Presidential Chronicles

Dwight Eisenhower #4: The Next Great War (1940-1942); Topics covered include: World War II, pre-war exercises/maneuvers, Pearl Harbor attack, U.S. enters war, assignment to War Plans Division (and successor Operations Division), death of father, meets Kay Summersby, assesses command in Britain, and named Commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe Key people include: Jake DeWitt, Walter Krueger, Adolp...

Dwight Eisenhower #3: Staff Officer to the Stars (1919-1938); Topics covered include: Post-war assignments including tanks at Camp Meade, mentorship by senior officers, death of son doud ("Icky") Eisenhower, assignment in Panama, finishes first in class at Command General Staff School and the Army War College, assignment to the American Battle Monuments Commission (in the U.S. and France...

Dwight Eisenhower #2: World War I: Stateside Service (1915-1918); Topics covered include: Assignment to Fort Sam Houston, meets and marries Mamie Doud, World War I (including U.S. entry), Eisenhower's wartime assignments including commander of the Army's first armored command at Camp Colt, birth of son (Doud), Spanish Flu, , and the armistice and Ike's disappointment in not being deplo...

Dwight Eisenhower #1: Man from Abilene (1890-1915); Topics covered include: Family background, parents, early life in Abilene (KS), gains nomination and acceptance to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and attends West Point (including graduation and commission in the U.S. Army) Key people include: Hans Nicholas Eisenhower, Jacob Eisenhower, David Eisenhower Ida (Stover) Eisenhower), Milton...

Harry Truman #14: From 'Mr. President' to 'Mr. Citizen' (1951-1972); Topics covered include: Korean War, establishment of NATO forces, charges of corruption and response, visit by Winston Churchill, completion of White House renovation, seizing the steel mills and defeat at the Supreme Court, 1952 election, furious with Dwight Eisenhower over disrespect of George Marshall, end of T...

Harry Truman #13: Korea and MacArthur (1950-1951); Topics covered include: Korean War, United Nations engagement, Douglas MacArthur's landing at Inchon, meeting between Truman and MacArthur at Wake Island, assassination attempt by Puerto Rican Nationalists, China enters the war, death of Charlie Ross, Truman objects to critique of Margaret Truman's singing concert, Douglas MacArthur public...

Harry Truman #12: Second Term (1949-1950); Topics covered include: Staffing changes, White House renovation, Fair Deal, Hoover Commission, Inauguration Day, Berlin Airlift, establishment of NATO, Soviet Union tests an atomic bomb, decision to move forward with the Hydrogen Bomb, Soviet-backed espionage, House Un-American Activities Committee, and McCarthyism Key people include: George Marshall, De...

Harry Truman #11: Dewey Defeats Truman? Stop the Presses! (1948); Topics covered include: Election of 1948, Democratic nomination, Whistle Stop Tour, other candidates (Tom Dewey, Strom Thurmond, and Henry Wallace), predictions for Truman's defeat, and victory at the polls Key people include: James Roosevelt, Thomas Dewey, Alben Barkley, Strom Thurmond, and Henry Wallace For more information on...

Harry Truman #10: Standing Up for What's Right: Civil Rights and Israel (1940-1948); Topics covered include: Civil rights, including the report "To Secure These Rights," recommendations to Congress, and executive orders (including desegregation of the military), the future of Palestine and the decision by the U.S. to recognize the new state of Israel Key people include: Clark Cliffor...

Harry Truman #9: Iron Curtain, Truman's Resolve (1946-1949); Topics covered include: Postwar labor strife, Cold War, "Iron Curtain" speech (Winston Churchill), 1946 midterm elections, George Marshall becomes Secretary of State, Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Berlin blockade/airlift, and death of Martha Truman Key people include: A.F. Whitney, Alvanley Johnson, John Lewis, James Byrn...

Harry Truman #8: Potsdam and Dropping the Bomb (1945); Topics covered include: Potsdam Conference, debates and agreements, successful test of the atomic bomb, agreement to use the bomb on Japan, Potsdam Declaration, distrust growing with the Soviets, gives order to use the atomic bomb on Japan, bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, end of World War II in the Pacific, impact of the atomic bombs...

Harry Truman #7: Weight of the World (1945); Topics covered include: Death of President Franklin Roosevelt, becomes the 33rd President of the United States, initial actions and decisions as President, differences with Roosevelt, initial relationship with Congress, knowledge of the Manhattan Project, end of World War II in Europe, U.S. relations with the Soviet Union, approval of the charter for th...

Harry Truman #6: A Heartbeat Away (1944-1945); Topics covered include: Election of 1944, selection of the Democratic nominee for Vice President, Democratic National Convention, Truman agrees to run for Vice President, Franklin Roosevelt and Truman nominated by the Democrats, Roosevelt beats Thomas Dewey - Truman elected Vice President, inaugural, roles Vice President, and the death of President Ro...

