By Roger McKinney
Globe Staff Writer
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. —
Harry Truman had a lot to deal with when he became president upon Franklin Roosevelt’s death in 1945.
There was World War II, and his decision to drop atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Then, in quick succession, came the Cold War, the Berlin Airlift, the Marshall Plan, the Red Scare, a recession, the Korean War and the firing of a popular general.
Those who want to learn about Truman’s life and presidency can do so at a number of sites in Missouri, including the Truman Library and Museum and the Truman Home in Independence, and Truman’s birthplace in Lamar. The family farm in Grandview also is preserved, although the site is temporary closed to the public because of repairs to storm-damaged structures. It is expected to reopen later this summer.
‘Buck Stops Here’
The Truman Library and Museum opened in 1957, said Clay Bauske, curator. Visitors are greeted by the Thomas Hart Benton mural “Independence and the Opening of the West.” One of the first displays one sees in the museum is the famous desk sign proclaiming “The Buck Stops Here.”
“It’s the icon of the Truman administration,” Bauske said.
Also near the entrance is a replica of the Oval Office as it appeared on Aug. 28, 1950. A photograph of the Oval Office on that date is in the room, showing Truman holding a news conference.
The voice describing the room is Truman’s.
One proceeds from there to the displays and exhibits, which follow Truman’s presidency and post-presidency.
One of the first exhibits focuses on the decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Truman had said he never regretted the decision, which resulted in the Japanese surrender and prevented a U.S. invasion. It also killed up to 246,000 immediately in the two cities, mostly civilians. More died later from the effects of radiation poisoning.
A notebook allows visitors to write their opinions about whether the decision was the right one.
One of those visiting the museum recently was 86-year-old Peter Ster, from Tucson, Ariz. He was part of the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. He was in the military when Truman dropped the atomic bombs and said he may have been required to serve as part of a Japanese invasion.
“That took a lot of strength,” Ster said of the decision. “There was a lot of weight on his shoulders to make that decision.”
He was asked what he thought of the decision.
“At the time, I thought it was the right one,” he said. He didn’t elaborate.
Displays also highlight the recession and labor strife that hit the United States after the war’s end, then the beginning of the postwar boom.
The Marshall Plan restored Europe’s infrastructure, providing more than $13 billion in aid between 1948 and 1951. That was nearly 9 percent of the federal budget at the time.
“Europe was devastated,” Bauske said. “Rebuilding Europe ultimately affected the world economy.”
The display on the Berlin Airlift includes 594 replica airplanes, representing the number of planes that landed in Berlin every day during the 1948 Soviet blockade.
Memories of Korea
A special exhibit, “Memories of Korea,” is on display at the museum through the end of the year. June 25 was the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War.
In conjunction with the exhibit, the library has joined with the CIA and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars to release more than 1,300 intelligence documents related to the Korean War.
Notes written by Truman on Jan. 27, 1952, that are part of the exhibit relate his frustration with negotiations.
“The situation in the Far East is becoming more and more difficult,” Truman wrote. “Dealing with the Communist governments is like an honest man trying to deal with a numbers racket king or the head of a dope ring.”
His notes say he was considering eliminating every manufacturing plant and shipyard in the Soviet Union and China.
“This means all-out war,” he wrote.
Another exhibit examines Truman’s decision to fire popular Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1951 for expressing his desire to spread the Korean War to China against Truman’s wishes. The firing was widely unpopular.
Truman, his wife, Bess, and their daughter, Margaret, are buried in a courtyard at the library and museum.
History’s judgment
Around 130,000 people visit the library and museum each year.
Bruce Ludwigs, 60, of Sioux City, Iowa, was one of the visitors recently.
“He had it pretty tough,” Ludwigs said, noting the list of issues Truman confronted. “He didn’t have much breathing space.”
Chris Proicou, of Columbus, Ohio, was another visitor. He said he also has visited the Reagan, Nixon and Eisenhower presidential museums. Proicou, 76, said Truman was one of the common people.
“He wouldn’t pass the buck,” Proicou said. “He was, I think, very astute in handling the political situation. I think history has given him a pretty good grade.”
