Choosing Truman: The Democratic Convention of 1944

Frontmatter

CHOOSING TRUMAN Give 'Em Hell Harry Series Harry S.Truman, the "man from Missouri" who served as the thirtythird president of the United States, has been the subject of many books. Historians, political figures, friends, foes, and family members -all have sought to characterize, understand, and interpret this figure who continues to live in the minds and imaginations ofa broad reading public. The Give 'Em Hell Harry Series is designed to keep available in reasonably priced paperback editions the best books that have been written about this remarkable man. CHOOSING TRUMAN The Democratic Convention 0(1944 ROBERT H. FERRELL University of Missouri Press Columbia and London Copyright © 1994 by The Curators of the University of Missouri University of Missouri Press, Columbia, Missouri 65201 Printed and bound in the United States ofAmerica All rights reserved First paperback printing, 2000 5 4 3 2 1 04 03 02 01 00 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ferrell, Robert H. Choosing Truman: the Democratic convention of 1944 / Robert H. Ferrell. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8262-1308-1 1. Presidents-United States-Election-1944. 2. Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972. 3. United States-Politics and government-1933-1945. 4. Democratic National Convention (1944 : Chicago, Ill.) I. Title. E812.F47 1994 973.918'092-dc20 93-40833 CIP e'· This paper meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, Z39.48, 1984. Designer: Rhonda Miller Typesetter: Connell-Zeko Type & Graphics Printer and Binder: Thomson-Shore, Inc. Typeface: New Century Schoolbook For William P. Hannegan and Thomas J. Walker I think it is an interesting part ofhistory that a man with that type of mind was so important. I don't know how long he had that type of mind, maybe he always had it.... Of course this oblique type of mind does muddy the ability of the people to think clearly. There may be some virtue in bringing things out clearly to people. -former vice-president Henry A. Wallace, in appraisal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Wallace oral history, 1951, 3417-18 ...