Harry Truman #5: The Truman Committee (1941-1944); Topics covered include: Begins second term in the Senate, volunteers to join army (rejected), investigates waste at Fort Leonard Wood, Committee for the Investigation of the National Defense Program (the Truman Committee) approved, hires Hugh Fulton, investigations over military and contractors including Alcoa, the Curtis-Wright Aeronautical Corpo...

Harry Truman #4: Senator from Pendergast (1935-1940); U.S. Senator, relationship with Roosevelt administration, relationship with Tom Pendergast, work in the Interstate Commerce Committee, Civil Aeronautics Act, Railroad Transportation Act, election of Lloyd Stark as Governor, health and legal troubles for Tom Pendergast, 1940 re-election campaign, views on civil rights, and victory Key people inc...

Harry Truman #3: Failed Businessman to Machine Politician (1919-1934); Topics covered include: Marries Bess Wallace, opens Haberdashery with Eddie Jacobson, store fails and closes amid recession, associated with the Pendergast political machine, elected county judge, birth of Mary Margaret Truman, loses re-election, in between jobs, meets Tom Pendergast, elected presiding judge, project to pave 25...

Harry Truman #2: Captain Harry (1914-1919); Topics covered include: World War I, U.S. enters war, enlists, elected a first lieutenant, training at Fort Doniphan, head of the regimental canteen, ships off to Europe, promoted to Captain, placed in charge of Battery D, combat, armistice, demobilization, returns home, and receives Loving Cup from the men of Battery D Key people include: Karl Klemm, Ed...

Harry Truman #1: Farmer from Missouri (1884-1917); Topics covered include: Parents, youth, glasses, piano, school, attraction to Bess Wallace, initial jobs after high school, joins the Missouri National Guard, becomes a farmer, father dies, and courting Bess (including engagement) Key people include: John Truman, Martha (Young) Truman, Harrison Young, Solomon Young, Anderson Truman, Vivian Truman,...

Franklin Roosevelt #16: Fourth Term, Yalta, and Legacy (1944-1945); Topics covered include: World War II, agrees to run for Fourth Term, insists on Harry Truman as VP, Roosevelt's health deteriorating, Missy LeHand dies, agrees with Winston Churchill to keep the Manhattan Project a secret from the Soviets, general election campaign and victory, fourth inaugural, meeting with Winston Churchill...

Franklin Roosevelt #15: The Big Three and D-Day (1943-1944); Topics covered include: World War II, meetings with Winston Churchill at Washington and Quebec, expansion of the Manhattan Project (atomic bomb), meeting with Churchill and Joseph Stalin at Teheran and negotiations, relationship with Stalin, agree to cross-channel invasion (Operation Overlord), names Dwight Eisenhower commander of Overlo...

Franklin Roosevelt #14: Commander-in-Chief (1941-1943); Topics covered include: World War II, Roosevelt's military leadership, Churchill visits Washington, Germany-first strategy, Japan's assault on the South Pacific, James Doolittle bombs Tokyo, Executive Order 9066 (removal of people of Japanese descent and internment in camps) including following court cases, Battle of Midway, invasion...

Franklin Roosevelt #13: Infamy (1941); Topics covered include: Inaugurated for the third time, World War II, Germany attacks Russia, Roosevelt extends Lend-Lease to the Soviets, meets Churchill for the first time, Atlantic Charter, Missy LeHand suffers a stroke, Sara Roosevelt dies, failed diplomacy with Japan, Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and Roosevelt's reaction, and American...

Franklin Roosevelt #12: Global War and Third Term Dilemma (1936-1941); Topics covered include: Trouble in Europe and Asia (Germany, Italy, and Japan), sinking of USS Panay, plight of German Jews (including Kristallnacht) and Roosevelt's limited response, Hitler annexes Austria and pursue the Sudetenland, appeasement and the Four Power Agreement (Munich), Hitler invades Czechoslovakia, non-aggr...

Franklin Roosevelt #11: Second Term Setbacks (1937-1940); Topics covered include: New Deal legislation declared unconstitutional, proposes to "pack" the Supreme Court (including opposition and failure), Court begins to concur with New Deal legislation, refuses to advocate for anti-lynching legislation, cuts back in Federal spending leading to economic setbacks including large increase in...

Franklin Roosevelt #10: The Second New Deal (1933-1937); Topics covered include: Great Depression, Civil Works Administration, managed currency/price of gold, criticism from conservatives and from the far left, midterm elections of 1934, Social Security Act, National Labor Relations Act, unemployment persists, Emergency Relief Appropriations Act, Work Progress Administration, Louis Howe dies, othe...