clifton truman daniel honorary chairman of the truman library institute and board secretary for the truman scholarship fund. thank you, madam speaker. senator blunt. congressman cleaver. leader mcconnell. leader mccarthy. family. friends. and thank you again, senator blunt. and congressman cleaver and chairman pat ottensmeyer on the board of the truman library institute. alex burden and the institute staff, dr. kurt graham and the library and the generous donors friends, supporters, lawmakers who helped make this day possible. my grandfather was a modest man and frankly, slightly embarrassed statues. his presidential library is an education institution rather than a monument to him, but we're here with us today. he would be honored and humbled. he loved the united of america. he loved the work of government. he loved this very building. he took the job seriously, but never himself. he was open, approachable, as tom corbin excellent statue depicts. he has been called an uncommon common man of all his accomplishment. the marshall plan naito the truman doctrine. the disfigured of the armed se

and so he had, he went to truman, and truman signed. this was a mistake, harry truman.and then dewey, the only one he signed, it said, it sure was! thomas dewey. but truman did sign, he was in missouri when he got one of these papers. he signed it. the photograph came from a newspaper itself. he signed many of these. really briefly, how come dewey didn't defeat truman? >> because truman got more votes. [laughs] >> okay, that's easy enough. >> really, was it wasn't even close! that was the interesting thing about it. it wasn't even close. truman won -- he lost in congress in 46. terrible, terrible defeat, a vote of no confidence, almost. in 1948 he got the senate and the house back, along with winning the presidency. it was a great victory for him. that paper is really, that's a beautiful copy you have. the copy of the truman library is more beat up nowadays. and there are very, very few of them. as you said they were just sent out to the suburbs. the very early additions, you're right. >> you know, there are going to be fewer as time goes on. the paper, newspapers are a

do we and truman and so he had it went to truman and truman signed it. this a mistake harry truman. and then dewey the only one he signed. he said it sure was thomas doing but but truman did sign it was in missouri when this when he got one of these papers and he signed this the photographs this came from a newspaper itself, and he signed many of these really briefly. how come do we didn't treat defeat truman? oh, see what because drew got more votes. okay, that's easy enough. you know, really it really was it wasn't even close. that was the interesting thing about it. it wasn't even close truman. i mean the truman got triple one. he lost congress in 46 terrible terrible defeat of almost a vote of confidence or dope a vote of no confidence and in 1948. he got the senate in-house track along with winning the presidency. it was it was it was it was a great a great victory for him and and that paper is really that's a beautiful copy you have i the copy of the truman libraries sort of more sort of beat up than that one is and they're very very few of them because as you said they were t

harry truman turned on his head. for the first time, we had a president who was using not just the supreme court, but the federal judiciary. he took full control of the door department of justice to push his policies. that is what we expect in both parties in the united states. that is what we expect from our presidents and presidential nominees. >> it seemed like it almost came out of necessity because of the state that the court wasn't at the time. can you set the stage for us? you know, go back to the end of the roosevelt administration. what was happening on the court that made this a special circumstance? >> franklin roosevelt, unlike truman's nominees to the court, franklin roosevelt's nominees are well known by many americans. certainly by anyone who has suffered their way through law school. there were these profound jurist's. they were giant pillars of the law. they did not like each other. perhaps that goes hand in hand. they did not get long. it was not just a matter of ideology, which it was. they agreed

truman was aware of that as well. i think it's more of a stylistic comparison and an example of a shock to the system if you take president obama and his harvard education you take franklin roosevelt with his bay nature and harvard education. suddenly it's flipped over its a shock to the system. i think it is an excellent point spent a good amount of time spent thinking about over the last couple of years, how that was a shock to americans reading their newspaper in listening to their radio saying who even is this guy in what is happening here? and he is in charge and we are at war. it kind of came to a head later times some part of what came to a head because the supreme court nominee as he began to nominate his friends. >> was a brings us to tom clark, one of his friends. he nominated tom clark to be attorney general of the president of the united states. tom clark, at the time was a year older than i am now. i am 44 now he was 45 at the time. clark admin and unexceptional law student and came to washington by accid

