Choosing Truman

About this book

As Franklin D. Roosevelt's health deteriorated in the months leading up to the Democratic National Convention of 1944, Democratic leaders confronted a dire situation. Given the inevitability of the president's death during a fourth term, the choice of a running mate for FDR was of profound importance. The Democrats needed a man they could trust. They needed Harry S. Truman. In the days between July 11 and July 21, 1944, the vice-presidential nomination went to Truman in a series of moves, countermoves, and near chaotic happenings. This first detailed account of those tumultuous days explains how Truman, a man whom Roosevelt barely knew and who had not actively sought the nomination, became the president's running mate. Robert Ferrell tells an engrossing tale of ruthless ambition, secret meetings, and party politics. Roosevelt emerges as a manipulative leader whose desire to retain power led to a blatant disregard for the loyalty of his subordinates and the aspirations of his vice-presidential hopefuls. Ferrell demonstrates how the conspiratorial efforts of a handful of White House insiders unseated Vice-President Henry Wallace as a contender, while the president himself thwarted the hopes of powerful White House aide James F. Byrnes . The events surrounding Truman's nomination would have seemed almost unbelievable, had not so much been at risk. But as the convention came to a close, the kingmakers of the party could assure themselves of one thing: Truman would be the next president of the United States. Startling in its conclusions, impeccable in its research, Choosing Truman is an engrossing, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the nation's thirty-third president.