Dr. Alonzo Hamby
The blog Medium quotes Dr. Alonzo Hamby, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at Ohio University, in a story headlined “America Needs You Harry Truman.”
Dr. Hamby also explains why historians have reassessed Truman:
“But Truman’s stature also rose in subsequent years because it became easier for both scholars and the public to discern and appreciate his significant contributions. Truman’s conduct of American foreign policy deserves special commendation. The President and his advisers recognized that the Soviet Union threatened the political and military balance of power, as well as the healthy economic intercourse, that favored the United States and its allies in the aftermath of World War II. Truman responded to the Soviet challenge with a range of political, diplomatic, military, and economic initiatives designed to contain Soviet power and to construct an American-led bulwark against communism. In large measure, American officials followed Truman’s approach to U.S.-Soviet relations until the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s. Several Truman foreign policy programs remain central to America’s international posture even today. Commitments to Israel and South Korea are still hallmarks of U.S. policy towards the Middle East and Asia, respectively. Likewise, the United States remains the prime member of NATO.”
Read Hamby’s entire column at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center.
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