truman did keep them in line as safe as he could and was pretty successful at it. the thing about this particular one, literally the night he and some of these officers left, i think they were gone for about a week, it's like the cats away and the mice will play kind of thing. literally that very night he left things got a little bit out of hand. he left i think it was lieutenant zimmer in charge and he was a very nice guy, basically the fellow in charge of handling the wagons, lumber, oversaw, various men taking ce of and operating the horses, a very nice guy. everybody liked him but he did not know how to impose discipline. frankly, he just steamrolled right over him. he got in a whole bunch of trouble nearby, he got drunk, causing all kinds of motion. mps were involved, a lot of them, thinking back to the movie scenes you've seen, that was his battery. as soon as he was out, rolled over the hill so to speak but ultimately, may be only about a quarter of them were actually apprehended but everybody knew the folks who were involved in this stuff as he left when he

as late as 1945, when harry truman took office.the vice president didn't actually even receive secret service protection, and went about his day on his own around washington, checking in from time to time, whether anyone needed him. within a few short years, though, as soviet missiles reduced monumental decisions to only 15 minute windows, such prolonged periods were the president incommunicado or the presidents whereabouts unknown be history. they need to command such powerful weapons on a hair trigger alert pushed the office of the president into a new era of technology, new procedures, built around a commander in chief, who required instant, reliable communications, powerful new transportation, and detailed instructions that ensured that there would never be a leadership vacuum. a different way of thinking about so many of the presidential toys that we think of, the majesty of air force one, the -- hawking armored limousine's and the expensive motorcades is to think of them as communications tools necessary to remain in contact

guest: well, bess truman, i mentioned the humble existence that harry truman has in the wake of his presidency. of course, that's bess truman. she was in heaven in independence, missouri. it was home to her. ever summer during her husband's presidency, she would go back to independence, knowing she was leaving him alone. it was really tough for him, but it was solace to her. it gave her vitality and strength to be in the bosom of her family and to be back in her community. she very much enjoyed that as first lady. if you ever get a chance to go to the truman residence in independence, it's quite striking to go through that house and see how humbly they lived. there's one thing that struck me when i was there just a few weeks ago, and that is there's a small government-issued calendar that hangs by a thumb tack in the kitchen, and she has scratched off every day like so many americans might have at that time, and you realize what typical americans, and at the same time, extraordinary americans harry and bess truman were. host: we got to ask, what were you doing at the truman library in independ

president truman accompanied him there by train. cartoons of course who were going to miss out on that. here are the campaign trains. this is a good opportunity, bob to talk about what is a whistle stop and truman whistle stop campaign. >> the whistle stop referred to some place, city, some town that the train would come in and blow the whistle to tell the public the president is here. you'd see a crowd it's amazing how many people you'd find in even a small town on the president of the united states was coming through. but anyway that was. phrase came from fact it would blow the whistle really loud really low to let the people know the president was coming to town. >> this is actually, this is a very, very famous photo the paper was prematurely published he did not in fact defeat truman. the reason i included it he is on the rear platform of the magellan holding that paper up and of course he's got a gigantic smile on his face because he just won the election as president. >> in the late evening of november 2 show that paper in the

not long after the bills adoption president truman went on official trip to brazil. while on this trip his motorcade almost drove over the edge of a precipice. speaker martin recalled that quote truman while on a visit to south america came dangerously close to plunging down a mountainside in his auto. the news was a sobering reminder of how near i was living day to day on the edge of great responsibility unquote. as was the case with tyler and johnson barson switching the white house could easily have a curve. each of these examples until instances when a lawmaker could easily have become acting president due to the possibility of a vacancy in both the presidency and the vice presidency. what about situations in which both the president and the vice president are incapacity? history affords at least one such example here as well. in 1985 president reagan underwent surgery to move polyps from his intestine. prior to being anesthetized reagan transferred the powers and duties of his office vice president george bush under section 3 of the 25th amendment while acting p

