MISSOURI WATCH: HST IN THE WHITE HOUSE

Missourians, along with a proportionately smaller number of other Americans, are currently observing the 50th anniversary of the presidential ascension of Harry S Truman. Like many older Missourians, I remember exactly what I was doing and how I felt when I heard the news that the vice president of the United States had become the nation's new chief executive and, since it occurred during World War II, the newest commander-in-chief of the U.S. Armed Forces.

When assembly had sounded that day, I still remember wondering why we were being mustered at this particular moment. Standing in military formation, while still at attention, I heard the shocking and totally unexpected announcement: "The president of the United States, Franklin Roosevelt, is dead."

The news couldn't have been any more disturbing had it been a member of my own family. FDR was, and remains, among my favorite American presidents, a circle shared only by Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Kennedy. Flawed in some respects, to me he personified the ultimate national leader, whose efforts preserved the union in a time of economic turmoil that equaled in consequences the conflicts of the Civil War.

It took several minutes for the news of FDR's death to sink in. And, suddenly, it came to me: My God, Harry is president! That realization had almost as great an impact as the news of Roosevelt's death. Having known Harry Truman since the age of seven, even before he was the state's junior U.S. senator, it was difficult to think of him now sitting at the desk that had only moments before belonged to my American hero.

I remember reassuring myself that the office of the presidency had a way of bringing out the very best in men, and I was still young enough not to have known that it could also bring out the worst, as well as the best. I told myself that Truman would do just fine and that the rather brief association he had had with FDR while serving as vice president would steer him on the right track. I don't believe I was as reassured as might be implied, but if it was any consolation, there were many more who had greater reservations.

During the early months of his incumbency, Truman performed magnificently. It would be expected that Republicans should express surprise at how well he was doing, but it was even more remarkable that Democrats were just as surprised, and pleased. The nation was still pursuing the enemy in the Far East, and those of us not assigned to the European front knew that our time was coming. In fact, we were being trained for the invasion of Japan, which promised to be as bloody as the Battle of Dunkirk and as dangerous as the Battle of the Bulge. And, then, another surprise. Truman ordered the use of a secret bomb that had been in the stage of development for several years, and the first word was that it could create unbelievable damage. Then, another bomb was dropped, and suddenly the war was over. It was V-J Day, and the hero was the little guy from Missouri. Wow, I thought, I'm not going to die in Japan, after all. Hooray for Harry!

From 1945 until 1948, the president did what the rest of the country did: we got used to peace, adjusted as best we could and started new lives that included far more confidence than Americans had enjoyed in two decades of economic and military turmoil.

By the time HST was ready to seek election as president on his own, the euphoria of victory was over and many were ready to dump him for a more popular candidate. To his critics, the Missouri populist had become a target for derision. The jaunty turn of his hat, the bow tie, the rural Missouri hick twang convinced opponents that now was the time to bury the New Deal.

The opposition made two major mistakes in the 1948 campaign: They nominated Tom Dewey and underestimated Harry Truman. The result was another four years in office, ending in a Democratic rout that could be attributed to a loss of favor, a few too many unsavory Missouri cronies and an unpopular war, again in the Far East, that many thought was poorly executed and quite possibly unnecessary.

The Man From Missouri came back to his home state in 1953 to resume his early morning walks, write of his presidency and establish a library that has no equal. He remains for all of us a glorious reminder of the importance of strength of character and the courage to pursue goals that will improve the lives of the underprivileged.

~Jack Stapleton is a Kennett columnist who keeps tabs on government.