History

Harry Truman

A Long Way From Missouri

When I came back from the war, I opened a haberdashery, but I was destined for bigger things. I became active in the Democratic Party, held local political offices, and later became a senator. President Franklin Roosevelt chose me to be his running mate in his fourth term and I was deeply honored, but little did I realize that I would become President. When President Roosevelt died, I told those around me that I felt like the moon, stars, and all the planets had fallen on me. Could I summon the courage to make the tough decisions, especially during wartime? Well, I did. It wasn't easy and a lot of people didn't always agree with me, but I used common sense and did the job to the best of my ability.

Beginnings of the CIA

After the war, I remembered December 7, 1941, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. I considered the changing postwar world and the threat of a new enemy, the Soviet Union, looming ahead. After the disbanding of the OSS at World War II's end, there was no concentration of information available to help the President. To better protect the United States, we needed a better way to collect intelligence. An agency that would be independent of any policy making branch, with no ties to any other part of government. One that would gather intelligence and advise the President and other policy makers about what was happening around the world. I listened to General William Donovan's advice on how it should be built. After all, who better to get advice from? He headed the Office of Strategic Services and was the nation's head spy during World War II. I also talked to my personal representative, Admiral William D. Leahy, and he agreed with me that there should be a Central Intelligence Agency to benefit not just myself, but the whole government. Admiral Leahy and I proceeded to work out a program. So in 1947 Congress passed the National Security Act, which formed the Central Intelligence Agency. I signed it into law, and I think this action was one of the most important during my presidency. It ensured that the President, his Cabinet, and the National Security Council would get the best information possible so they could do their jobs better and help us keep this world peaceful. Hmm, not bad for a Missouri farmer!


Sources:

O'Toole, G.J.A. Encyclopedia of American Intelligence and Espionage. New York and Oxford: Facts on File, 1988. Sources:

Factbook on Intelligence. Central Intelligence Agency, 1997.

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