{"id":2133551,"date":"2023-12-26T06:04:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-26T11:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-president-harry-truman-became-a-unique-ally-of-israel\/"},"modified":"2023-12-26T06:07:13","modified_gmt":"2023-12-26T11:07:13","slug":"how-president-harry-truman-became-a-unique-ally-of-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-president-harry-truman-became-a-unique-ally-of-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"President Harry Truman became a strong supporter of Israel, forging a unique alliance"},"content":{"rendered":"

26<\/div>SHARES<\/span><\/div>

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Fifty-one Years Ago,\u200c a President Who Defied Expectations<\/h2>\n
On December 26, 1972, the world lost an extraordinary leader. Harry S. Truman, known for his surprising presidency, passed \u200daway at the age of 88. Even \u2062in\u2062 his later years, Truman \u200dremained remarkably fit, often leaving journalists \u2063struggling to keep \u2064up with\u2062 him on his morning walks. But Truman’s legacy extends far beyond his\u200d physical fitness. He was a principled individual who was willing to adapt and take \u200bcourageous \u2062stands on\u2063 the issues of his time.<\/p>\n
When Truman first \u200centered \u2064the U.S. Senate in 1934,\u2063 he was considered an average Southern politician. However, \u200bhis leadership of the \u200bTruman \u2064Committee during \u200cWorld War II propelled him\u2062 to national prominence. The committee, which focused on reducing\u200b waste \u2063and inefficiency in \u2063wartime contracts, earned Truman respect \u2062and admiration across the country.\u2062 In Steve Drummond’s new book, “The Watchdog: How the Truman \u200bCommittee Battled Corruption and Helped Win World War Two,” he writes:<\/p>\n
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“Remarkably, (Truman’s) \u200dcommittee is run\u200d honestly,\u200b it’s partisan. It’s very careful to get the facts straight. It’s not grabbing headlines\u200d or trying to make Truman \u2064into some kind of \u200ccult figure… And by doing all that, he ends up being\u2064 a pretty respected, \u2062extremely popular public figure and slowly rises to the top of people who the Democratic \u2063leaders\u200b are looking for who would join Franklin Roosevelt on the ticket in 1944.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Truman’s commitment to integrity and his ability to adapt to new\u2062 challenges set\u200c him apart. As the Allied forces closed in on the Nazi \u2062stronghold in \u2064Europe after the Normandy landings,\u200d the fate\u2063 of the Jewish\u2062 people became a pressing issue. While \u2064many leaders, including President\u200d Roosevelt, were \u200baware of the extermination \u200dof millions \u200dof Jews,\u200b political expediency and lingering antisemitism prevented\u2063 meaningful action. It was in this context that David Ben-Gurion, the future Israeli prime minister, spoke out against\u2063 the silence\u200d surrounding the Jewish people’s suffering:<\/p>\n
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“What have you done to us, you freedom-loving \u200dpeoples, guardians of justice, \u200bdefenders of the\u200d high principles\u200c of \u2064democracy and of the brotherhood of man? What\u2063 have you allowed to\u200c be perpetrated against a defenseless people while you\u2063 stood aside \u2062and \u2064let it bleed to death, \u2062without offering help or \u200bsuccour, without calling on the fiends to stop,\u200d in the \u2064language of retribution which \u200balone they \u200cwould understand. Why do you profane our pain and wrath with empty expressions\u200c of sympathy which\u2062 ring like a\u2064 mockery in\u2063 the \u2062ears of\u200b millions of the damned in the torture \u2063house of Nazi \u2062Europe?”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
In the 1944 U.S. presidential election, Truman, a “southern” senator from Missouri, was chosen as Franklin Roosevelt’s running mate. Little did anyone know that Truman would go beyond party and cultural expectations to address the pain of Europe’s “torture house.” When Roosevelt \u200bpassed away the following year, Truman became \u2062the 33rd president of the United States.<\/p>\n
Truman’s connection to my own family is a testament to his complex identity. We referred to him\u200d as \u200c”Uncle \u200cHarry” long \u2062before \u200che represented Uncle Sam.\u2063 Our \u200cfamily was \u2063divided by the Civil \u2064War, with some fighting for the North and others for the South. \u200cMy great-great-grandfather<\/a>, a cousin \u2064of Truman’s mother, fought for the North. However, the divide between our Southern Baptist and \u2062Northern Baptist relatives persisted for generations. Truman was seen as part of the “slave-holding” \u2064Youngs, \u200dand the southern Democrats who supported\u200c his candidacy \u2064in 1944 expected him to\u200c uphold their viewpoints and \u2063values.<\/p>\n
But\u2062 Truman defied expectations. \u2063He was outspoken and opinionated \u200dthroughout his political career, earning the slogan “Give ’em hell, Harry!” during his presidential \u2063campaign. Truman believed in moral principles and had a \u200ckeen sense\u2063 of \u200dright\u200b and wrong.\u2062 His commitment to honesty and integrity was evident in his actions, from his service\u2063 in World \u2062War I to his role in saving billions of dollars\u200b through the Truman Committee during World War II. Truman’s decision to desegregate the armed forces marked\u2064 a significant \u2064step towards dismantling prejudice\u200c in the United States.<\/p>\n
