Harry S. Truman & the Truman Years

Documentary Sources

The American Diplomatic Revolution: A Documentary History of the Cold War, 1941-1947 (D 753 A76 1977)

American Foreign Policy, 1950-1955; Basic Documents (JX 1417 A55)

British Foreign Office - United States: Correspondence 1938- 1948 (Microfilm JX 633 U5 B7 427) Consists primarily of communications between the Foreign Office and consulates in the United States. These records are the London files, containing material received from abroad or from London departments, and drafts of material originating in and sent out of London. Also included are public proclamations by various national leaders, governments, and other pertinent publications. A guide is located beside the respective years of microfilm.

Capt Harry S Truman [exhibit] (Curriculum Cabinet 5 Shelf 7 No. 1)
Replica of the World War I footlocker Captain Harry S. Truman took to France in 1918. Contains artifact facsimiles of newspapers and clothing from Truman's lifetime.

Containment: Documents On American Policy and Strategy, 1945- 1950 (E 813 C68)

Correspondence between the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the U.S.S.R. and the Presidents of the U.S.A. and the Prime Ministers of Great Britain during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Volume 2 (D735 .R853)
Letters exchanged between Stalin and Roosevelt then Stalin and Truman during the Great Patriotic war and in the period between victory and the end of 1945.

A Decade of American Foreign Policy; Basic Documents 1941-49 (JX 1416 A47 1985)

Documentary History of the Truman Presidency (General Collection Non-Circulating E 813 D56 1995)
This 30 volume set consists of documents from the President's Secretary's files, the White House Central Files, and other manuscripts from officials in the Truman administration or people who were associates of Truman. The set contains official and personal correspondence, diary excerpts, telegrams, memoranda, reports, maps, charts, drawings, press releases, and much more.

Documents on British Policy Overseas, Series 1 (Microfiche & General DA 566.7 A19)
The most important calendared documents in the archives of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office relating to British policy overseas. Copies of original documents are on microfiche and each print volume has an index in the back.

Election of 1948 (Microfiche Cabinet 19 Drawer 7 )
A selection of documents about the election which includes a large number of campaign speeches by Truman, as well as material covering his three main opponents; Republican nominee Thomas E. Dewey, Progressive party nominee Henry Wallace, and States' Rights nominee J. Strom Thurmond.

Foreign Relations of the United States (JX 233 A3)
See the volumes that cover the years 1945-1953. Each volume has an index in the back.

Great Speeches of the 20th Century
Volume 1: The Political Arena (Media, Compact Disc 1856)
Volume 2: The Changing World (Media, Compact Disc 1857)
Volume 1 of this set contains President Harry S Truman's 1949 Inaugural Address and Volume 2 contains his 1945 speech about the use of the atom bomb against Japan.

Harry S. Truman & the Bomb (E813 .H38 1996)
Basic documents from the Harry S. Truman library concerning the atom bomb.

Harry S. Truman, 1884- : Chronology-Documents- Bibliographical Aids (E 813 T674)

Harry S. Truman Lecture on the Constitution [sound recording] (Missouriana Cassette JK34 .T79 1959)

Harry S. Truman Presidential Oral History Collection (Microfiche, Cabinet 23, Drawer 7)
After President Truman left office in 1953, the organizers of the Harry S. Truman Library captured recollections of his life and times through interviews with hundreds of his political associates and advisers, family and friends. These transcripts make up the microfiche collection. The last fiche card has an index to the collection.

Herbert Hoover and Harry S. Truman: A Documentary History (E 802 H37 1992)

Map Room Messages of President Truman, 1945-1946 (Microfilm J 82 D73 1980)
President Truman's communications with Clement Attlee, Chiang Kai-Chek, Winston S. Churchill, W. Averill Harriman, Patrick J. Hurley, George C. Marshall, and Joseph Stalin. A guide to the set is shelved with the film.

Official Conversations and Meetings of Dean Acheson, 1949- 1953 (Microfilm E748 A15 A31)
Part of the Truman Presidential Documents Series. A guide to the set is with the microfilm.

Origins of the Cold War (Microfiche Cabinet 5 Drawer 1 )
Archival holdings of a half-century of Russian-American relations. These documents contain correspondence and accounts that reveal the persistence of antithetical perspectives in Moscow and Washington. There are nearly 1500 documents in this collection. An index is provided.

