Which U.S. president should I cover next? Correction: I misspoke at 41:11. He was admitted to the hospital on December 5th. He died on December 26th. I'm sorry about that. My Harry Truman song: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9SyKAOkXbQ4.html My Korean War song: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PA2AAqJlHQE.html My Harry War song: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dQw4w9WgXcQ.html Don't forget to try out Ground News! Go to ground.news/mrbeat to become a smarter news consumer. Subscribe through my link for 40% off unlimited access this month.
Being the leader of the first country to develop nuclear weapons, it’s interesting to think that Harry Truman was for a brief time the most powerful person in human history.
If I had a nickel for every person who had poor eyesight yet wanted to join the military so badly they studied the eye chart to pass the eye exam, I’d have a lot of nickels.
Truman being unpopular during his time as president but being praised as being one of the greatest presidents after he passed away proves how ahead of the time he was.
@@abrahamlincoln937 He also had a number of corruption scandals during his second term IIRC. But much like Grant, those were due to his subordinates rather than himself.
"No, I fired MacArthur because he didn't respect the office of the Presidency, not because he was a dumb sonovabitch, although he was. But that's not against the law for Generals." We really need another Harry Truman in office today. He said what he meant and did what he thought was right. That's rare in any President.
The irony his mother was a confederate sympathizer and her son would be the president to desegregate the United States military history is truly a great teacher
We must still remember that Truman wasn't perfect on even his rhetoric regarding civil rights later on. He later said of the sit-in protestors: “If anyone came into my store and tried to stop business I’d throw him out. The Negro should behave himself and show he’s a good citizen”
You know, sometimes, it's better to have more average, "lame" or boring people in these places. We are often so focused on the extraordinary that we don't realize that what we already have is actually not that bad. Truman, for all his flaws, was exactly that, and I hope we see more of common sense politicians like him in the future.
Truman holding the Newspaper saying "Dewey defeats Truman" is one of my favorite pictures ever. I remember that picture from my history book and it stayed with me all these years. And thank you Mr. Beat for the video. I always liked Truman a lot but I never really thought about just how much he shaped the world we live in today. Not bad for a man who never wanted to be president........
I thought the biggest blemish of Oppenheimer was portraying Truman as just a carefree "good ol' boy." Yes, he could be obstinate, but he was whip-smart and had a firm character.
@wyatthill6252 The "blood on my hands" and "crybaby" lines, yes, but beyond that, not so much. I doubt that Gary Oldman, based on that scene, did much if any research on Truman for the role.
@wyatthill6252 I'm just suggesting that Oldman could've improved his performance by watching even an hour or two of Truman bios / speeches / interviews. I didn't get the sense of seeing a straight-shootin' Missouri dirt farmer, just some Southern caricature. Had Oldman honed Truman's personality, though, I think the scene actually would've been more cringe.
Truman is my absolute favorite. A true common man that climbed up to the top. He didn't use any of his offices to enrich himself. And quietly retired and did not abuse his former title to get wealth that way.
Turns out being physically strong and macho doesn't mean your voice fits, as is also evidenced by Heydrich who supposedly had a high pitched voice too.
My grandmother lived near Truman when he retired she said he was sometimes on his porch and would wave at her on her way to school. She once even threw her shoe into his back yard so he could talk to him. My friend’s father has similar stories about seeing him on his way to school. IDK what my point is, but truman is a beast
My grandfather’s favorite president was Truman. In particular, he approved of Truman recalling the reserves for the Korean War; Granddad believed that when you do a job you do everything you need to do to do it right. He liked Ike too, of course. But Truman’s highly unpopular decision deeply impressed Granddad even seven decades later. Weird coincidence, Granddad also looked a lot like Truman. Had a similarly understated personality, too. Oh, and he was also a Harry.
It’s kind of sad that Truman is vilified and hated strictly because of the bomb. Especially with the recent Oppenheimer film. When you consider all the truly evil Presidents we’ve had, it’s sad that a man like Truman gets most of the undeserved hate.
When I was 16, my family took a cross country trip and went through Independence Missouri. We stopped and asked where the Truman house was and were told to stop by and ring the door bell and if he was home, he would answer the door. My sister and I walked up to his front door and rang the bell. Unfortunately there was no answer. Can you imagine in this day and age of having that kind of access to a former President 's house? It's a nice memory for me and certainly speaks to the type of man he was.
The editing in this video blends the interviews, museum showcases, and informative sections very well. I wasnt so hot on your previous videos visiting historical sites, but they have developed very well. This might be my favorite president video so far. Cheers from Missouri!
Mr. Beat, you're my favorite RU-vidr. I'm finishing up my final undergraduate semester and looking to start teaching high school social studies in the Fall, God willing. You're a big inspiration!! God bless you!
