Harry Truman I wrote a story last week about one of my most favorite presidents, FDR. But I remember Harry Truman, too. But who was he? Why had Roosevelt kept him hid? Was he hiding in his basement, like Joe Biden during the early part of our last election? The truth? Roosevelt had given little thought to his mortality and served right to the end like he would just live forever.

So, when FDR died suddenly not only was the nation stunned, so was his cabinet along with everyone else in the government and the military. Truman had to be found and sworn in. From scratch. Harry Truman didn’t know anything about anything. He had never attended a cabinet meeting. Never been briefed on anything. He didn’t know we had an atomic bomb which FDR planned on using on the hapless Japs.

Yes, the war was ending in Europe, but Japan was a whole different case. They still felt safe. No acknowledgement of defeat. They breathed fire and brimstone back to any offers of a peace settlement. Never-theless, on the 12th day of April 1945, Harry took over. Tojo the Prime Minister of Japan decided the Japs would fight to the last man as US Military experts were already drawing up plans to invade Japan--they predicted that it would cost us one million casualties. But Americans were fed up with the high casualty rates sustained over fighting for what they saw as worthless real estate. Little islands of little note. Americans had had enough.

So, Truman was confronted with these clashes of emotions from the American voters. Sue for peace? Get it done? No way. Lucky for us, Truman was a lot smarter than they gave him credit. He quickly came under fire from the Eastern Press Corps. He was looked at as a hick. Not even a graduate of any good Eastern Universities. He had a sort of lack luster history, in their view. They said he was a nobody. Not qualified in any way to be a president. His WWI history in the Army was fair. He was only a Captain in charge of a company which had deported itself okay in France as it was noted that he had risen in politics back in Kansas City under the protection of the Prendergast political machine. A loathsome branding to them.

But Truman took charge, demanded to be briefed, named a new cabinet, and soon had the government humming along better than ever. He was not a man to just roll over. He found out about the A-bomb, studied the problem, and quickly ordered its use in August on the dreaded Japs. Invade them? Not on his watch. The decision to drop this mean bomb ended the war and quick. It is generally conceded that this saved those million US lives an invasion would have cost, as well as at least two million Japs. However, people still damn Truman for this decision. His decision making was guided by a saying on a little panel on his desk: “The Buck Stops Here.”

Truman by then had my backing, such as my backing in 1945 was worth. I was 10. When he ran for election in 1948, he made a nationwide whistle stop. When the Daily Oklahoman said Davis, Oklahoma was one stop, I knew I had to be there. And I was. I got to see the great man. It was a large rambunctious crowd that day and I scrouged up as close as I could get. He was great.

Truman continued to win my admiration. When he finished his term and turned his job over to Dwight D. Eisenhower, Truman sneaked out of the crowd, away from his secret service, and went back to Independence, Missouri. He left behind the ten White House (Lincolns) Limos and got into his own Chrysler and drove himself and Bess home. Cops kept spotting him and insisting on a police escort through their towns. During a stop in Hannibal, a large crowd discovered that “Harry and Bess” were in town, and he was delayed somewhat.

Harry loved his Chryslers. He bought himself two new ones in 1940. One for him and one for Bess. Set him back $1,192 each plus $92 bucks extra for a radio and heater. He loved and took good care of his cars. He had them serviced frequently and allowed no smoking in his cars. He bought his last new Chrysler in 1952. But HST died six months later and his wife took over the car. In 1982, Bess passed away and daughter Margaret donated the car (19,000 miles) to the US Park Services. But today, this car and others Harry owned and drove reside in the garage of his old home—now a presidential library and on view of course.

Rest in peace Mr. Truman. And for the rest of us, we all need to be in church Sunday.

Wayne Bullard, DPh

cwaynebullard@gmail.com