Personal Life and Views of Harry S. Truman (Special Collections) This collection of documents from the Truman Presidential Library contains copies of letters, memoranda, newspaper clippings and other documents that describe Truman's personal life. Some of the topics include: his thoughts on life, his relationships with Bess Wallace Truman and his daughter, Margaret, his education, his views on art, music, literature, drama, etc. The introductory folder provides a table of contents.

Photographs of Harry S. Truman (Special Collections) This collection contains photographs of Harry S. Truman depicting him throughout his life.

Potsdam Conference Documents (Microfilm J82 D75 1980) Includes President Truman's Potsdam Dairy; U.S. Bilateral Discussions with U.S.S.R. and Great Britain; Recommendations from Joint Chiefs of Staff; Memoranda from President's Records on Subjects to be discussed at Berlin; Papers and Minutes of Meetings of the Combined Chiefs of Staff; Minutes of meetings of Heads of Government; Minutes of Meetings of Foreign Ministers; Correspondence of President Truman with Heads of Government; and other miscellaneous documents. A guide is on the shelf next to the film.

President Harry S. Truman's Office Files, 1945-1953 (Microfilm E814 A346 1989) This set contains five parts: (I) political file, (II) correspondence file, (III) subject file, (IV) Korean file, and (V) Truman diaries and handwritten notes file. Guides are shelved with the film.

President Truman's Committee on Civil Rights (Microfilm E 185.61 P674 1984) The Committee, active from 1946-47, was charged by the President with preparing a report on civil rights. The collection includes the Committee's official correspondence with private groups, governmental agencies and civil rights specialists; transcripts of meetings with testimony; drafts, working papers and the final report; and other miscellaneous documents. A guide is available.

Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (J 80 A283) [See also: The Cumulated Indexes to the Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (J80 A2832)]

Speeches of Harry S. Truman [videorecording](Missouriana E814 .A4 1990) Includes speeches on the use of the atom bomb, the spread of communism in Asia, unionization in industry, firing MacArthur, and more.

Truman, a self-portrait [videorecording] (Media Video E742.5 .T62 1984C)
Words drawn from Harry S. Truman's memoirs and public statements accompany rare archival footage to re-create the drama of his life and career

The Truman Administration: A Documentary History (Missouriana E 813 T717 1966)

The Truman Tapes: In His Own Voice, A Sound Recording (Media Cassette E813 .T748 1995) Recorded in 1962-1964 and 1977, chiefly for the television series Decision: the conflicts of Harry S. Truman. Truman discusses the major issues and events of his Presidency, including the Potsdam conference, the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan, NATO, the McCarthy era, the Berlin crisis, and the Korean war.

The United States and the Korean Problem (DS 917 U52 1976)

Works by Harry S. Truman
Click here to automatically search the library catalog for works by Harry S. Truman.

What Others Said About Truman

Dean Acheson, Secretary of State 1949-53
Among Friends: Personal Letters of Dean Acheson (E 748 A15 A4 1980)
A Democrat Looks at His Party (JK 2316 A25)
The Korean War (DS 918 A59 1971)
Official Conversations and Meetings of Dean Acheson, 1949-1953
(Microfilm E748 A15 A31)
Present at the Creation (E 744 A2174)
Reviews of the World Situation, 1949-1950 (KF 26 F6 1949E)
Sketches from Life of Men I have Known (D 412.6 A2 1974)
The Struggle for a Free Europe (E744 A2195)
This Vast External Realm (E744 A223 1973)

Clinton Anderson, Secretary of Agriculture 1945-48
Outsider in the Senate: Senator Clinton Anderson's Memoirs (E 840.8 A5 A3)

Alben W. Barkley, Vice President 1949-53
An Autobiography of Alben W. Barkley The "Veep" (Missouriana Record E748 B318 A3)
That Reminds Me ( E748.B318 A3)

Francis Biddle, Attorney General 1941-45
In Brief Authority (KF 373 B5 A32 1976)

Chester Bowles, Ambassador to India 1951-53
Columbia University Oral History Collection, Part III (Microfiche Cabinet 3 Drawer 5-6)

James Byrnes, Secretary of State 1945-47
Speaking Frankly (D 815 B9)

