american bison heads. she cited the great monroe center piece, it extends to 14.5 feet long. it

i don't know why he saw possibility in truman. he certainly knew of his own frailty and he, i'm sure, knew -- he didn't expect to live through his third term. he didn't expect certainly to survive his fourth, and thought maybe he would resign in the middle of the presidency if the war ended. he wanted to see allied victory through. so, it's just a remarkable thing that he found this amazing man who seemed greater than the sum of his parts. brian: we have about eight minutes left. a couple questions in the back. yes, sir? >> i wonder if you could comment on robin harrow's suggestion that those who exercise power take great attention to mask it in so far as that masking or that subterfuge impacts upon the ratings that you've given, i'm thinking particularly of dwight eisenhower, who particularly at one time was viewed not to be very articulate and so on. and now, apparently you see he was much smarter than a lot of people thought he was. can you comment upon that, thinking of harrow's comment about those who operate sort of in a big

so having chosen truman but why having got truman as the vice president why doesn't he keep truman in the loop? to win a domestic policy at the end of the war he does arrange for the secretary of four to bring truman on board with the atomic bomb and doesn't discuss it as far as we know. we are not sure it will work we will have a big decision to make next year 1945 it's easy to say that with hindsight does not like he had a sudden heart attack he knows he is dying it's a miracle he survived. i tell the relationship in the book with lucy rutherford because i do believe that relationship with this woman who was the great love of his life as a younger man in washington that she kept him alive. here's a man who can only operate one or two hours a day to get to the end of the book and read the story how he arranges for lucy to come and stay for a few days before he goes to san francisco then that is the piece side of war and peace. he cannot wait for her to arrive gets in the car and drives to macon georgia and they meet each other. it is a charming story of just how much she meant to him

magically, roosevelt chose harry truman. we know his hand was on that, because he made the selection. i don't know why he saw possibility in truman. he certainly knew of his own frailty, and he didn't expect to live through his third term, certainly didn't expect to survive his fourth, and thought he would resign if the war ended. he wanted to see allied victory through. it's a remarkable thing that he found this amazing man who seemed greater than the sum of his parts. brian: we have about eight minutes left. a couple questions in the back. yes, sir? >> i wonder if you could comment on the suggestion that those who emphasize -- [inaudible] insofar as that masking, subterfuge impacts ratings. thinking particularly of dwight eisenhower. now apparently we see he was much smarter than a lot of people thought he was. those who operate in a fog, but nonetheless know where they are going. amity: it sounds a little sinister, the way you put it. but a good leader may want to retreat so others may play their roles. that happens frequ

kenny and truman meet at truman's hotel suite. kennedy comes out and the reporters asked him what he talked about. kennedy says, my book. that shows you that harry truman is a good reader but also shows you how important it was in 1956. if the story stops there, i think it is a happy story. yes, kennedy had the book written by someone else and we can talk about the details behind that. but good ghostwriting and bad ghostwriting. this is an is example of good ghostwriting. a book that is moving a lot of people and inspiring people because kennedy is an inspirational figure. with things change is the pulitzer prize. when i was working at the kennedy presidential library, i found documents that showed for the first time that jack kennedy was involved in securing that pulitzer prize. the story has often been, and you sought in that quote that kennedy's father was the one pulling the strings, but that is not true. jack kennedy wanted that pulitzer prize. there were many times that he brought that up. he told another historian, i would

the way i described this is truman was a poker player. he did not want to go to potsdam until he had chips in his pocket. before he left, the senate had approved u.s. membership in the u.n., the international monetary fund, the bretton woods agreement, all the instruments of power the u.s. would have economically. he knew once he got to potsdam, the atomic bomb had succeeded. we're going to take the same principle. truman took the oath of office for president under a portrait of woodrow wilson but we are not , doing this by persuasion anymore, of the wilsonian rhetoric. this time we say, if you don't want to play the game our way, here are the ways we can hurt you. the atomic bomb is the most extreme version. even the loan terms to the british empire at the end of the war things you can use. we're going to trade inside your empire. those days of imperial preference are done. potsdam is the americans coming in, with similar ideals but different ways they want to achieve it. the fundamental questions that still remain, what do you think cau

truman. further on in the fighting in the woods around him involved a young tank commander by the name of george s. patton. we're standing in front of the missouri monument, which honors the troops from missouri. many of them had served in the 35th division which is one of the national guard divisions part of the american expeditionary forces. one of its most famous members was a battery commander and artillery commander by the name of kapcaptain harry s. truman. the 35th division fought directly in this area, about four miles back in the front they were firing artillery towards the hill. can you point us toward that and tell us a little bit about the significance of why the americans attack that hill? >> so the hill is right behind us, about two miles from here we can see the top of the trees far in the distance. so it is an observation position used by the germans first, but then the french will try to recapture it. and finally the frontline was stabilized just on top and we will switch int

he's excluded because truman and churchill had enough of him. truman makes a comment which i happen to come across by accident in the library when i was looking through papers when he says if i want to talk to de gaulle i would send for him. the notion is they're not sure what they want to do with france yet. do we treat france as a liberated country or treat it as an occupied countried the way we might treat italy. the first time americans go into combat it's against french troops. what to we want to do? it's a very different kind of france and represents a different kind of france. the united states has a more or less have determined by this point that it didn't have a choice. he just not at that level yet. he's furious and churchill snubs him. neither on the way down there or back did churchill go to paris to meet with de gaulle. he will get his revenge but it will be a few years in the making. >> he's thinking about it the whole time. >> no doubt. >> we're almost out of time. i want to close with one question that's been hoposed he. it's not