One of Truman’s most \u200cnotable achievements was his firm\u2064 stance against antisemitism. In 1948, Truman made \u200cthe historic \u200cdecision to recognize \u200bthe new country of \u2062Israel, despite opposition from \u200chis closest collaborators\u200d and friends. Truman’s choice was driven \u2064not only by his personal connection to the Jewish people but\u200b also by a desire to establish a \u200cliberal democratic nation \u200cin a region where such values were scarce. His decision was met with\u200d opposition from\u200b many countries, but it laid the foundation for Israel’s right to exist and provided a homeland for\u200c the \u2062Jewish people.<\/p>\n
Truman’s recognition of Israel was not\u2063 universally appreciated at the time, but his actions have secured him an immortal place in Jewish history.\u2063 His steadfast support and\u2063 courageous decision \u200ccontinue to be celebrated. As Ben-Gurion reflected on\u2062 his encounter with Truman years later, he described a deeply moved former president who had made an indelible \u200dimpact:<\/p>\n
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“At our last meeting, after a \u200dvery interesting talk, just before [Truman] left \u2062me \u2062\u2013 it was in a New York hotel \u2063suite \u2013 I told him that as \u2064a foreigner I could\u200b not judge what would\u200b be his place in American history; but his helpfulness \u200cto us, his constant sympathy with our aims in Israel, his courageous \u2062decision to recognize \u2063our new state so \u200dquickly and his steadfast support since then \u200chad given \u200bhim an immortal \u200cplace in \u200dJewish history. \u200dAs I\u200d said that,\u2063 tears suddenly sprang to his eyes. And his eyes were still wet when he bade\u2062 me goodbye. I\u200c had rarely seen anyone so \u2063moved. I tried to hold him for\u200c a few minutes until he had become more \u2062composed, for\u200d I recalled that the\u200d hotel corridors were \u200dfull of \u200dwaiting journalists and \u200cphotographers. \u2062He\u200c left. A little\u200d while later, I too had to go out, and\u200b a correspondent came to me to ask, \u200c’Why was President \u2064Truman \u200din tears when he \u2062left\u200d you?'”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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rnrn <\/p>\n
How did Truman’s\u200d willingness to make tough decisions<\/a>, such as the decision to \u200bdrop\u2063 atomic bombs on Hiroshima \u2063and Nagasaki, reflect his leadership style and \u200cprinciples<\/h2>\n
Commitment to international cooperation\u2063 and the\u2063 establishment\u2063 of the United Nations. In \u200bthe aftermath of \u2064World War II, Truman recognized the need for\u200d a global organization that could\u200b prevent future conflicts<\/a> and promote\u2062 peace. He played a crucial role in the creation of\u2063 the UN, \u200dwhich has since become a vital forum for international cooperation and diplomacy.<\/p>\n
Truman’s presidency\u2063 was\u200b also marked by his decisive actions during\u2063 the Cold\u200b War. He confronted the threat of communism\u200d and took a strong stance against the Soviet Union. Truman’s implementation\u200c of the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, \u200cand the Berlin\u200b Airlift demonstrated his commitment\u2062 to containing \u2063the spread of communism and supporting countries in their efforts to resist it.\u2064 These bold \u200binitiatives \u200dhelped shape\u2063 the course of the Cold\u2062 War and laid the foundation for America’s global leadership in the decades that followed.<\/p>\n
Despite facing numerous \u2064challenges and criticisms, Truman remained steadfast in his beliefs\u200d and leadership. He was known for his plain-spoken style and his willingness to make tough decisions. His\u2062 decision to drop atomic bombs<\/a> on Hiroshima\u2064 and Nagasaki during World War II, while controversial, was driven by his belief that it would help \u200dhasten the end of the war and save lives \u200cin\u200c the long run.<\/p>\n
Truman’s presidency may\u200c not have been without its flaws or controversies, but his ability to \u200cdefy expectations and make tough decisions is a testament to his character and leadership. He left a lasting impact on American society and foreign policy,\u2062 and his legacy continues to shape our nation today.<\/p>\n
As we reflect on\u200b the life and legacy\u2064 of Harry S. Truman, let us remember the importance \u2063of leadership that \u200bis guided \u200dby principles, adaptability, and the courage to make difficult decisions<\/a>. Truman’s example reminds us that leaders can defy expectations \u2062and have a profound \u2062impact on the world around them. His commitment to integrity, \u200dhonesty, and justice \u200cserves as an inspiration for generations to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Fifty-one years ago, Harry S. Truman, an extraordinary president, passed away at 88. Even in his later years, he remained remarkably active, often outpacing journalists during his morning walks. Truman’s legacy endures, leaving behind a remarkable impact<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2620,"featured_media":2133552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2133551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2133551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2620"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2133551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2133551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2133552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2133551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2133551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2133551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}