After Harry Truman was sworn in as FDR’s Vice President on January 20, 1945, he called his elderly mother to tell her the big news. She was quiet for a long time and at last said, “Now you behave yourself”. Truman was the first Vice President to have Secret Service protection because Roosevelt’s advisors knew the President didn’t have long to live and they wanted his successor to be safe. Truman had a first-rate mind and saw his VP role as liaison between the Oval Office and Congress. On his first day as Commander-in-Chief, Harry told reporters, “I feel like the moon, the stars and all the planets have fallen on me." The Truman Presidency was often fraught because of the nation’s transition from a war footing to a peacetime economy, but during his administration he created the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the CIA, the National Security Council, helped create NATO and recognized Israel over the objections of his Secretary of State. After leaving office, Truman gained greater stature.
© 2024 John Oliver
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