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Historical person

Harry S. Truman

1884–1972

Harry S. Truman was the thirty-third president of the United States. He authorised the use of atomic bombs against Japan, helped create the post-war containment system, recognised Israel and led the country into the Korean War.

Truman entered the presidency in April 1945 after Franklin Roosevelt's death and immediately faced the final stages of the Second World War, including the decision to use atomic bombs against Japan. His administration helped establish the United Nations, NATO, the Marshall Plan and the policy of containment while confronting the Berlin blockade and the Korean War. At home he desegregated the armed forces by executive order and proposed a broader Fair Deal reform programme.

In Jeff Shaara’s The Final Storm, as Okinawa ends, Harry S. Truman inherits the presidency and the decision over how to force Japan’s surrender. In Gore Vidal’s The Golden Age, after Roosevelt’s death, the narrative follows Harry S. Truman’s administration, the opening of the Cold War, the Korean War and the rise of Joseph McCarthy. A framing perspective from the year 2000 turns the novel into an inquiry about how history is written and who benefits from an accepted national story. Further fictional perspectives on Harry S. Truman can be found in Gore Vidal’s Washington D C. For broader historical treatment of Harry S. Truman, see Saul David’s Crucible of Hell, Sir Max Hastings’ The Korean War, Giles Milton’s Checkmate in Berlin, and Sir Max Hastings’ Nemesis.

Periods

Periods linked to Harry S. Truman

Korean War1950–1953 CE World War II1939–1945 CE

Series

Historical novels and book series featuring Harry S. Truman (3 series)

Combined Operations in Order

by Griff Hosker 12 books 4.4(18,950)

Combined Operations follows Tom Harsker and a commando unit through the Second World War and into Korea. The series begins with Britain under pressure in 1940 and moves through raids, occupied Europe, Dieppe, Sicily, D-Day, the Scheldt and the final advance into Germany before shifting to the Korean…

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World War II in Order

by Jeff Shaara 4 books 4.3(40,573)

The World War II series traces the principal American campaigns from North Africa in 1942 to the end of the Pacific War in 1945. The Rising Tide covers North Africa and Sicily; The Steel Wave reconstructs D-Day and Normandy; No Less Than Victory follows the Battle of the…

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Narratives of Empire in Order

by Gore Vidal 5 books 4.3(236)

Gore Vidal’s seven-volume Narratives of Empire sequence follows the United States from the revolutionary generation to the Cold War, combining the lives of the fictional Schuyler, Sanford and Day families with presidents, senators, journalists and political operators. The novels treat public history as a contest over power, reputation…

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Standalone books

Standalone books featuring Harry S. Truman (1 book)

Non Fiction

Non Fiction featuring Harry S. Truman (4 books)

Biographies, histories and other non-fiction are listed separately from the historical novels above.