Franklin Roosevelt could no longer put off his decision. It was only days before the 1944 Democratic Convention where FDR would be nominated for an unprecedented fourth presidential term. Roosevelt’s inner circle was fixated on the choice for Vice President, knowing far more than the American people that the President’s days were numbered. The lone name in the ring that didn’t seem to ruffle any feathers was that of Harry Truman, the country farmer from Missouri who had aligned himself with the Pendergast political machine on the path to two terms in the U.S. Senate. Truman made it clear he was happy in the Senate and didn’t want to be the VP, but when Roosevelt finally pressed him into service, he accepted his fate. Truman would serve a mere 82 days as VP before Roosevelt succumbed to his many ailments. On April 12, 1945, the weight of the world fell on Harry S. Truman.

In the following few months, Truman oversaw the end of the war in Europe, negotiated with the leaders of Britain and the Soviet Union on the future of that Continent, made the decision to drop two atomic bombs on Japan, helped launch the United Nations, and dealt with a massive demobilization effort that included significant work stoppages that impeded the nation’s economy. And Truman’s tumultuous first term was just getting started. The ongoing conflict with the Soviets led to a Cold War which Truman responded to with bold strategies that included the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, and the establishment of NATO. Among Truman’s other gutsy decisions was his agreement for the U.S. to become the first country to recognize the new state of Israel, shortly before running a Whistle Stop campaign that shocked the nation with his upset victory over Tom Dewey in 1948. Truman was the people’s choice, someone the masses could relate to, and who rallied for the man who would “Give ’em Hell, Harry!” Many of those decisions would remain controversial throughout Truman’s second term as he fought for civil rights and civil liberties at home and to keep Communism in check abroad. The nation cheered him at first when he committed to holding the line against Soviet aggression in Korea but then turned against him as battlefield losses and casualties mounted. Truman never wavered, never looking to govern by way of polls, adhering to what he thought best regardless of the political consequences. A lifetime of leadership committed to these tenets helped him chart a path to the White House, but it also made him one of the least popular American Presidents by the time he left office. But history has a way of getting things right in the end. After the passions of Korea had begun to dissipate, the American people once again began to appreciate the enormous tasks that confronted Truman in his nearly eight years in the White House. Through that lens, the presidency of Harry Truman was a clear success, despite the daily struggles facing the man from Missouri as East and West stared each other down during the precarious early days of the Cold War.