truman a great historian. as he remembered a particular instance in which truman helped straighten out the voice during a lovely conversation about the dolphin game. the dolphin gave us a group of outlaws that robs gangs in oklahoma and canvas and 1890 and 1892. the boys were debating which brother had started the group, and how many were killed. the attempted double bank robbery and coffee they'll, kansas, that was the gangs demise. of course, truman had the answers. henry recalled they wanted to call him a city, but they didn't do, it because they had a lot of respect for him. now, the boys might not have called him a sissy, but later in, life truman would call himself a sissy when your call those later years. looking back, truman said, reading history to meet was far more than a romantic adventure. it was solid instruction and wise teaching, which i somehow felt i wanted and needed. i could see that history that some extremely valuable lessons to teach. i learned from it that a leader is a man who has the a

the truman whistle stop campaign? >> a whistle stop referred to some place, some city, some town, that the train would come in and the engineer would blow the whistle announcing to the public that the president is here. you'd see a crowd a lot like the picture you're seeing now, i don't know where it was, it's amazing how many people you would find, even in a small town when the president of the united states was coming through. but anyway, that came from the fact that they would blow the whistle really loud to let the people know the president was coming to town. >> this is actually, this is a very very famous photo where the paper was prematurely published. do we did not in fact defeat truman. he is showing this, the only reason i've included is cassis on the rare platform of the magellan holding that paper up. of course, he has a gigantic smile on his face because he just won election as president. >> it was the first addition, it came out, i guess, in the lee evening of november 2nd, which was the day of the elect

fact defeat truman. this, the only reason i've included is cassis on the rare platform of the magellan bonsoir à tous et bon mercredi. on se tourne vers holding that paper up. of lévis où le course, he has a gigantic smile conseiller de saint-etienne, serge on his face because he just won election as president. >> it was the first addition, it came out, i guess, in the lee evening of november 2nd, which was the day of the election. he is showing that paper in the st. louis station on november 4th. i think it was -- who made that mistake. anyhow, he is showing that paper on november 4th, his wife had just passed it to him, he was so surprised, and so elated, he had to show it to everybody. >> that is a very very famous picture. here's some folks in your profession, reporters doing their job as close to the candidate where the president as they could with their gear right there. doing their filing. will move through this rather quickly because i know we're running out of time, here's president eisenhower h

truman carried this poem when he went to france as an artillery captain in the first world war. he carried the poll in his pocket on april 12th, 1945, when he was suddenly summoned from the u.s. capital building to the white house and told that he had become president. truman became president the month the united states and the united nations was born in san francisco. by then however, dreams of a world made tranquil by universal law had melted in the cauldron of war. today, we know what churchill never doubted. nations are here to stay. nations not super national entities, are the prime movers of history. and the united states which churchill loved as much as he loved is american mother, it is more indispensable than ever. i'll give you just one example. churchill firmer -- certainly appreciate. a two thirds of the planet that is covered with water the oceans, the great global common, will be policed and kept orderly by the united states navy or it will not be orderly. we are 75 years on from one at churchill's urging here, the united states unfurled a flag of world leadership.

the president was harry truman. interesting louis, churchill did not come over to the united states for fdr's funeral. there have been a lot of questions about why he did not do so. he certainly regretted it because it would have been an opportunity for him to me to the new american president and possibly to clear up a number of misunderstandings. when the war in japan ended in september, truman suddenly cut off all the -- to the british which was devastating to them. they were not prepared for it. you've also been an opportunity for truman and churchill to talk about the atomic bomb. during the war, early in the war, the british were actually ahead of the americans in the theoretical parts of building the bomb and it was decided that they would currently work on the bomb, but churchill initially rejected this option when the british friendly to get back into the project, the manhattan project, the americans were now the not dominating force in that program. so the british very much had to take a back seat and churc

