Truman 's first few weeks of office were the most turbulent weeks in presidential history. As the Nazi army experienced repeated blows from the Allied forces, fascism in Europe began to collapse. Before the end of April, both Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini were dead. After more than five years of total war, the ceasefire came into effect on May 8, 1945.
Celebrations around European Victory Day broke out across Europe, with a large number of people gathering outside of Trafalgar Square in London and Buckingham Palace , with parades and parties on the streets. In the United States, since the flag remained half-mast after Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, Truman celebrated his 61st birthday by announcing the end of the European war to the nation. However, the celebrations were mixed and short-lived, as Pacific War still faces increasing casualties and there is no sign of an ending soon.
Harry S. Truman :
"No vice president has the opportunity to be fully prepared to be president and succeed this great post. Every president takes some time to familiarize himself with his duties.John Marshall says there is only one heartbeat between the vice president and the white house , and he knows very well what he is saying, and I have experienced this situation. But when the vice president takes over, he has to serve as the president and do his best [can't hear clearly] The job was done, and most of the vice presidents who were forced to take over the position did a great job. I didn’t want to include myself, because after that I am the president myself.”
1 April 12, 1945 at 7:09 pm, Harry S. Truman was sworn in as the 33rd President of the United States, just 82 days after taking office as Vice President. His predecessor, , Franklin Delano Roosevelt, has dominated the political landscape for the past 12 years. Roosevelt's death shocked an already traumatized country, and they began to see the "man from Hyde Park " as a father image, guiding them through the Great Depression and a war against the threat of global fascism, a war that many Americans didn't even want to go in at first.
Harry S. Truman:
"I, Harry S. Truman, solemnly swearing to faithfully perform the presidency of the United States and will do my best to safeguard, protect and defend the U.S. Constitution, so God bless me."
The meeting came quickly and fiercely. President Roosevelt passed away on April 12, and on April 13, Secretary of State Edward Stettinius walked into his office and handed him the briefing. It's a mess. You know, the Germans seem to be almost unable to hold on, but who knows, and it has happened - social chaos is exploding in parts of occupied Europe. Food shortage. If the social order collapses on any of our newly conquered territory, we may see World War III just around the corner. I mean, it was before lunch on his first day at the White House.
But I think we can also say that from the perspective of those who have just walked into Oval Office , maybe this person is not as majestic as Franklin Roosevelt , but he learned very quickly. He received information very, very quickly. He hit back, almost always very, very keen questions. He tells you at the end of the meeting. So in other words, I think Truman might have had some conscious role-playing in the first few days of his tenure, and he knows that cliché, you never have a second chance to make a first impression, and the first time the impression he makes on these people will be very important.
Truman is the son of a farmer and livestock dealer, with a humble origin—a stark contrast to his wealthy and extensive traveling predecessor, Roosevelt. Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri and moved to Independence City with his family at the age of 6. Located at the junction of the west and south, Independence has only 6,000 residents, just like Jim Crow south, black and white residents are segregated in different parts of the town.The young Truman went through a turbulent adolescence. His family was in financial trouble, he struggled to adapt to school life, he survived the almost deadly diphtheria attack in childhood, and his ambition to enter West Point was also shattered by poor eyesight.
When Truman first came into contact with politics, or a high school student, he served as a propagandist at the 1900 Democratic National Convention – a position he received through his father’s friend, who was a local Democratic leader. Choosing Kansas City as the venue of the conference was once joked by cartoonists and journalists who described the city as an outdated and outdated Wild West mentality.
When he was in office, Truman became the only president who did not receive a college degree since William McKinley, despite attending Spalding Business School in Kansas City. He attended a year of study and then left to help his father try to revive the failed family business. When he took office as president, he had only $4,200 in his bank account with his wife beth and still owed $3,000 in debt to the National Bank of Hamilton, Washington. The difficulties he faced during his youth and his life will accompany Truman’s political career for much of his life and greatly influenced his views on himself and how others think of him.
He suspected that they looked at him, as if they saw some kind of rusty bun. I think that's somewhere deep inside him. And I think any thoughts they might have in that direction might be dismissed in two or three days. You know, he went home at night and stared at the occupied areas of Germany and maps drawn, looking at the various terms of the request and considering compensation. He could handle the numbers with a piece of paper and a pencil, but he could also handle them in his mind, which I think helped him come the next day and impress the next gang.
You know, he took action against almost everyone. He said, you know, " Stimson is a keen figure," War Minister Henry Stimson. He said Treasury Secretary Henry Morgentho was a fool. He also asked Morgansso to stay, but there were some things—perhaps some personality issues. The two didn't get along. So he doesn't care about making his hasty judgment, like, you know, he knows they might be doing this to him.
Truman also experienced a difficult start in his relationship with leaders of other allies, never completely replacing Roosevelt among the "Big Three", which also included British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Although Churchill supported him early in his presidency, the two never fully shared the special relationship Churchill and Roosevelt fostered.