Thank you for the kind words. Best of luck finishing up school. You're going to love being a social studies teacher. It's one of the best jobs around. :)
He's honestly emerged lately as my favorite president. If we could have people like him more often, I honestly think we'd be a lot further along than we are now.
Agree. And when he came into office, people thought they were stuck with this boob from Missouri, that he was going to be a national embarrassment. I think time has been kind to Truman as well. We could argue all day about the Bomb, but not dropping it would’ve been horrifying as well.
@@Potatotenkopf agree. He made the right call with MacArthur, even if seemingly no one was willing to admit it. MacArthur was legendary, even then, but that doesn’t mean he was the right man for that job, at that time, and Truman saw that and was willing to act on it
@@virgilflowers9846Macarthur has been a divisive character even during the time. Every WW1 vet hated his gits for his heavy-handed treatment of the Bonus Army in 1931. Every American that survived their horror-filled stint as a POW in the Philippines hated him for being a "Dugout Doug". A good chunk of the US public hated him for being lenient towards the Japanese after all what they went through to reach Tokyo. Only his propaganda machine kept up his hero status...
For those curious, work on the Sabbath is a very complex topic in Judaism. There is a list of 39 items in the Talmud that are considered work, ranging from cooking to doing laundry to writing or erasing writing. These have been expanded and interpreted in various ways over the centuries, one of which is the prohibition on using electricity on the Sabbath. Many jewish families have or had non Jews help to perform these tasks on Saturdays. Along with Truman, Colin Powell, Barack Obama, Martin Scorsese, and Elvis did similar work for jewish neighbors at some point in their lives.
Yeah, their overly strict and non-flexible interpretation of work on the Sabbath was one of Jesus's major criticisms against Jewish leaders of His time. It seems the problem has only gotten worse in the couple millennia since then, at least among Orthodox Jews.
@@Compucles I'd say it's a flexible system. Sabbath mode on ovens is an example - you're forbidden from starting a fire or starting to cook a meal, but if you start cooking something before the Sabbath and let it continue to cook all day, it's considered ok. This is how the Jewish dish of cholent became popular, because it was an all-day stew.
Reading Truman by David McCullough was probably one of, if not, my favourite historical reads, and I'm happy to see you cover Truman, a President whose story from rags to, well, still rags, is not usually covered!
I think presidents got e pension because of Truman since he was broke Ike pushedwhen he left office, Ikepushed for presidential pensions because he fid not think ex presidents should have to go begging.
Personally, I like Truman and think that he was not just one of the most consequential presidents in history, but one of the most consequential humans in history, simply because he chose to use the atom bomb, which is actually something that I support even though its considered a highly controversial move. If you think about it, even if Truman himself was unaware of the impact it would have, we are the only nation to have ever used nuclear weapons in a war. That statement comes with a huge underlying sentiment that cannot be understated, the fact that we proved to humanity that we had the audacity to do it at least once, is probably the very reason why the cold war remained cold and why nuclear weapons have never been used in hostility again ever since. The fact that he chose to use them once (particulalry at a time where no other country even had one to retaliate with and mutually assured destruction didn't exist) was a wicked power move that I think is largely credible for why the US has continued to be such a massive superpower for the last 80 years and possibly saved millions of lives by demonstrating how powerful and destructive they were, at the cost of killing hundreds of thousands. And it was one of those opportunities that was ripe for the picking because there is no other time in which that could have been done to reap those benefits without repercussions. The fact that all of the world's other empires had just fallen apart during the war while the US was unscathed and the USSR had still yet to develop their own, there would never be another moment like that to establish yourself as a superpower. Like I said, he may not have realized what he had done when he did it, but in my opinion I think it was the right move and one that could have possibly spared the world a WW3 (or at least considerably delayed it)
One of my favorite presidents. Although, I may be biased as I am a Missourian. His birthplace is really neat to see, especially being as tiny as it is.
I suppose it is if you're really that desparate to serve in the military, although they have good reasons for the eyesight restriction. However, if you're visiting an optometrist, it's best to just be honest.
My mother used to frequent a Dawhares department store in my home town (central KY) and, while she shopped the clearance racks, I gravitated towards their very small home goods department. In that department, over the course of several visits, I read the entire Time-Life set of presidents books. And, consistently, I gravitated back to the story of Harry S. Truman. How such a humble figure became embroiled in such pivotal events, yet never seemed too small to handle any of it. There may be presidents who have accomplished more, or navigated the office more adeptly, but Give em’ Hell Harry will forever remain my favorite.
Congrats on 1 million Mr. Beat! I've been watching you for six years now and have loved all of it. Glad to see you get this milestone and look forward to seeing you get more!
