President Harry Truman

President Truman is remembered for many things including; making the decision to drop the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, promotion and creation of the United Nations and NATO, decision to get involved in the Korean war, and the firing of General MacArthur. Behind all these decisions stands an extraordinary man with an extraordinary character. Although he grew up in what may be considered very ordinary circumstances, and never inherited fame or fortune through family, Truman achieved much by way of hard work and effort. Here are a few insights into his life and character that I gleaned by reading his biography written by David McCullough.

1) Great and undying desire to learn.

- Truman read voraciously and studied the lives of great people. He would one day tell a friend that he did this in order to be worthy of his wife.

- When someone asked his daughter what Truman liked the best she answered (in essence); a comfortable chair, a good reading chair, and plenty of books around him.

- Truman made it a point to always study the situation to the best of his ability before making a decision (as when he read up on what Lincoln did in considering to fire McClellan).

2) Loved and genuinely cared for people, especially his friends.

- As a captain in WWI Truman took personal interest in the men and talked to them in ways other officers didn’t. He even allowed a fellow soldier to ride his horse because of an injured leg, choosing to walk instead (which was against orders). On another occasion he loaned money to several soldiers who had the leave to go to Paris but did not have the money. Yet, he was a strict disciplinarian and never allowed anyone to get away with things.

- Truman knew each of the servants who worked at the White House, and what was going on in their lives. Alonzo Fields noted that; “[Truman] understood me as a man, not as a servant to be tolerated, and that he expected me to be a man.”

- When the Secretary of State was out of the country and his daughter was in the hospital Truman would call the hospital everyday to get a report and then relay the report to the Secretary of State.

3) Truman had integrity and virtue.

- Truman was known to have said that a man who is not honorable in his marital relations is not usually honorable in any other. Truman never put himself in a position of compromise with another woman. For instance, when invited to a meeting in a hotel room he took along a trusted friend, and when a woman in a negligee opened the door he turned around and ran away.

- Although Truman had all the opportunity to funnel public funds into his personal accounts he never stole a penny. Thus, although he never became rich, Truman always had a honorable reputation and a good name among all.

- Truman has said (in essence); do what is right for the sake of truth and honor, and not reward.

4) Concentrated hard work.

- As a farmer, Truman was ingrained with the work ethic of waking up before sunrise and working hard.

- He was always noted to be never idle, but always working.

- He was known for doing every job he took to the best of his abilities.

5) Leadership

- Was humble, unpresuming, and accessible to all.

- Truman never had a big ego. He let others take center stage, and was not threatened by the strengths of others.

- Was not intimidated to surround himself with smart people and help him accomplish his work (Acheson, Marshall, Eisenhower)

- He welcomed other’s ideas, and was not afraid of the competition these ideas offered to his own.

- A compliment that was paid Truman was that he was natural and unspoiled by high office.

I hope you get to read this book and become better acquainted with his character.