Churchill has a very close personal relationship with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and it was deliberately cultivated. With the decline of Britain's strength during the war and the growth of the United States' strength, it is clear that Britain is becoming a second-rate country, at least compared to the United States. They are junior members of the three-person league. So being a personal friend of Franklin Roosevelt is a value-added for the UK, Churchill knows that. But he never really had the warmth of his relationship with Truman with Roosevelt.
He and Roosevelt, that is, Churchill and Roosevelt were members of the old nobles. They love wine and cognac, and everything related to this lifestyle. That's not Truman. But we also need to remember that Truman will take office in April and Churchill will be elected to step down in a few months. Therefore, the personal relationship between Churchill and Truman is not as important as the personal relationship between Churchill and Roosevelt.
As for Stalin , Truman took a tougher line against the Soviet leaders than Roosevelt. While the war in Europe is now in favour of the Allies, Stalin left a series of unfulfilled promises in the months following the Yalta conference in February.At this meeting, the Soviets promised that they would allow the recently liberated Polish , to hold free elections so that the country could create its own democratic government—but it ended up establishing a puppet regime under Stalin’s control. Roosevelt and his government became increasingly clear that, besides Poland, Stalin also tried to fully control Eastern Europe, including Hungary and Romania . Stalin refused to compromise, believing Roosevelt had betrayed him and tried to negotiate the Nazi surrender without the Soviet Union - while tensions finally eased, the rift revealed the roots that led to the Cold War a few years later. Although Truman didn’t meet Stalin himself two months after taking office as president, his early conversations with Stalin’s second-person Viacheslav Molotov did not make him any friend.
Now, another big shot in the league is Joseph Stalin . Truman left a very, very rough impression on Stalin - not a personal impression. He did this through Stalin's Foreign Minister Vi Molotov. Molotov is the Foreign Minister in charge of foreign affairs, but also Stalin's deputy. He is regarded as the No. 2 and Stalin's closest consultant. On April 21, Molotov was in the White House because Truman, who had been in office for eight days, had already begun to worry that the Soviets had clearly violated some of the things they promised to do at the Yalta meeting, last month, late February and March, in terms of holding free elections and allowing a democratic system of government in their occupied territories. He had already said in front of his assistant that
Now, when Molotov came to the White House, he did not tell Molotov. But he did teach Molotov a lesson, saying that he did not fulfill your promise in Yalta . When Molotov - let's face it, his hands are covered in blood. He was Stalin's deputy. He said, "I'm not used to talking to people in this way."
Truman hit back and said, "Okay, keep your promises so no one will talk to you in this way." And more or less, that's it. The meeting is over.
The most important thing is that winning the war consumes every moment Truman is awake. According to Albert Spel, the Minister of Arms and War Production, despite the government's optimism about the Allied's imminent victory, the news of Roosevelt's death reportedly sparked cheers from Adolf Hitler. As recorded in Speer's memoirs, Hitler believed that Roosevelt's death meant that the situation might reverse, and that the Axis powers were not inevitably going to lose the war.
Truman understands that in order to continue on the track of victory and save as many American lives as possible, the Allies need to unite their alliance at all costs.
OK, the war is still going on, his Joint Chiefs of Staff just came to his office and told him that the war might last longer. Some optimistic reports from the frontline, especially in Europe, the Germans – remember, we are talking about mid-April. Hitler had a few weeks of life before shooting himself, and the German army would be completely collapsed. So we're talking about the weeks after the collapse. Now, no one knew about this at the time. We must remember the people at that time - hindsight. But optimistic reports came from the frontline.
But he has also received reports from his Joint Chiefs of Staff, and they say, oh, it could take six months or even longer. You know, that's another - if you distributed casualties proportionally in 1945, it's another 300,000 casualties. This is not good news. As for the Japanese, well, they might be in this field for another 18 months, another one and a half years. This is also - you know, in modern warfare, time is casualties, and in World War II .
So this is Truman's biggest concern, and it must be: win the war. It seems we are on the edge and on the edge, all signs seem positive, but won the war.So what does this mean further, you have to unite the alliance. He has already slammed Molotov quite harshly, but he also wants honesty among his partners. The peace tentacles from Germany were directed to Churchill, who had transferred them to Truman, but Truman didn't want anything to do with them unless they talked to Stalin first. That's what they need, right, to let Western allies accept German surrender, while the Soviet Union was in trouble because the Soviet Union had completed all the battles.
As a veteran, Truman also understands the impact of losing the commander-in-chief during the war may have on the morale downturn of combatants. In the days after Roosevelt's death, Truman was determined to speak directly with the armed forces.
Harry S. Truman Speech to the US military:
Good night, from the White House of Washington . Ladies and gentlemen, to the United States Armed Forces all over the world, I have the responsibility to address Congress and the United States Armed Forces immediately after the tragic news of the death of our late Commander-in-Chief. Yesterday, I made a speech in Congress. Now I'll talk to you.
