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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 20 general entries.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Truman, Harry S.
| Who is the historian who in 1992, published a 992-page biography of Truman? | Harry S. Truman
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David McCullough. Very well worth reading. McCullough more recently has been working on a book about the John Adams family.
| When, in late 1999, C-Span asked 90 historians to rate all 41 U.S. Presidents, where did Truman rank? | Harry S. Truman
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5th. Truman has steadily risen in stature over the years, as his greatness has become more and more apparent.
88. He died in Kansas City on December 26, 1972. Oddly, the only other living ex-President, Lyndon Johnson, died on January 22, 1973, less than a month later.
| Which Presidential candidate did Truman support in the 1960 Democratic primaries? | Harry S. Truman
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Stuart Symington. As late as July 2nd, after it was obvious Kennedy would be the nominee, he accused Kennedy of 'rigging' the convention, and in a famous moment asked, 'Senator, are you certain that you are quite ready for the country, or that the country is ready for you in the role of President in January, 1961?' Kennedy calmly responded that if 14 years in elective office was not sufficient experience, most Presidents would have been ruled out, including Truman himself!
| Truman elected not to run again in 1952, and in January of 1953 he turned the Presidency over to Dwight Eisenhower and retired to private life. Truman did, however, speak out from time to time. Who did Truman support as the Democratic candidate for President in the 1956 primaries? | Harry S. Truman
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Averell Harriman. Although Stevenson had been Truman's hand-picked successor in 1952, by 1956 Truman had decided that Stevenson lacked 'the kind of fighting spirit we need to win.'
| Who served as Secretary of State during Truman's second term? | Harry S. Truman
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Dean Acheson. Acheson was appointed when Marshall resigned for health reasons in January of 1949. Both are considered to be among the best Secretary of States ever.
| The policy of aiding free nations in order to meet and beat the Communist threat, especially in Greece and Turkey, became known as what? | Harry S. Truman
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The Truman Doctrine. Announced in a speech before a Joint Session of Congress on March 12, 1947.
| Who gave the speech at the 1948 Democratic Convention which resulted in the delegates adopting a stronger civil rights plank in their platform? | Harry S. Truman
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Hubert Humphrey. Humphrey was at that time Mayor of Minneapolis. Angered by the civil rights plank, southern delegates walked out and held their own convention, nominating Strom Thurmnod, then governor of South Carolina, to run as the candidate of the States' Rights Democratic Party, popularly known as the Dixiecrats. Thurmond won four states, states which had voted Democratic in every election since Reconstruction ended after the 1876 election. Truman also had third-party competition on the left, as Henry Wallace ran as the candidate of the Progressive Party and received about as many votes as Thurmond (just over a million), although Wallace won no states. Despite this competition which siphoned off normally Democratic votes, Truman pulled off the upset victory.
| What dramatic announcement did Truman make while accepting the 1948 Democratic nomination for President? | Harry S. Truman
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He called Congress back into session. Calling Congress back into session was an effective tactic, dramatizing that it was indeed a 'do-nothing Congress' as alleged. Since the session was to start on July 26th, called 'Turnip Day' in Missouri, it became known as the 'Turnip Congress'.
| What method of campaigning did Truman use to good effect in the 1948 campaign against Thomas Dewey? | Harry S. Truman
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the whistle-stop tour. Truman made hundreds of speeches all around the country, as many as 10-15 a day, from train platforms. The crowds were wildly enthusiastic, leading Truman to believe that all the polls and pundits were wrong and he actually did have a chance to defeat Dewey, who because of his lead stayed 'above the fray' and campaigned only in generalities.
| Truman's program to provide aid to rebuild Europe after World War II, was called what? | Harry S. Truman
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Marshall Plan. Some of his advisors wanted to call it the 'Truman Plan', but Truman insisted it be named after Secretary of State George Marshall, illustrating a favorite saying of his that, 'It is remarkable how much can be accomplished if you don't care who gets the credit.'
| How many workers were on strike at the height of the post-war labor troubles in the United States? | Harry S. Truman
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over a million. Virtually all the major industries were hit with labor strikes. As a result of all the unrest, Truman's approval rating sank to an incredible low of 32 per cent at one point.
April 12, 1945. It was well-known that FDR was not in good health, and he died less than 3 months into his 4th term. Upon assuming the Presidency, Truman told reporters that 'I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me.'
April 25, 1945. Besides cabinet meetings, Truman had met with FDR only twice while VP, on March 8, 1945, and March 19, 1945, and nothing of consequence was discussed. Truman's advisors told him about the bomb on the 13th day of his Presidency, and the decision to use it against Japan was then made on July 24, 1945.
less than a minute. Certainly one of the shortest ever. Such a short speech would be unheard of today, with the candidates relishing the free TV exposure given to these speeches.
| When Franklin Delano Roosevelt was nominated to run for a fourth term in 1944, Truman was selected as his Vice-Presidential running mate. Who was the top vote-getter on the first ballot for the Democratic Vice-Presidential nomination that year? | Harry S. Truman
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Henry Wallace. Truman then prevailed on the second ballot, after FDR let it be known that he preferred Truman over Wallace, who was deemed to be too liberal.
U.S. Senate. Again, with the support of the Pendergast 'machine', Truman ran and narrowly won a hotly-contested race.
| In 1922, Truman first ran for elective office in Jackson County, Missouri, with the backing of what big city 'machine'? | Harry S. Truman
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Pendergast. The Pendergast family controlled Kansas City Democratic politics, and Harry was asked to run for 'Judge' (a position equivalent to County Comissioner) based on his good war record and his good family background.
nothing. Undecided over whether to honor his father or her's (both of which started with 'S'), Harry's parents decided to just make it 'S'. Thanks to player afton8 for pointing out that there is no period after the "S".
| Harry Truman was born on May 8, 1884. In what state was he born? | Harry S. Truman
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Missouri. Harry's grandfather, Anderson Truman, had migrated to the Kansas City area from Kentucky in 1846.
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