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

On October 6, 2022, the Truman Medal for Economic Policy was awarded to Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. The transcript of his address, “The Future of American Capitalism,” follows. Watch the recorded program on YouTube. Read More

On September 29, 2022, The Honorable Nancy Pelosi presided over the unveiling and dedication of the Truman Statue in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. The transcript of the national dedicatory event follows. Read More

More than 75 years after ascending to the presidency, Harry Truman is headed back to Washington – as a 7 1/2′ bronze Truman Statue! Read More

In 2007, David McCullough, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Truman, returned to Independence, Missouri and the Truman Library to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Library’s dedication. On June 14, he participated in “An American Conversation” with then-Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein. A full transcript of their conversation follows.
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On June 13, 2007, David McCullough, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Truman, returned to Independence, Missouri and the Truman Library to deliver a keynote address marking the 50th anniversary of the Library’s dedication in 1957. The transcript of his address follows.

What a pleasure it is to be back here and what a lot I learned in the 10 years that I worked here.  A time that flew! And my heart is still very much in Jackson County wherever I am, and to be welcomed – as I have been by so many people even before I arrived at the Library this afternoon –has been a great kick… people stopping when I was out walking in the street.  Just this morning one very friendly, nice lady came up and greeted me and she said, “Welcome back, how good to see you here Mr.  Cronkite.” (Laughter) Read More

2022 Harry S. Truman Legacy of Leadership Award

WILLIAM J. BURNS, DIRECTOR, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

The 2022 Harry S. Truman Legacy of Leadership Award was presented on Thursday, April 28, 2022 at Wild About Harry in Kansas City, Missouri.

 
Director Burns’s acceptance remarks at WILD ABOUT HARRY on April 28, 2022 represented only his second public speech as director and came in a week in which the United Kingdom and United States announced further military help for Ukraine.  Read More

The Nuremberg Trials

This week marks the 75th anniversary of the conclusion of one of the most significant events in history.

From November 20, 1945 to October 1, 1946, leading members of the Nazi Party had to answer to an international court for conspiracy, war crimes, and crimes against peace and humanity. Known today as the Nuremberg Trials, this “alternative justice” set a remarkable precedent for trying war crimes and had a lasting effect on international criminal law. Read More

The Daughters of Yalta

A Distinguished Author Event Celebrating the 136th Birthday of First Lady Bess Wallace Truman

Featuring Catherine Grace Katz
Saturday, February 13 | 2 PM CST

Please join us online for the 2021 Bess Wallace Truman Birthday Celebration featuring Catherine Grace Katz, author of The Daughters of Yalta. Read More

The Long Telegram

George Kennan and the Most Influential Cable in American History

Featuring Evan Thomas, in Conversation with Truman Library Director Kurt Graham

Tuesday, February 23 at 5:30 PM CST 

Before the “Cold War,” there was “The Long Telegram.”

75 years ago this month, a Moscow-based U.S. diplomat named George Kennan sent an 8,000-word telegram to President Truman’s State Department. The “problem of how to cope with [the Soviets],” he argued presciently, “is undoubtedly the greatest task our diplomacy has ever faced and probably the greatest it will ever have to face.”

Today, “The Long Telegram” is regarded as a foundational U.S. document, right up there with the Declaration of Independence, The Federalist Papers and George Washington’s Farewell Address. As a sign of its enduring significance, the telegram’s 75th anniversary appears on top-ten lists of historic moments to note in 2021.

What influence did this 19-page cable have in 1946? And how does it continue to inform U.S. policy today? Read More