truman had put in his pocket that year in 1910, a copy of tennessee's poem oxley whole. it includes these lines about a world without wars. the world subdued by international law, world tranquil. so the word no longer the battle plagues, and the parliament man, federation of the world. there the common sense of most, and they round and and they kindly at the universal 19 and nice words, not church chilean, churchill knew better read and truman carried this poem when he went to france and captain in the first world war. they carried the poem in his pocket on april 12, 1945 when he was suddenly summoned from the u.s. capitol building to the white house to be told that he had become president truman became president the nations was born in san francisco and by then however, dreams of the world may tranquil, universal law has melted into the culvert of war read and today we know what churchill, the nations are here to stay. nations supranational entities, the prime movers of history in the united states which churchill loved as much as he loved his american mother, is more i

truman said that's very interesting mr. prime minister would be glad to look at them in other words. this was not the relationship that he had had with franklin roosevelt in 19401 to 1945. not because of truman but because the world had changed britain was no longer the power had been at the start of the second world war and this became in ever more increasingly evidence as when he met truman successor dwight eisenhower when he became president in 1953. churchill continuous prime minister until 1955 the night before he resigned the new queen queen elizabeth came to but came to downing street for a banquet with churchill and his wife clementine. anthony eden succeeded him sadly for eden. he probably assumed office too late. and was filled by the sue was crisis which unfortunately falls be out outside the realms of this talk churchill continued as a member of parliament until 1964. although he was all but absent most of the time. and he died on the 20th of january 1965 when he died in many ways. his funeral was said to be the

truman says you're with us or against us. and they say, well, neither an, you know, that could be a repeat of that, right? we're back. you know, after what happened last week at the g20, after what happened in the shanghai cooperation last month, where modi came out, frankly, and criticized russia quite strongly, i don't see how india can say that it's nonaligned anymore. so i think they seem be fairly clearly in the western camp right now. now, with. even though they have come out quite against the war and, you know, they're still. 90% of their spare parts for their military. they're still dependent russia. they have diversified their military down to 60% now so that all their new you know sales are now coming from europe or the us. but it takes a long time to divert ossify your military hardware, takes years so but for all their old military that that's still you know russian made 90% of those spare parts are still russia now i'm i'm wondering russia is having trouble supplying its spare parts for the ukraine war and when i

to president harry truman.told president truman that he needed to fire the new prosecutor, too, just like the old prosecutor had been fired. and president harry truman caved to that demand from senator wheeler. he did it. he fired the second prosecutor. truman also buried the results of the investigation. the justice department had reportedly planned to make public the finding of its investigation about the sedition defendants working with the hitler government and this nazi agent's work in congress and what the nazis' own files said. the justice department planned to do a public official report on those findings. harry truman instead ordered that investigation kept secret. he buried it. for 15 years it was buried. it's an amazing story. it's a story you might want to listen to on your thanksgiving. now the sedition trial of the january 6th paramilitary attackers continues. the jury is getting that case tomorrow morning. as individual participants in the attack on the government are continuing to be convicted i

it was his office his cabinet room and post harry truman renovation president truman ordered that all of these different lincoln era. items and associated lincoln items be moved into this particular space. and so this photograph is from the eisenhower administration. and you know periodically there were some different changes to it, but for the most part it remained a bedroom and you know, even though herbert hoover called it the lincoln study fdr called it the lincoln study and then the lincoln bedroom after harry truman. but there was this interest about what to do with this room to sort of restore some of the historical elements that you know, you're calling it the lincoln bedroom, so why not go back to the true lincoln era when lincoln actually used the space and so i wanted to ask our panelists to sort of talk us through this project what all went into it and and how it came about and how it was how it was executed. so i'll leave the floor open to whoever would like to start these two. well during lincoln's time that room was not the bedroom. it was his office the lincoln area fu

i then came to the area and i wanted under the names of helping during the truman truman. president truman can you call me back please. it came to helps initially hours and then when they get they can cut it down for me, which i love that he was other than trying to get used as became more dominant and iran, when i get there, they control everything. if you guys read a memoirs of his political figure, even say that to my mother by the b service of the us even to complain about them. but he has not had the guts to mention it clearly, but an and an official meeting like a private meeting he does, he has mentioned and has complained from their job to the years and that result even if it was not so that any on they had such dominance, ready to give that article. and likewise in other countries on the list, similar to sim, got the owner with them that intrude into fair and so it was not only the west, but the soviet union was also interfering because as of a couple of years, union did not have so that is there anyone, supreme leader i yes. hello and how many speaking into her on making a nation

