[driftless]

How was Truman guilty of "terminal stupidity"? Horowitz detailed Truman's fierce opposition to communism. Is Horowitz wrong?

[jammer]

One small (?) stupid thing: Ho Chi Min wrote Truman on 8 occasions asking for help against the colonial aspirations of France. In the aftermath of the war, and in trying to help an ally, his lack of help may be understandable. But he didn't even acknowledge the letters. It might not have looked important then, but it became very important--disastrous in many ways for the U.S.--when Ho turned to Mao.

[Steel Wolf]

Truman's fierce opposition to Communism? That's like saying McArthur was soft on Communism. China teetered and fell on his watch, an event that was clearly going to happen without our intervention. His track record in the Korean War was also less than stellar. I don't remember off the top of my head which other nations fell to Communism during his tenure, but I'd suspect that Cuba was one of them.

Many of the lingering security problems that we face today are directly the result of Truman's soft policies. He may have been the Democrat who was toughest on Communism, but he wasn't nearly tough enough.

[David Isaac]

I would say quite possibly yes, Horowitz's assassment of Truman's anti-communism is not totally correct. Did you read the article I mentioned? I will send you a copy.

[johnb838]

Truman, having been told repeatedly by the FBI that Alger Hiss was a spy, not only didn't fire Hiss, but promoted him. Then he allowed him to take the lead in formulating that wonderful bastion of anti-Americanism, the United Nations.

As easy as we are to infiltrate, it's a miracle we keep functioning.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Horowitz detailed Truman's fierce opposition to communism. Is Horowitz wrong?

Coulter says that Truman had as much anticommunist credential before the Republicans took Congress in '46 as Clinton had a welfare reform credential before the Republicans took Congress in 94. That is, essentially 2 years elapsed before Truman did anything to control the subversion menace--and that, he did grudgingly.

The Army undertook the decryption of the Venona files on its own initiative and against Truman's orders. The project--and its findings--had to be kept secret from the POTUS; it revealed things that Truman was patently unwilling to hear.

After Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech in America, Truman had Acheson snub Churchill--and offered Stalin a ride to America on the USS Misouri to respond to Churchill.

Truman was probably better than Roosevelt, but that is hardly any praise at all--the fact that Eastern Europe ended up under Stalin was according to FDR's plan. FDR started trying to get Hitler to fight the US from the moment Hitler invaded the USSR. From FDR's POV WWII was essentially a war to save the Soviet Union.