Truman home
About a mile or so from the library and museum is the house at 219 Delaware St. that Truman shared with Bess. The house, which was known as the summer White House during his presidency, is operated by the National Park Service. Kristin Gibbs led a recent tour.
Parked in the garage in back is a 1972 Chrysler Newport, which Truman bought six months before his death.
Visitors enter through a humble kitchen. Gibbs said Truman would come home from the library nearly every day for lunch and wash his own dishes when he finished.
Gibbs said the old linoleum in the kitchen is an example of the family’s frugality.
The calendar is turned to October 1982, the month Bess Truman died. Notes from her nurse are on the calendar.
The dining room is more formal. The only indication in the house that it is the home of a former president is a place setting of china with the presidential seal in the china cabinet.
A study, adjacent to the dining room, was Truman’s favorite room. The only television set in the house is in the music room, the room the Trumans used the least. Gibbs said Bess liked to watch Kansas City baseball, and Truman watched political programs.
Truman’s coat, hat and cane hang in a cloakroom adjacent to the formal sitting room. It was in the sitting room where Truman entertained guests.
Truman birthplace
The Truman birthplace in Lamar is a nearer destination. It is operated by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Lamar officials are seeking to add it to the National Park Service, like his home in Independence and the farm in Grandview. National Park Service representatives in April visited the site and conducted a public hearing.
Ron and Mary Haight, of Des Moines, Iowa, stopped in a couple of weeks ago on the way to Branson. They said they had thought Truman was born in the Kansas City area, and they were surprised to find his birthplace farther south.
Truman spent just the first 11 months of his life in the house, before his parents moved to the Kansas City area, said Beth Bazal, DNR interpretive specialist.
Truman’s father, a horse trader, planted the Austrian pine tree at the site on the day Truman was born, May 8, 1884. The modest house was built in 1880.
Bazal said there are no closets, because property taxes at the time were based on the number of doors in a house.
The house gets around 10,000 visitors a year, Bazal said.
The property also includes a well, a smokehouse and an outhouse.
During his adult life, Truman returned to Lamar in 1944, when he was running as Franklin Roosevelt’s vice presidential candidate. He was there again in 1959 for the dedication of the house. He signed the guest book and wrote “retired farmer” as his occupation.
Historians gather
Clay Bauske, curator at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, said dozens of authors, historians and other researchers visit the library each year to conduct research. He said historian David McCullough spent 10 years off and on conducting research at the library and interviewing locals for his 1992 biography, “Truman.”
Events in region highlight history
Harry Truman’s birthplace in Lamar, and his home and farm in Independence and Grandview, respectively, aren’t the only places to learn about the region’s history.
People may take a tour through the past with events at some of these sites:
July 3 and 17, Aug. 14, and Sept. 6: Artillery firing demonstrations will be given on Stop 5 of the Tour Road at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield near Republic. Demonstrations take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every hour on the hour. Details: 417-732-2662.
July 3: A 30-minute film exploring the life of George Washington Carver will be shown at 1 p.m. at George Washington Carver National Monument near Diamond. Details: 417-325-4151.
July 3-4: People may celebrate Independence Day with historical games, artillery demonstrations and more throughout the weekend at Fort Scott National Historic Site in Fort Scott, Kan. Details: 620-223-0310.
July 10: The Carver Day celebration, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at George Washington Carver National Monument, will feature music and speakers. Details: 417-325-4151.
July 10: People may enjoy tea and desserts served Victorian style from 1 to 4 p.m. in the 1853 Anderson House at the Battle of Lexington State Historic Site near Lexington, Mo. Details: 660-259-4654.
July 17: Visitors will learn about the natural area where Nathan Boone settled, with guided hikes beginning at 1 p.m. at the Nathan Boone Homestead State Historic Site near Ash Grove. Topics will include a report on archaeological excavations at the site conducted in the fall and spring. Details: 417-751-3266.
July 25: A photographic presentation from 1 to 2 p.m. at George Washington Carver National Monument will explore the life and times of Carver. Details: 417-325-4151.
Aug. 10: The 149th anniversary of the Civil War battle at Wilson’s Creek, near Republic, will be marked with a wreath-laying ceremony and a guest speaker at 10 a.m. in front of the visitors center. Details: 417-732-2662.
