So goes one of former US President Harry Truman’s favorite colloquialisms. I recently completed a biography on the 33rd President, titled simply Truman, and authored by David McCullough. McCullough is well known for several other works, including his scholarly portrayal of our second President’s life in John Adams, which I have also read, and his consistently solid, erudite prose. In that regard Truman does not disappoint. It is a vivid recounting of the intriguing life of one of the twentieth century’s most influential patrons, a man reviled in his time only to be revered by later generations.
Harry Truman was the definitive influence on the course of US foreign policy during the latter half of the last century. The Marshall Plan, the Korean War, NATO, the United Nations, the Berlin Airlift, the atomic bomb, Israeli recognition, the Cold War: these are the veins through which the blood of our time flows, and at the heart is this man. Generally speaking, the consequences of these initiatives are overwhelmingly auspicious. The Marshall Plan constructed not only governments and economies in Western Europe, but the bonds of brotherhood through which durable alliances were formed; the Korean War let it be known to communist aggressors that transgressions on the freedoms of men would not be without retribution; the Berlin Airlift broke the imperialistic will of the Soviets in Europe, and later the Cold War broke their backs through peaceful attrition. And perhaps most importantly we are yet to see the day when wars will again be fought with sticks.
This is not to say that President Truman was infallible; quite the opposite is true, in fact. He had a penchant for employing executive power in creative ways, much like a recent President, for what he believed was the benefit of the nation. It is conceivable today that a President could draft the whole of the railroad union into the Army or seize the nations steel manufacturing out of private hands, both failed endeavors of Harry Truman. If his successes were plentiful, his failures were no less omnipresent.
Historical biographies are invaluable portraits of times past. They are unique in their ability to bring context to events and cultures because they are based on the perception of an individual who lived them. What we find in these tomes is not the regurgitation of detached historical fact found in text books, but a very real and nuanced experience of an individual that provides insights into the complexities of life. Too often we abscond from responsibility only to pass judgment on the work of others, shrouded by the darkness of willful ignorance and failing to appreciate the intricacies of nearly intractable conundrums. In Truman, I felt the President’s struggle to walk the line without stepping over. Truman gives one great respect for the agony that inevitably comes with being a benevolent commander of men, and it serves to reaffirm a notion we would all do well to keep at the forefront of our thoughts: things are never as simple as we perceive them to be.
Word of the Day
rodomontade (rod o mon tade) [rod-uh-mon-teyd]
- (noun) vainglorious boasting or bragging; pretentious, blustering talk.
- (adjective) bragging.
- (verb) to boast; brag; talk big.