I'm particularly anxious to talk to you because I know when our commander-in-chief fell, you all were very shocked, like we did at home. All of us have lost a great leader, a visionary politician and a true democratic friend. We lost a tough leader and an old friend who served. We were in a heavy mood. However, the cause that took Roosevelt also took us. He never wavered—either will we!
I've done it, like you did on the battlefield when the commander fell. My responsibilities and responsibilities are clear. I assumed them. These responsibilities will continue to be carried out in accordance with our American traditions. As a veteran of World War I , I have seen death on the battlefield. When I was fighting in France with the 35th Division, I saw outstanding officers and soldiers falling down and being replaced.
I know the same is true for the officers and soldiers of other services, navy, Marines , Coast Guard and merchant fleets. I know the pressure, mud, pain and extreme fatigue of soldiers on the battlefield. I also know his courage, his endurance, his faith in his comrades, his country and himself. We depend on each of you.
Throughout Europe, the Allied forces continued to liberate the areas under the Nazi rule. Although the Allies won the battle, the true extent of death and destruction was being exposed, and the brutality caused losses to the troops. The scenes found by the 89th Division in Ohrdruf, the first concentration camp of the U.S. liberation, was so terrible that General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the top commander of the European Allied Forces, visited the concentration camps Omar Bradley and George Patton with the generals. The visit had a profound impact on Eisenhower, who was determined to make these atrocities public. He was granted permission from Truman and the Minister of War Henry Lewis Stimson to bring journalists and members of Congress to the camp so that they could broadcast what they did to Hungarian Jews, Poles, Russians and others imprisoned there. If the Allies lose, the stakes are clearer than ever.
For Truman and his cabinet, Stalin's efforts to control Eastern Europe have also become obvious, but to ensure the defeat of the Axis powers, the United States had to continue working with the Soviet Union, which was approaching the last few days of April in Berlin.
By April 1945, the German army was already located somewhere south of Freefall. I'm not sure what exactly should I call it. Most German combat forces had a huge siege in the area known as the Ruhr area, a huge industrial center. At that time, the United States often talked about Pittsburgh in Germany.About 200,000 German soldiers headed to the Allied, mainly Americans, were captured, in fact, so many you can't even build camps for all of them. They were abandoned in open-air camps, sometimes called Rhine meadow camps, at the mercy of natural conditions. This was not a good situation, but there was nothing we could do about it at the time. German commander Marshal Walter Modal shot himself somewhere within the encirclement.
There was a joke circulating in Germany at that time: You know, this is not very bad. You can now walk from the Western Line to the East Line. There was a kilometer apart between the two - two armies came in. So who knows, who knows when the war ended at that time? But military signs are positive. There was fear that Hitler and his cronies would somehow sneak into somewhere in the Alps, the so-called mountain fortress, where they would lead some kind of last-ditch resistance surrounded by the core members of the SS. People are afraid of it, real fear. This is one of the reasons why Americans and Soviets met at Thorgo to prevent Hitler from doing so. Of course, we now know that Hitler had no intention of doing so.
Announcement of the death of Adolf Hitler Radio broadcast :
We are interrupting our program to bring you news news. This is the London phone call. This is a quick news. German Radio just announced Hitel's death. I'll say it again, German Radio just announced Hitler's death.
The death of Adolf Hitler, and his Italian rival Benito Mussolini, were brutally publicly executed two days ago, making the end of the European war certain, as the Allies continued to liberate those captured in these events the fascist regime. The
message is very slow to reach the United States. At a press conference a few days after Hitler committed suicide, Truman answered reporters' questions with a brief and sharp answer. When asked if he was willing to comment on the reports that Hitler and Mussolini were dead, he replied: "These two major war criminals do not have to appear in court to be tried; I am glad they are not in the way." The reporter of
went on to ask: "Sir, does this mean we officially know that Hitler is dead?" Truman replied "Yes". Six days later, President Truman declared the end of the European war.
1945 year 5 8 day
Truman announced his victory over Europe:
"This is a solemn and glorious moment. I just hope Franklin Roosevelt can live to witness this day. General Eisenhower told me, Germany The army has surrendered to the United Nations. The banner of freedom is flying throughout Europe. "
" For this victory, we all thank God together for guiding and supporting us in the dark adversity.
" The supreme consciousness of the horrible price we paid to get rid of Hitler and his evil group made our joy sober and depressed. Let us not forget, my fellow Americans, the sorrow and heartache in the homes of many of our neighbors today—their most priceless possessions have been redeemed as sacrifices to redeem our freedom. "
In the next article, I will have an in-depth understanding of the war that continues to rage in the Pacific region. Just ten days before Truman took office, tens of thousands of US troops landed on Okinawa and found that they were in a battle that later became one of the most intense and costly battles in the 20th century. Although the war in Europe has ended, the road ahead is still long.
