I relied on, to various degrees, Bame, Frank, Lee Miller, and McCullough. More interesting perhaps are his letters to Bess, Plain Speaking a series of conversations he gave, and the online archives where you can read all sorts of his papers quite easily.
Terrific post, as always. As a retired US Navy veteran and current civil servant, I respectfully disagree that the decision to drop the bomb was inevitable, or that a series of committees drove the decision. You can advise all day long, but the decision-maker has to decide. Truman - after taking in all the advice - decided.
You’re analysis of Truman’s use of the passive voice in his diary is fantastic. But I offer an alternative view: the use of the bomb was such a monumental decision, and devastating to hundreds of thousands of people, that Truman needed to distance himself somewhat, perhaps for his own mental and emotional health.
Thank you! And thanks for reading. I agree with that, but I wanted to show that the simple statement "Truman decided" is oddly difficult to demonstrate. He certainly was careful about the decision, worrying about its implications. He was a direct and unflinching man though, quite admirably considering what he dealt with as President.
Which Truman biographies would you recommend, please?
I relied on, to various degrees, Bame, Frank, Lee Miller, and McCullough. More interesting perhaps are his letters to Bess, Plain Speaking a series of conversations he gave, and the online archives where you can read all sorts of his papers quite easily.
Thank you.
Terrific post, as always. As a retired US Navy veteran and current civil servant, I respectfully disagree that the decision to drop the bomb was inevitable, or that a series of committees drove the decision. You can advise all day long, but the decision-maker has to decide. Truman - after taking in all the advice - decided.
You’re analysis of Truman’s use of the passive voice in his diary is fantastic. But I offer an alternative view: the use of the bomb was such a monumental decision, and devastating to hundreds of thousands of people, that Truman needed to distance himself somewhat, perhaps for his own mental and emotional health.
Really enjoy your posts!
Thank you! And thanks for reading. I agree with that, but I wanted to show that the simple statement "Truman decided" is oddly difficult to demonstrate. He certainly was careful about the decision, worrying about its implications. He was a direct and unflinching man though, quite admirably considering what he dealt with as President.