When I got to VJ Day I actually stopped for a day or two because I just couldn't imagine how the book could reach those heights again after such a climax. I'm talking about David McCullough's writing more than the events he's describing. I've read other accounts of World War II that rival watching grass grow in excitement.
But, McCullough manages to get it going again for the second climax - Truman's remarkable campaign and victory in the '48 election. I'm not kidding, I was really entertained by the description of Truman's Whistle Stop Campaign.
As for Truman himself, well, I doubt anyone who reads this book fails to admire him. Sure, there were policies he favored that I would never want to see implemented - like his support for national health care - but overall he comes across as a good man who accomplished great things.
There was so much in the book that it's hard to pick out a few highlights, but these titbits stood out for me:
- Nagasaki - I suppose I should have realized this before, but I never grasped that once Truman gave the go ahead to use the Atomic bomb he left the 'where' and the 'when' up to the military. So, when the war was still going on August 9th - three days after Hiroshima - another bomb was dropped without any input from Truman. It was just a weapon to be used to win the war.
- Truman was the product of machine politics. He got his start in politics thanks to the Prendergast machine in Kansas City. Truman remained faithful to Tom Prendergast even when he became a political liability. I know I should be horrified by this, but I admired Truman for his loyalty. Truman knew that those who ran the big Democrat machines were corrupt, but he saw more merit in what they did than in the efforts of those who ran the big corporations.
- And, my favorite anecdote about Bess Truman. Shortly after they had moved into the White House, Mrs. Truman asked the White House butler for 2 old-fashioneds. The first try resulted in Mrs. Truman saying the drinks were no good. So, the next night the butler tried another recipe and this time Mrs. Truman said they were the worst old-fashioneds they'd ever had. "She and the President did not care for fruit punch." The third night he poured a double bourbon on ice and waited for the reaction. "Now that's the way we like our old-fashioneds". Great.
