Harry S. Truman: Difference between revisions

 

In one of his first acts as vice president, Truman created some controversy when he attended the disgraced Pendergast's funeral. He brushed aside the criticism, saying simply, "He was always my friend and I have always been his."{{sfn|Oshinsky|2004|pp=365–380}} He had rarely discussed world affairs or domestic politics with Roosevelt; he was uninformed about major initiatives relating to the war and the top-secret [[Manhattan Project]], which was about to test the world's first atomic bomb.{{sfn|U.S. History|2012}} In an event that generated negative publicity for Truman, he was photographed with actress [[Lauren Bacall]] sitting atop the piano at the [[National Press Club (United States)|National Press Club]] as he played for soldiers.<ref>{{cite news|last=Schwab|first=Nick|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2014/08/13/lauren-bacall-and-harry-trumans-piano-moment-led-to-bigger-things|title=Lauren Bacall and Harry Truman's Piano Moment Led to Bigger Things|work=US News|date=August 13, 2014|access-date=December 17, 2016}}</ref>

Truman had been vice president for 82&nbsp;days when President Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945.{{sfn|U.S. History|2012}} Truman, presiding over the Senate, as usual, had just adjourned the session for the day and was preparing to have a drink in [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|House Speaker]] [[Sam Rayburn]]'s [[Hideaway (U.S. Senate)|office]] when he received an urgent message to go immediately to the White House, where [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] told him that her husband had died after a massive [[cerebral hemorrhage]]. Truman asked her if there was anything he could do for her; she replied, "Is there anything we can do for {{em|you}}? For you are the one in trouble now!"{{sfn|Truman Library|2012h}}{{sfn|McCullough|1992|p=425}}{{sfn|Goodwin|1994|p=478}} He was [[First inauguration of Harry S. Truman|sworn in as president]] at 7:09&nbsp;p.m. in the West Wing of the White House, by Chief Justice [[Harlan F. Stone]].<ref>Paul Ham, ''Hiroshima Nagasaki'', p. 68</ref>