Truman Books

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 have affected America to this day such as, using nuclear weapons against Japan to end WWII, integrating the military in 1948, recognizing the state of Israel, creating the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and involving American military forces in the Korean war.
One of the first, most momentous, and most often debated decisions that Truman had to make as President was whether to use two atomic bombs against Japan to hasten the end of WWII. Ferrell and other historians have made a very convincing argument to support Truman's decision-making process to use nuclear weapons to end the war. The Japanese military, who effectively controlled their government, were fanatics in their prosecution of the war. The Japanese people had suffered through numerous fire bombings of their cities in the months leading up to the end of the war, in which hundreds of thousands of their citizens were killed. In addition, the military had lost many battles and virtually all of its island holdings in the Pacific, and yet the government was strengthening its homeland forces and preparing for invasion instead of seriously considering surrender. Ferrell, relying on information gathered by Edward J. Drea, who wrote about the American military intelligence estimate gathered in July of 1945 mainly through the deciphering of Japanese radio traffic, showed that up to 600,000 Japanese were being prepared to fight in the event of an American invasion. Even this estimate turned out to be too low, since after the war American intelligence learned that the Japanese actually had some 900,000 prepared to fight against the invasion. American military estimates of the cost of life in the event of an invasion of the Japanese home islands were at best sketchy, and many historians who have written against the use of atomic weapons have used the unreliability of the estimates as one of their examples why Truman was wrong to use the nuclear option. However, Thomas B. Allen and Norman Polmar in their book, Codename Downfall, which detailed the plan to invade Japan, wrote that Truman was presented with an estimate that showed that there could be 238,000 American casualties and possibly the same number of Japanese casualties. This information coupled with the very real evidence of how tenaciously the Japanese people had fought was no myth, and convinced Truman that dropping the bombs on Japan to end the war was the right decision. One only had to look at the horrific casualty figures for American battles on Iwo Jima and Okinawa to name a few in order to understand just how fiercely the Japanese were capable of fighting. Ferrell aptly showed that Truman's decision has come under criticism throughout the years partly because of how he had stridently defended it and was so dismissive of the critics of his decision. "The president's critics, one suspects, were ready to accuse him because they did not admire other things he did or approved. They were critical because of his well-known decisiveness, which sometimes seemed offhanded" (214).
Truman, almost by necessity and circumstance, was forced to alter America's foreign policy of isolationism to one of internationalism. Truman realized the Korean War left him in a predicament. If he did not defend South Korea in the wake of North Korea's attack, he then would acquiescence to the Communist North Koreans, and ultimately the Russians. By not defending South Korea, American prestige in Asia and the world would undoubtedly would be tarnished. Yet, if he did attack, he risked a world war with the Chinese and the Russians, and ultimately a nuclear war. In light of the Truman doctrine, and America's stance on communism, Truman decided to defend South Korea. It was a widely unpopular war, which ended in a stalemate. Yet, Ferrell entertains a notion that America did not become the world superpower after WW II, but rather during the Korean War because America intervened to defend a non-communist nation, in essence, America became the police and protection force for weaker non-communist countries in the face of communist aggression. Many historians would agree that the year 1945 and the history after irreversibly changed the world. The cold war, America's role in world affairs, and the question of nuclear weapons all contributed.
Truman initially set about reorganizing the bureaucracy, conducting a complete overhaul of cabinet and staff. In addition to creating the Budget Bureau and the National Security Council, he created the Council of Economic Advisers, which he staffed it with both conservatives and liberals and regarded it as an advisory committee. Ferrell positively describes Truman's intellect, honesty, and integrity throughout the book but one of the places where it shines most brightly is in his civil rights efforts, which is rarely given the credit it deserves in historical accounts. Ferrell examines possible reasons behind Truman's change of heart on civil rights and concludes that much of his perspective came from his principled sense of fairness and his belief that the duty of the office of the President was to represent all Americans. The Truman-appointed Civil Rights Commission presented a frank report, entitled To Secure These Rights, with a ten-point agenda of civil rights reforms. Lacking congressional support, he turned to the power of executive orders to start the desegregation of the armed forces.
His second administration was marred by scandals, including the Hoey Investigation, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue illegal activity, for which the president was criticized for failing to take appropriate action. Another one of Truman's domestic challenges, which cost him politically, was labor strikes. To avoid a steelworker strike, Truman invoked what he believed to be the inherent powers of the president to seize control of the mills and was rebuffed by the Supreme Court. As the 1952 election loomed, Truman bristled that the emerging Democratic candidate, Adlai Stevenson, was distancing himself from Truman's administration. Although they reconciled and Truman even assisted with campaign speeches, it was to little avail. Eisenhower won 55 percent of the popular vote and Truman finished out his lame duck presidency.
In his post-presidency years, Truman returned to Independence and his quiet life. He solicited donations to build a presidential library, which he donated to the federal government, a convention which later presidents have followed. Likewise, he refused endorsements and placement in corporate payrolls because he believed that accepting financial opportunities would diminish the integrity of the office of President. As a result, Harry and Bess Truman lived out the remainder of their lives without the safety of financial savings. He established a precise daily routine at his library, which included writing copious amount of letters and receiving many visitors. Ever the politician, he remained connected with Washington life and accepted invitations to the White House in both the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. In his final years, bothered with health problems, he took refuge in music and books. He died the day after Christmas, 1972 and was buried at his presidential library in Independence, with all the pomp and circumstance fitting a former President.

