“Truman” by David McCullough, Simon & Schuster, 1992

“Truman” by David McCullough, Simon & Schuster, 1992

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Truman/David-McCullough/9780671456542

President Harry S. Truman was probably one of the most consequential presidents in U.S. history. His term started in April 1945 when then president Franklin D. Roosevelt passed away unexpectedly. He then ran and won for his own term 1948-1952. During his six years in the office, he directed, participated in, or experienced such historical events as the use of atomic bomb, the creation of the United Nations, the recognition of Israel, the Berlin Airlift and the Marshall Plan, Churchill’s speech in Truman’s hometown as the precursor of the cold war, the creation of NATO, withdrawing from mainland China in 1949, and committing troops to the Korea War while limiting the scale of the war. Domestically, he was the first president to recommend Medicare, he even proposed “medicare for all” while in office. It was during his presidency that the The Defence Production Act was passed and used, first as a direct response to the start of Korean War.

Truman was surrounded by some of the ablest colleagues, including Dean Acheson and George Marshall among many others. These colleagues helped him succeed. This is in part due to his ability to recognize and employ people who possess high quality. Truman knows history well. He often referred to history as guidance in his daily life. Quoting from the book, “Ambitious by nature, he was never torn by ambition, never tried to appear as something he was not. He stood for common sense, common decency. He spoke the common tongue. As much as any president since Lincoln, he brought to the highest office the language and values of the common American people.”

The book also spent a considerable amount of time to describe Truman’s family life, showing his affectionate relations with his wife, his daughter, and his other family members, many of whom were in or near his hometown in Missouri. He is a common man, like any other American.

《杜鲁门》大卫·麦卡洛（David McCullough）著，《西蒙与舒斯特》（Simon＆Schuster）出版，1992年

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Truman/David-McCullough/9780671456542

杜鲁门可能是美国最具历史影响的总统之一。他的任期始于1945年4月。当时作为副总统继任意外去世的罗斯福总统。他竞选并赢得了自己的任期（1948-1952年）。在他任职的六年中，他领导，参与，或经历了许多重大历史事件，例如使用原子弹，建立联合国，承认以色列，柏林空运和马歇尔计划，丘吉尔在杜鲁门家乡开启了冷战的演说，创建北约，1949年从中国大陆撤出，决定向朝鲜战争派兵但限制了战争规模。在国内，他是推荐医疗保险的第一位总统，在任职期间提出了“全民医保”的主张。1950年国会首次通过了作为对朝鲜战争直接回应的《国防生产法》，他作为总统用这个法律扩大军工生产以提供朝鲜战争所需军备。

杜鲁门有一批非常有才华的同僚，包括艾奇生和马歇尔等。这源于他卓越的识别和启用具有高素质人才的能力。本书作者总结到：“杜鲁门天生具有雄心，但从未被野心撕裂，从未试图取悦他人。他遵循共识，用普通百姓的言行来为百姓做事。与自林肯以来的任何总统一样，他以美国人民的语言和价值观来履行总统的职责。”

本书也用相当篇幅描述杜鲁门的家庭生活，他和夫人贝斯亲密及互相支持的关系，以及他对女儿玛格丽特的父爱。他是一个普通的美国人。