Harry S. Truman

Thirty-third president, 1945–1953

Upon learning of President Franklin Roosevelt’s death on April 12, 1945, Harry Truman told reporters he felt as if “the moon, the stars, and all the planets” had fallen on him. That summer, faced with the daunting task of ending the war in the Pacific,Truman directed the use of devastating nuclear bombs against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ushering in the atomic age and a race for states, particularly the Soviet Union, to develop similar weapons. After the war, he signed the United Nations Charter to help prevent future conflicts. Confronting an increasingly belligerent Soviet Union, Truman endorsed the Marshall Plan, a program that aimed to rebuild war-torn Western Europe, and helped form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a collective security alliance.

Truman’s approval rating declined during his second term as he faced crises at home and abroad. When he left office in 1953, the United States was embroiled in the Korean War, and his reputation had sunk to a record low. Over time, however, Truman has grown to be better appreciated for both his pragmatic flexibility as well as his honesty. He is also known for his efforts to end racial discrimination in the U.S. military.

Partial gift of the William T. Kemper Foundation