he went to president harry truman.ld president harry truman that he needed to fire the new prosecutor to. just like the old prosecutor had been fired. and president harry truman caved to that demand from senator burton wheeler. he did it. he fired the second prosecutor in the sedition case. truman also buried the results of the investigation. the justice department had reportedly planned to make public the finding of its investigation about the sedition defendants working with the hitler government. and this naji agents work in congress. and what the knots own false just said about which americans they were working with him to do what. the justice department plant to do a public official report on those findings. harry truman ordered that investigation kept secret. he buried. for 15 years it was buried. is an amazing story. it is a story you might want to listen to on your thanksgiving travels. [laughs] but now as the sedition trial of january 6th, paramilitary attackers continues. -- -- and the january 6th effort to o

of course, truman had the answers. henry recalled they wanted to call him a city, but they didn't do, it because they had a lot of respect for him. now, the boys might not have called him a sissy, but later in, life truman would call himself a sissy when your call those later years. looking back, truman said, reading history to meet was far more than a romantic adventure. it was solid instruction and wise teaching, which i somehow felt i wanted and needed. i could see that history that some extremely valuable lessons to teach. i learned from it that a leader is a man who has the ability to get other people to do what they don't want to do, and like it. >> to watch the rest of this program, visit c-span.org slash history. -type harry truman in the search box at the top of the page. for a complete list of programs related to the 33rd president. >> our speakers are well-known journalists, our hunt, former washington bureau for the wall street journal and host of the podcast, 2022 politics war room. and the author of the b

but for the most part, of course the cold war emerges and and you know initially harry truman and then like i was an hour, but particularly truman makes the policy decision that we that that united states government needs a viable democratic or economically viable and democratic west germany as a board against an encroaching soviet union and all the aspirations and ambitions that they had for the reform of german society and and andy that's a vacation a little quickly goes out to window and their aimed the overarching aim becomes the buildup of of west german and society as a democratic and a capitalist state. yeah. and yeah, so, um, some people are asking, you know, you really focus on kind of heavy industry. i would say in in the book, but you know, you clearly could have talked about, you know, some people with someone raised the question of like the entertainment business, um, you know, and i and that there were kind of similar stories going on in all different aspects of you know, all different areas of the german economy. good. is that true? would you say or well this i mean i pi

in 1948, harry truman defeated thomas dewey. no one expected truman to get re-elected.not "the "chicago tribune"," which led to one of the most iconic photos in u.s. history. a victorious president truman holding up the early edition of the paper that incorrectly declared “dewey defeats truman”" it's very famous. [ laughter ] that blunder led to another iconic photo the next day. “dewey says election was rigged,” [ laughter ] followed by, ”frankly dewey did win this election.” and, “dewey supporters raid capitol, poop on floor.” [ laughter ] one of the most hotly contested seats next week is for the senate in georgia. the incumbent raphael warnock is running about even with the herschel walker claims to be pro-life, yet two exgirlfriends have come forward to say he pressured them into having abortions. one of the women says he personally drove her to the clinic. gave her cash and made sure she did it. and while a revelation like that would be a five alarm fire for most campaigns. herschel walker is a businessman. and when opportunity knocks. >> you were responsible. you

bill was a success harry truman in 1946 put together a blue-ribbon commission, the truman commission, that looked at a higher education and that commission recommended a year later that community college should be free for all americans, and here it is in 2022 and we are still debating whether community college should be free, president biden and his wife is a community college professor. joe manchin, the senator from west virginia, which is a state where people could incredibly benefit from a free community college system blocked that proposal in 2021. and absolutely, to give people an option of free or low-cost those first two years, and for many students it could be a stepping stone and they can complete their degree at a four year college. and also community services are plugged into the needs of the community in terms of what are the job needs in a local community, the local industries and what do they need. so absolutely, and i would agree. it frustrates me that it is not a bigger part of the conversation. >> matthew, portland, oregon, please go ahead with your question or comme