Book Report: “Truman” by David McCullough

The strongest leaders are the most humble.

I missed the Truman years. I had heard he was some sort of President but didn’t know much about the man except him being from my home state (the bad side, though) and something about “bucks” stopping in his general vicinity.

But I happen to be a graduate of Truman State, and there are no other US Presidents from Missouri, so I thought I should learn something. Plus, I’m binge-reading the works of my boy David McCullough, whose nearly 1200-page 1992 biography of Truman has been on my read-if-you-dare list for years.

It was awesome. Like, awesome. I’ve never read such a long book and wanted it to be longer. I practically cried at the end when Truman and his devoted wife Bess (spoiler alert!) died and were buried together at the Truman Library in Independence, MO.

McCullough does, in my uneducated estimation, a masterful job of telling the story of Truman’s life from beginning to end. The author doesn’t say it, but Truman seems to be one of the least-chronicled presidential greats in history. (It’s not just ESPN that practices west coast bias, but also presidential writers.) The esteemed historian clearly aims to fill in the gap.

And so he does. From Truman’s boyhood as the bespectacled and talented piano player to his final days as a frail elder statesman hosting President Richard Nixon in his home, McCullough tells the whole story in dramatic detail that is thorough but never boring. He picks up and slows down where he must, but every page is riveting—some especially so. The historian’s description of Truman’s 1945 summit with Churchill and Stalin at Potsdam stopped my heart a few times. His description of Eisenhower’s repeated snubs of the former chief executive made me bristle with anger. Truman’s retirement trip through Europe, during which he reaped the applause that was his due for practically saving the continent from the red tide, left me aglow with pride on his behalf. And I am not exaggerating when I tell you that the whistle-stop campaign of 1948—when Truman surprised everyone (except himself) to beat Thomas Dewey for the Presidency—held me in absolute suspense. This, despite the fact that I knew full well the certain outcome, with the “Dewey Defeats Truman” picture engraved in my mind since grade school.

Anyway, the book is great. But what I most enjoyed was learning about Truman the man, and the leader. To cut right to it: he was an ordinary guy who happened also to be a good guy with incredible and untapped potential. This potential was put on full display as he rose quite suddenly to the extraordinary and nearly impossible demands of the post-WWII world. His unlikely selection as the leader of the free world leaves you wondering if heaven chose him for the role. To be sure, nobody but Truman himself thought he was up to the task, and even he had his doubts. And yes, he made many mistakes which gave fuel to his fiery detractors. But he refused to be defined or defeated by his mistakes and proceeded to exercise his duties with humility and grace. Whether or not he was the man FOR the job—as he told his cabinet—he was the man IN the job. He remained faithful to the burden the electorate had laid upon his shoulders and did his Missouri-best to make the modern world a reasonably safe place. And I cannot emphasize enough my shock at this: Who knew that a humble, near-sighted Missourian had such a critical role in ensuring the survival of the human race against the existential threats we even still face? We here in Missouri have NOTHING to be ashamed of. One of our own practically saved the world.

Simply put, Truman proved that strength and leadership are not inconsistent with integrity and humility. You can be a good person and a strong leader. The world assumes the opposite, which is why Mr. Truman was so consistently underestimated. (And to be sure, Truman made many rookie and human mistakes which made things harder for himself.) But Mr. Truman consistently proved his critics wrong, time and time again. Genuinely good people who tell the truth and practice kindness and friendship can lead us well.

Which, of course, brings us to today. The temptations and challenges of leadership lead many, if not most, to the worser angels of their nature: greed, pride, lying. Yes, I’m talking about our current political leaders, who are no Harry Trumans. But I’m also talking about me. I’m a pastor of a medium-sized church. On a regular basis the challenges of leadership tempt me towards manipulation, demonization, telling half-truths, or abusing power in all the many ways I do, great and small.

But Harry Truman (and of course my main man, Jesus Christ) shows me a better way. I can tell the truth, I can be a good friend, I can take responsibility, I can admit mistakes, and still be a strong leader. In fact, by doing so, I can be a better one than I would otherwise be. In these dangerous days it’s the only real way forward, I think. The responsibilities of leadership in a modern world are too grave to expect anything other than leaders who practice kindness, humility, integrity and grace.

Is there a place for this sort of leadership in today’s political climate? Umm, call me skeptical. America might never have the chance to elect such leaders ever again, and we voters are too tempted by charlatans spewing rhetoric on both sides of the aisle. But we who are leaders—especially Christian ones—can maybe, by our humble example, show the world that there is still a better way.

This is the Show-Me-State, after all. So let’s show ‘em.

-MRH (12/29/2019)