Talking with Harry vividly reflects President Truman's strong, confident, and independent nature and provides a compellingly candid, often entertaining, and frequently perceptive analysis of people and events during a critical era in American history. Ralph Weber has skillfully edited the reflective and revelatory ruminations of an American giant in a truly transformational era. Reading these commentaries is like eating cashews. ... Read moreOnce you begin, it is very difficult to stop.
Thomas E. Hachey, Boston College In these 1959 interviews, Truman reflects on history, the office of the presidency, partisan politics, and Cold War issues. Candid, quick to the point, and judgmental, Truman serves up unvarnished criticisms of Stevenson, Eisenhower, Nixon, and MacArthur, and he denounces the Russians as the 'worst barbarians' and Communist China as 'Frankenstein.' These well-edited conversations reveal Truman at his best—and his worst.
Thomas G. Paterson, author of On Every Front: The Making and Unmaking of the Cold War Talking with Harry: Candid Conversations with President Harry S. Truman is exactly what the title implies. In twenty oral history sessions in the fall of 1959, President Truman reflected upon his role in history-to the enlightenment and enjoyment of twentieth-century U.S. historians. These conversations are a ‘must’ for those who wish to understand this period of American history. We are deeply indebted to Weber for producing this record of a great American president.
Ben Procter, Texas Christian University Show Less