At age 71 I have learned more about Harry Truman than I did in all of my history classes in high school and college, even though I visited the Truman Library as a teen. Fascinating! I admit a great interest in General Eisenhower, but now really appreciate President Truman. How can we find someone today with his integrity, intelligence, and overall good judgement? That person is greatly needed now. Thank you for this great video.
I just finished The Watchdog: How the Truman Committee Battled Corruption and Helped Win World War Two, by Steve Drummond. It details how Truman rose in the public's eye by rooting out corruption and waste in the build up to the US entry into WWII. A fascinating book well worth your time!
This video is one of your best Mr. Beat! I'm personally visiting the Truman library and Kansas City next week and have been reading the great McCullough book in preparation. Thanks again for creating a video that really spans all of Truman's life and his lasting legacy that is still being felt today.
I remember visiting my great aunt back around 2012-2013 and she was reading “Dear Bess” - collection of Truman’s letters. My great aunt was in her 90’s (she has passed away since then) and when showed us the book she told us how much she loved Truman and he was one of her favorite presidents. She was from a generation that saw his leadership and she was proud of it. Kind of sad that generation is going away now…
I don't think it's average or normal to have been a star college football player married to a beauty queen. There's a lot of privilege and prestige there
@thebohemiancowboy2805 --- I think you need to read the biography on President Ford, he certainly wasn't average or normal, maybe he wasn't spatacular or rich or born choking on a silver spoon, but his life history is quite clear he didn't have a " normal " or " average " life.
Ford and Jimmy Carter were both very normal people compared to more recent presidents. Carter taught sunday school every week for many years, was a college professor, built houses for the poor all over the world, and flew commercial to almost everywhere he traveled to (I wanna say he had frequent flyer miles on Delta lol).
Actually he simply did what he thought was right at a time when the struggle between the Northern and Southern wings of the Democratic Party was beginning. Hubert Humphrey was ascendent.
Harry Truman had major balls. Having the presidency thurst upon him, he was given two hard choices: drop the bomb on civilian populations or invade the Japanese mainland. In context of his times, he made the right decision. I don't think any president in modern times could make such a decision. Lots of respect for Harry.
Great video Mr. B. I was born during the latter stages of the Truman presidency, but never knew much about his Presidency other than "the buck stops here" and the decision to drop the two atomic bombs. Thanks for the education, and please keep on being you. Congratulations on nearing 1 million subscribers.
Its worth mentioning that Truman was GW Bush's favorite President, even though they were different parties. Mostly I think for his buck stops here straightforward style
I am a former Truman library intern, and when I tell you this man is one of the most fascinating people to ever lead this country. I am so glad that the library gets to share so much of the collection to students and to the public. After working there for a summer, I felt like I knew him on a personal level even though he had died 30 years before I was born.
I haven’t watched enough Mr. Beat lately. Glad to get caught up. Anyway, Harry Truman was president when my dad was born. So cool to learn about this man, especially the fact he didn’t own a home until after he was president. What a remarkable story.
Congratulations on 1 million Subscribers 🎉😊 I am so happy for you. I have seen literally every regular format video you made. And I am again so happy for you.
❤ thanks Matt! Excellent video. I enjoyed every minute. What an interesting man. I knew almost nothing about Truman. Thanks again, much appreciated. Good job 😁
I visited the Truman Library in Independence in 2005 and it was amazing. The whole Kansas City area is very underrated when it comes to vacations. Thanks to a couple rainouts the 1st time my parents and I went back to see the Royals play in 2019. Lots of great things in that area, not just the Truman library, which I could go back to multiple times.
@iammrbeat If I’m not mistaken, I believe the second atomic bomb was ordered to be dropped on Kokura, but due to cloudy weather and anti-aircraft retaliation, they were forced to drop the bomb on the secondary target, which was Nagasaki. I loved the video, by the way! I just wanted to point that out!
A friend of mine was related to neighbors of Harry and Bess. Harry was interested in being a role model to young people, and he kindly allowed my friend to join him on his morning walks on several occasions.
Hummm... Did you know that Harry and Bess also had a famous neighbor who lived about 2 doors down from them on Delaware St. in Independence, MO? It was the TV producer Paul Henning. (Henning created the Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Pettycoat Junction...) Yep, Henning lived up the street from POTUS. 😅 One of my former coworkers now owns Henning's family home in Independence.
Great video, Mr. Beat! Smallest of nitpicks: at 24:08, you say, "While at the Potsdam Conference, Truman learned that the first dropping of the atomic bomb had been successful." The bomb in the Trinity test was not dropped, it sat atop a tower at White Sands Missile Range.
