Harry Truman by Ian

Harry Truman by Ian - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

President Harry Truman, the man who chose to drop nuclear bombs on Japan and the president at the beginning of the Cold War, would be a fascinating man to have dinner with. There are so many topics to consider and avenues to explore. Of course asking about his feelings on the nuclear weapons and the effects that they had on the world to come, but also his feelings on Josef Stalin, his wartime ally and peacetime enemy. He and I are both from the Midwest and I am curious to see how that may have affected his leadership styles and perspectives on the world and the events he experienced during and after the war.
The most obvious, and potentially most interesting, topic to broach in a conversation with President Truman would have to be the atomic bomb. It had in many ways defined the century that followed it and fear of its enormous destructive power was felt in the hearts of many Americans during the Cold War. From what I have read, Truman had stated that he never wavered in his decision to use the bombs and would do it again in a heartbeat, but, looking back at the events that unfurled after, it would be interesting to see if he continued to hold those same convictions. I would be eager to discover why he was so determined to use the bombs. American history textbooks paint a mixed picture. On the one hand, it would prevent American casualties that would result from the invasion of Japan itself, but Japan was already close to surrendering, according to many sources. I have hear that one reason behind the use of the atomic bomb was as a preemptive move to prevent the Soviets from establishing a foothold in postwar Japan. There are so many conflicting and uncertain viewpoints in relation to Truman’s use of atomic weapons, it would be incredible to hear his firsthand explanation of why the bombs were dropped.
Second only to his use of nuclear weapons would be discussing his relationship with Stalin and his feelings on how he dealt with Communist expansion. Prior to the end of the war Truman has been quoted as saying he liked Stalin and was hopeful for peace following victory. History would show that to never come to pass. He grew to resent Stalin and was shown to be very harsh and aggressive in his dealings with the Soviet Union and their goals for spreading communism and creating a buffer state in Eastern Europe. I wonder if, looking back, he might wish he had tried for more diplomacy. I also wonder if he was overcompensating for his lack of experience with foreign relations. He sought to show strength and simply exacerbated an already tense relationship. Perhaps he felt his Midwestern upbringing was to gentle for the task at hand. He is seen in many different lights depending on the resource consulted, I would hope to understand his decisions through his own eyes.
His decisions have cause his reputation to vary from the “home town hero” to an inexperienced belligerent fool that caused the Cold War. As is often the case, I expect the truth is somewhere in the middle. I have read diary entries of his that conflict with letters he sent. There are records of conversations that he has had that conflict with policies that he made. More than anything else I would want to be able to sit down with President Truman to just see what saw and hopefully have a better understanding of a good man that got handed a bad situation.