2021 Visit KC Official Guide - 12

IMAGES FROM TRUMAN LIBRARY

75 years after his swearing in, President
Harry S. Truman's legacy lives on in a brandnew museum experience in Independence.

THE BUCK STOPS HERE
By D I A N A L A M B D I N M E Y E R

" Are you a communist? " the voice
asked. " What church do you
attend? ... What newspapers do
you read? "
These are just a few of the questions
you'll be asked when touring the newly
remodeled Harry S. Truman Presidential
Library & Museum in his hometown of
Independence, MO.
Of course, those questions are unconstitutional today, but during the Red Scare
that dominated much of Harry S. Truman's
postwar presidency, these were common
queries by Sen. Joe McCarthy in his chilling
investigation of communist activities in the
U.S. Sitting in the " hot seat " of McCarthyism
is one of the many interactive opportunities
to help you better understand the presidency of Harry S. Truman.
The Truman Library & Museum
will reopen in 2021 after a multi-year,
$30 million renovation, its first in more
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than two decades. And if you think you
know Truman, think again.
" In the past 20 years, there's been a lot
of scholarship that sheds new light on
the tough decisions Truman had to make, "
said Cassie Pikarsky of the Truman Library
Institute. " We've also acquired additional
artifacts and uncovered film that helps us
expand our interpretation of the Truman
presidency. "
Truman learned about leadership and
the tough decisions of a commander during
his service as a battery captain in World
War I. Newly discovered film includes interviews with those who served under Capt.
Truman and their not-so-flattering remarks.
The exhibit space is so true to life that you
might feel you are stepping in the muddy
trenches of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
The world was deep into its second
global conflict when Truman took office
on April 12, 1945. One of his toughest decisions came just weeks later. That decision,
of course, was to drop two atomic bombs on

Japan. Among the items now on permanent
display is a safety plug from " Fat Man, " the
bomb dropped on Nagasaki.
One of the new galleries focuses on
Truman and the post-World War II years.
The gallery features the interior of a C-54
cargo plane, representing the Berlin Airlift
that provided life-sustaining necessities
for the 2 million residents of West Berlin.
For the better part of a year, the U.S. Air
Force delivered food, clothing and medical supplies in an airlift that involved
nearly 200,000 flights taking off every three
minutes.
A gallery is devoted to the recognition
of Israel as a state and another is devoted
to Truman and civil rights. Not only did
Truman desegregate the Armed Forces,
he was also the first sitting president to
address a gathering of the NAACP.
Truman's second term was the result
of the famous Whistle-Stop Campaign
of 1948. A re-creation of the Ferdinand
Magellan train car, which was the official
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2021 Visit KC Official Guide

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