45:24 " No young man should go into politics if he wants to get rich or if he expects adequate reward for his services" that is the single greatest quote by any politician
Good video, you really missed out on covering Truman's unit in more detail! Battery D, 129th FIELD ARTILLERY REGIMENT, 35th Division. The 35th was made up of National Guardsmen from the states of Missouri & Kansas. You speak about his service as if he were an infantryman but field artillery regiments saw some very unique instances of fighting during the war. His battery saw fierce fighting in the Gérardmer Defensive Sector from August 20th-September 2nd, 1918, the Grange-le-Comte defensive sector from September 21-25th, 1918, and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive (BLOODIEST OFFENSIVE IN AMERICAN HISTORY) from September 26th-October 3rd and October 15th-November 11th, 1918. Truman being the only U.S. President to serve in the bloodiest offensive in American history is pretty noteworthy! Great video though!
I was stationed in Grandview MO and saw Truman at our parade marches. Years later, I visited his home, library and town. His home was very modest. He sure was an average guy. Thanks for this video. Congratulations on 1M subs!
Super excited about this one! My grandma used to tell stories about how she used to live im the same neighborhood as Truman when he was older, and would see him out for walks. She also babysat Senator McCaskill, as my grandfather worked for her father.
Great synopsis of the life of a very interesting president, Mr. Beat. I am currently reading the biography of Dwight Eisenhower by Jean Edward Smith. Right after World War II ended in Europe, Eisenhower - who had been having an affair with a Brit named Kay Summersby - told George Marshall that he wanted to divorce Mamie and move to England to be with Summersby. This incensed Marshall who quickly rebuked Eisenhower. At some point during the correspondence, one of Eisenhower's letters professing his love for Summersby was read by President Truman. Truman wrote in his diary that he had that letter burned in 1953 (at which point, it would have been settled that Eisenhower was going to be the new president). He did so presumably in order to shield Eisenhower's reputation from scrutiny as he took office. Such a gesture of good will (however dishonestly it was done) of a member of one political party to a person in the other party in today's day and age is simply inconceivable.
Matt, this episode was excellent. Truman was a great president because he was so relatable. He took his responsibilities seriously, and he did his job with humility -- yet, he was clearly not afraid to speak his mind! Thank you once again, Mr. Beat!
>Raised on a humble midwestern farm >Has a thick pair of glasses to conceal his true capabilities >Saved the world multiple times >Notoriously honest, thus he fights for truth justice & the AMERICAN way Harry Truman is Superman
Seriously wonderful piece of work on this video. I don't think I've ever commented on one of your videos before, but this one just HIT. Absolutely beautiful summary of President Truman's life. Well done.
Unfortunately, no president has had the stones to fire their generals when they fail. None of the generals responsible for losing the wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan ever lost their jobs. Truman received so much blowback for firing MacArthur that no American President has dared exercise the right of relief since. Several generals were relieved during WW2. Relief did not mean that you lost your job forever. Relief was merely a recognition that you had done a poor job and would be given a second chance later if you proved yourself again at a lower level of command. General Patton was relieved of command twice. Unfortunately, the USA has lost the ability to reprimand its generals.
Truman was quite possibly the most ordinary man to ever become President and yet paradoxically he was ultimately one of our greatest. For anyone who has not been to the Truman Library, I can not recommend it enough. The most powerful moment for me was when I stood in front of the safety cap that had been over the bomb that was dropped on Nagaski. Right behind that was an origami crane, the little girl who folded it was in Hiroshima when the bomb was dropped, at first everyone thought she was fine but she developed Leukemia a few years later, she folded it and 999 others due to a Japanese legend that says if you fold 1,000 origami cranes you get one wish, she wished for peace shortly before she died. Very heavy but I feel important feelings to confront regardless of what you think of the decision itself.
Great video and thank you for highlighting this great American leader who does not get the credit he deserves. Wish we had more leaders like him today. I would add that he was a very active Freemason and member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Great organization I am proud to be a part of.
My great grandpa delivered groceries for him and his wife. Heard many stories that they would just go about in town like normal people. I hear they were very humble and kind people.
The immediate post-WW2 years have always really fascinated me. The United States almost single-handedly forged the world we still live in today with NATO, the UN, the World Bank, American military bases around the world, American guarantee of protected shipping lanes. I’d recommend a book called “The Wise Men” by Walter Issacson. It’s about a group of six foreign policy experts who advised Truman on how to shape the world in the aftermath of WW2.
If there’s an award given for RU-vid videos, this one needs to be nominated. I’ve always wanted to take a trip down to Kansas City to watch the Twins play the Royals. While I’m down there, I’d like to visit the Negro League Baseball Museum. The Truman Library would be a great place to visit, also.
