The Accidental President

...and the four months that changed the world.
The book is a about the unlikely rise of Harry Truman to President of the United States and how he handled the first four months of his presidency. The author takes the somewhat questionable position that Truman never wanted to be president. He allows him significant relief from responsibility due to being thrust on the scene in the most difficult of times with little preparation. Truman proves to be hard working and decisive and up until Potsdam and the dropping of the atomic bombs, I admired his accomplishments.
On the other hand, the challenges of the world may have been too much for Truman. I am not sure any one man could have lead us successfully through those months of 1945. Where were the woman and the scientist in the decision making? Why did we drop the A-bomb on Hiroshima, much less on Nagasaki? We have all heard the military establishment argument that the A-bombs possibly saved the lives of more soldiers on both sides from a prolonged war. But why didn't we simply demonstrate its power? For that matter, why did we constantly firebomb civilians in Tokyo? Was racism a factor?
The Truman Doctrine and the Marshal Plan were very successful in rebuilding Europe and Japan and the U.S. somehow avoided hyper-inflation and recession after the war. On the other hand, the Cold War with the USSR, the civil war in China, and the Korean conflict started under his watch. The author points out that although Truman did not have high approval ratings after his first couple of months, he is now considered one of the nations top 10 Presidents. Although I like the way Harry Truman is portrayed as a man, I see the danger of someone in over his head surrounded by too much testosterone. At least he read briefs and tried to do the right thing.