Thus, Ferrell does a very convincing job of making one believe just how important and interesting it is to study Truman, especially since he was so very different from the presidents who had come before and after him.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in American history, foreign policy, Cold War history.

Turok, Dinosaur Hunter, issue 5 is another Turok milestone. Beginning immedietly after the events in issue 4, Turok flies over, along with Andy and Dr. Howell, to a desolate canyon, now the site of an Allosaur family's nest. Turok wants to kill the Allosaurs, Dr. Howell wants to save and study them, Andy doesn't care, the government wants to give them as a gift to an ambassador, and one more pawn in the game has his own plans... The art is great, the dialogue great, and, as usual, the dinosaurs drawn fantastic. Turok is Valient's personal magnum opus, and a wonderful idea that just keeps getting better. Highly recommended, 5 stars, or a grade: A.

This book is a must read for any Vietnam vet who thinks he's alone with his nightmares and pain; it's also for the woman in his life. It's one man's struggle for his own self-worth; something anyone that has been touched by this war can easily understand. PTSD is a problem that has had many different names and Rick details the symptoms of PTSD and where you can go to get help. Most important he lets you know YOU ARE NOT ALONE -

WECOME HOME it's way past time you heard this!

The voices of Asian American women in Asian American history, unfortunately, all to often go unheard. "Voices of the Heart: Asian American Women on Immigration, Work, and Family" offers a chance for them to be heard, speaking out in heartfelt stories about their journeys to America, their hopes, dreams, and how they have began to cope with life in America. Author Huping Ling interviewed a grand variety of Asian American women to get the most complete story possible. Highly recommended to anyone who seeks a more complete view of Americana and American history in general.

Werewolves, Witches, And Wandering Spirits: Traditional Belief & Folklore In Early Modern Europe is an anthology of essays by learned scholars of Europe, America and Australia concerning the fantastic elements of popular religious belief: ghosts, werewolves, spiritualism, animism, and witchcraft. Though such beliefs are often marginalized in studies of popular religion, Protestants and Catholics alike of the era truly believed that supernatural entities such as ghosts, imps, and werewolves existed. Essays draw from in-depth archival research, and the contributors make a forceful case for the importance of integrating such beliefs and folklore into human understanding of late medieval and early modern Europe. Especially recommended for folklore and religious history reference shelves.

Fantastic book, a real tribute to the US Navy.
Great photos of US Navy combat birds, I'm a great fan of the F 14 Tomcat, you must buy this book if you are a fan too.
Many thanks Giampi...
See you soon for the next "Chef d'Oeuvre".

A true to life extravaganza. Part one of the story of the "renegade" Simon Girty is just dying to be made into a movie. The story itself is gripping. A tale of a boy driven from location to location by circumstances around him. Captured by the indians and raised for years with them we see him as he crosses the paths of names that live in history. And ALL OF IT TRUE. The illustrations are masterful, accurate and just a pleasure. Tim Truman has made a masterpiece in two acts. Don't let the graphic novel format fool you this is history and art and storytelling all in one stroke! Buy it somewhere anywhere!

Without Reservation is a collection of free-verse poetry by Alaskan Native American John E. Smelcer that emphasizes clear tone and vivid images that are simple, honest, and as-is. Smelcer is the only surviving speaker, reader, and writer of his native language of Ahtna, Without Reservation is a compelling voice, unforgettable and highly recommended. The Incomplete & Unauthorized Definition Of American Indian Writers: "Indian" is not a derogatory word./It's what we call ourselves.//Not all Indians wear long black hair/or faded red bandanas and denim.//I've never seen a Red Man.//Fiction and nonfiction by Indians outsells poetry by Indians.//No Indian poet has won the Pulitzer Prize.//Indian writers shouldn't drive sports cars./I traded my yellow Porsche for a pick-up truck/with a quarter million miles/and a rifle rack in the rear window...

Written by Jo Ortel (an associate professor of art history and recipient of the James R. Underkofler award for excellence in undergraduate teaching), Woodland Reflections: The Art Of Truman Lowe is an artbook featuring the abstract wooden sculpture and other works of native american artist Truman Lowe, whose bold and original creations set him apart. An extensive philosphical commentary ranging from reflections upon native traditions and cultural survival through art to education and identity, the distinctions between art and craft, and much more adds a thoughtful dimension to the captivating gallery of full-color photographs of Lowe's eye-catching creations. A most welcome addition to avante-garde and Native American artbook collections.

This gets you thinking about the importance of the American foreign policy tradition in a way other books don't-provides a refreshing alternative to the cynical and negative view of American history. The focus on Wilson and Truman leads to a much broader discussion of American ideals and foreign policy. The writing is powerful and the research is persuasive.