it is about eisenhower inching ahead of truman and wondering what happens considering that truman gave us the marshall plan, integrated the armed and -- armed forces and stopped the expansion of communism in korea. michael: it is another great question. i'm thinking about eisenhower and truman. they did not like each other. it would bother truman a great deal to know that eisenhower just inched him. i am sure that eisenhower would just chuckle. i think the fact that eisenhower to some extent has begun to rise a little bit is there seems now -- is that there is a distance now and we've gained a little more perspective on it. eisenhower was a president who was also not a man of many words. he was a man whose deeds and actions -- even as president -- have become important. jeff mentioned earlier, eisenhower had to enforce the civil laws, but it took them some time. much of the story of his presidency is how long it took him. that may be critical. he did not fail in the end. at the end, he ended up valuing something. i will come around to the fact that one of the things that are important

whai hold today will also apply to a future senator mccarthy asking a future franklinoosevelt or harry truman exactly theame questions. that bothers m yang: the immediate effect llof the court's decision e on whether financial records that democrats have long wted, and mr. trump has long fought disclosing, will be turned over. the house overght committee made its demand after hearing last year from former trump attorney michael cohen. >> it was myxperience that mr. ump inflated his total assets when it served his purposes, such as trying to be listed amongst the wealthiest people in "forbes," and deflated his assets to reduce his real. estate tax >> yang: the house financial services and intelligence commites want trump records veyommo olosneneloe ansi eauns have made the president vulnerable to of particular interest to investigators is deutsche bank,

harry truman the president on ve day. what was the effect stateside when that news came? guest: it was a great shock. anybody looking at the newsreel footage could see that president roosevelt was not a healthy man. he had been dying for months. he had a very arduous trip to malta for a conference with churchill and then they flew to yalta for a conference with stalin, the soviet leader. anyone who looks at those pictures can tell that here is a man who is dying. his blood pressure was in the stratosphere. he had all kinds of health problems. so he has a cerebral hemorrhage at his cottage in georgia april 12, 1945. it is right after lunch. the word spreads quickly. virtually all americans are aware of it by the afternoon. it is a shock to everyone. he has been president for more than 12 years. he is our war presidents. -- president. he is the president through the darkest days of the depression. there were young men in uniform who really had very little memory of a time when roosevelt was not their leader. and now their commander-in-chief. so no one knew who harry truman

car pulled up and the car pulled up and governor harriman, quite excited about, and former president truman, was just astonished. i remember thinking he is in color because we only had black-and-white television and newspapers and i think he radiated good health, made him seem vital, but a person. he certainly didn't seem like a little man. he was 6 foot 8 but i never spoke to him, never met him. wouldn't it be interesting to go back, reach out and touch him on the shoulder.

president truman announced the official surrender. >> this is a solemn but glorious hour. i wish that franklin d roosevelt had lived to see this bay. general eisenhower informs me that the forces of germany have surrendered to the united nations. the flags of freedom fly all over europe. in this victory we join in offering our thanks to the providence which has guided and sustained us through the dark days of adversity and into light. much remains to be done. the victory won in the west must now be won in the east. the whole world must be cleansed of the evil from which half the world has been free. united, the peace-loving nations have demonstrated in the west that their arms are stronger by far then the might of dictators or the tyranny of military clicks that once called us salt and wheat. the power of our people to defend themselves against all enemies will be proved in a pacific war as it was proved in europe. >> historic pictures of the last days of the war in europe show american and russian troops on the river elm splitting german armies in two. united states gener

so no one knew who harry truman was. an obscure senator from missouri and had been a captain in world war i. he's a bit of a cipher in the eyes of most americans in the notion that he's going to step in and fill these very large shoes that roosevelt has left behind something that a lot of people had difficulty comprehending. >> we have a lot of calls waiting for you, rick atkinson. let's go first to larry in gallop, new mexico. good morning. >> yes, good morning. my father was an -- in the south pacific. in addition, on your research i wanted to know how much about the american indian and particularly the -- the comanches and the hopi, how much on your research have you done on them if any, what was the role during the war. thank you very much. >> thanks for your call. thanks for your dad. american indians were important and they were a tradition of being warriors and that is critical when you are trying to put together an army. as you mention there were code talkers, navajo and others who had their own language and it w

truman touched down in berlin to finalize a post-war settlement with the soviet and british leaders. the conference was held in nearby potsdam that's a zillion hauffe palace before 918 and it served as the residence of the german crown prince and his family and the meeting of the major allied powers known as the big 3 began on july 17th all sides were at pains to display unity after their victory against the common enemy stalin joins truman of the talks and britain was represented at 1st by prime minister winston churchill midway through the conference he would suffer an election defeat and be replaced by his successor. and what's the risk of the tenor of the talks in post time was we one now we carry a joint responsibility to guide this continent into a secure future because it's. because the war and the fighting didn't end on may the 8940 front of the van mocked capitulated but war and violence continued. it. but the days of unity in the n.t. hitler coalition were numbered. as the conference convened the truman received the news that the us military had at last successfully tested

as the conference convened the truman received the news that the u.s. military had at last successfully tested a new weapon of unique destructive force. the u.s. had long been working on a project to develop an atomic bomb. now the test phase had progressed to the point where the bomb was ready for use and that's it and it was clear to the u.s. that sooner or later the soviet union would prove an adversary for ideological reasons. gunn's klein called her hand. and void that so the u.s. didn't want to get the message across that it now had the technology and was now in a position to use a nuclear weapon much from the white is a torn mindsets and. the big 3 remain locked in intense negotiations that's a sealion half palace for 2 weeks they agreed on reparations from germany and on processes for the countries denounce of occasion democratization and demilitarization. they also redrew the map severing east prussia and territories east of the older and nicer rivers from germany. was also agreement and part stem on the expulsion of ethnic germans from eastern