Jonathan Daniels, Journalist and Presidential Appointee, 1947-53
Columbia University Oral History Collection, Part V (Microfiche Cabinet 3 Drawer 5-6)

Milton S. Eisenhower, Government Official, 1946-53
Columbia University Oral History Collection, Part III (Microfiche Cabinet 3 Drawer 5-6)

Edward Thomas Folliard, Journalist for the Washington Post
Columbia University Oral History Collection, Part III (Microfiche Cabinet 3 Drawer 5-6)

James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy 1944-47 and Secretary of Defense 1947-49
The Forrestal Diaries (E 813 F6)

Harold Ickes, Secretary of the Interior 1933-46
The Autobiography of a Curmudgeon (E 748 I28 A3 1985)

George C. Marshall, Secretary of State 1947-49 and Secretary of Defense 1950-51
Marshall's Mission to China, December 1945-January 1947 The Report and Appended Documents (E 183.8 C5 M37)

Merle Miller, Biographer
Harry S. Truman, The Honest President (Media Cassette E 814 M538 1974)
Plain speaking : an oral biography of Harry S. Truman (E814 .M54 1974)

Henry Morgenthau, Secretary of the Treasury 1934-45
Morgenthau Diary(China) (E 183.8 C5 M6 1974)

Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor, 1933-45
Columbia University Oral History Collection, Part III (Microfiche Cabinet 3 Drawer 5-6)

Edward R. Stettinius, Secretary of State 1944-45
Charter of the United Nations. Report to the President on the Results of the San Francisco Conference (JX 1976.4 U55 1945MB)
The Diaries of Edward R. Stettinius, Jr., 1943-1946 (E 748 S836 A33)

Henry Stimson, Secretary of War 1940-1945
On Active Service in Peace and War (E 748 S883 A3)
Columbia University Oral History Collection, Part I (Microfiche Cabinet 3 Drawer 5-6)

Margaret Truman
Bess W. Truman (General Collection & Missouriana E 814.1 T68 T68 1986)
Harry S. Truman (General Collection & Missouriana E 814.1 T8)
Letters from Father (General Collection & Missouriana E 814.1 T68)
Souvenir : Margaret Truman's own story (General Collection & Missouriana E 814.1 T7)

Arthur Vandenberg, Senator 1928-51
Private Papers Of Senator Vandenberg (E813 .V3)

Henry A. Wallace, Secretary of Commerce 1945-46
The Price of Vision; the Diary of Henry A. Wallace, 1942-1946 (E 748 W23 A36 1973)
Columbia University Oral History Collection, Part III (Microfiche Cabinet 3 Drawer 5-6)

James T. Williams, Newspaper Editor (Boston & Chicago)
Columbia University Oral History Collection, Part I (Microfiche Cabinet 3 Drawer 5-6)

Other Sources

Check newspapers for eyewitness accounts of events and for commentary on issues of the day. Pickler Library has the following newspapers on microfilm in the Micromaterials room on the first floor.

See the Congressional Masterfile CD-ROMs (available on computer in front of the Reference Desk) for citations to Congressional reports, hearings, and committee prints. You can find the documents on microfiche in the Micromaterials room.
The serial Vital Speeches of the Day (Periodicals PN 6121 V52) contains transcripts of speeches on various topics, with most of them being political speeches. There is an index shelved at the beginning of this periodical (Periodical PN 6121 V.52 v. 1-25 1934-59 index). The first part of the index is an index to speeches by author and the second part of the index is an index to speeches by topic.

Links

American Experience: Truman An extension of the Truman episiode of the PBS series American Experience. The site includes primary source material such as speeches and official documents.

Character Above All Essays: Harry S. Truman. Presents an excerpt from an essay by David McCullough, a biographer for Harry S. Truman,

Harry S. Truman Library & Museum

NOTES:

2. The Columbia University Oral History Collection Contains transcripts of interviews with people from all walks of life. A guide listing names of interviewees in Parts I-V of the microfiche collection is located on the top of the fiche cabinet #3. The Oral History Collection of Columbia University (Ref E 169.1 C6 1979) is a reference guide to the entire collection at Columbia University and does provide some access by subject to the microfiche collection. The microfiche for each interviewee has a table of contents on the first fiche card and longer transcripts also have indexes on the last fiche card.

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