Fall 2023 Research Grants Announced | December 2, 2023
The Truman Library Institute is pleased to announce the awardees of its Fall 2023 Research Grants. Grants of up to $2,500 are awarded twice annually to offset the cost of conducting research at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum.
This grant cycle will assist scholars advancing research on such topics as American intelligence, the U.S. Armed Forces, the history of humanitarian aid, foreign policy, national security and our American political system.
Together, these grants will ultimately help deepen the public understanding of our critical past and serve to illuminate issues of national and global significance today and in the years to come. Read More
First Family Stories: Remembering Rosalynn Carter | November 21, 2023
First Family Stories
By Clifton Truman Daniel
“Remembering Rosalynn Carter”
I DID NOT KNOW ROSALYNN CARTER WELL. We met only once, in 2019, when I was invited to give a talk during the annual meeting of the Carter Political Items Collectors in Plains, Georgia. Even so, I felt her presence throughout the town.
Plains, her home, to which she and Jimmy Carter returned after leaving the White House, was—and is—so small that Lillian Carter, Rosalynn’s future mother-in-law, helped deliver her on the day she was born. Years later, when Jimmy Carter first asked her on a date, she turned him down. Then she “ran around with everyone else in Plains,” as he put it, before accepting his invitation.
First Family Stories: Truman Defeats Dewey | November 1, 2023
First Family Stories
By Clifton Truman Daniel
“Truman Defeats Dewey”
THE FIRST STORY my mother told me about the 1948 presidential campaign had nothing to do with tactics, crowds, or the upset victory.
The Ferdinand Magellan presidential railcar was outfitted with a speedometer connected to the engine, so folks in back could see how fast they were going. Mom and Grandpa were in the lounge one afternoon, reading, when Mom noticed Grandpa glancing up repeatedly at the speedometer, which was climbing. 80. 82. 85 . . . Finally, he said to an aide, “Tell the engineer to slow down.”
Museum Moment: 1948 Campaign ARTifact | October 31, 2023
Alex Burden, executive director of the Truman Library Institute, shares his favorite piece of art on display at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum.
Truman and the Birth of Israel | May 14, 2023
On May 11, 2023, The Honorable Michael Herzog, Israel ambassador to the U.S., visited the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of President Truman’s politically courageous decision to recognize the nascent state of Israel. A transcript of his remarks follows. Watch the recorded program, in its entirety, on YouTube. Read More
First Family Stories: The Recognition of Israel | May 14, 2023
First Family Stories
By Clifton Truman Daniel
Seventy-five years ago today, on May 14, 1948, President Harry S. Truman made one of the most momentous decisions of his presidency: recognizing the new state of Israel just minutes after its founding. My grandfather is justly celebrated for providing the legitimacy this nascent democracy required to survive, but his WWI buddy and former business partner, Eddie Jacobson, deserves credit, as well. This installment of “First Family Stories” is dedicated to a friendship that changed the world.
First Family Stories: Babysitter in Chief | March 31, 2023
First Family Stories
By Clifton Truman Daniel
“First Family Stories” is a serial memoir exploring the history, humanity and humor of being part of one of America’s First Families. Clifton Truman Daniel is the eldest grandson of Bess and Harry Truman.
First Family Stories: The Politics of Hair | February 13, 2023
First Family Stories
By Clifton Truman Daniel
“First Family Stories” is a serial memoir exploring the history, humanity and humor of being part of one of America’s First Families. Clifton Truman Daniel is the eldest grandson of Bess and Harry Truman.
This Day In History | February 2, 2023
February 2, 1948 | Special Message to Congress on Civil Rights
On February 2, 1948, Harry S. Truman delivered a “Special Message to Congress on Civil Rights.” In the 3,095-word address, President Truman called for anti-lynching legislation, fair housing oversight, greater protection of the right to vote, an end to discrimination in the federal workforce, and the abolition of Jim Crow practices in the U.S. Armed Forces.
First Family Stories: Grandpa and LBJ | January 22, 2023
First Family Stories
By Clifton Truman Daniel
“First Family Stories” is a serial memoir exploring the history, humanity and humor of being part of one of America’s First Families. Clifton Truman Daniel is the eldest grandson of Bess and Harry Truman.
