THE PRESIDENCY: I Wouldn't Hesitate

Four years ago, a humble and bewildered man bent to kiss a Bible in the crowded Cabinet Room in the White House. That was before the U.S. public had ever heard of the atom bomb, or felt a need for a Marshall Plan, a cold war or an Atlantic pact. Last week Harry Truman was four pounds heavier and a good deal more confident. What did he think of his four years in office? Well, said Harry Truman with a grin, they always say the first four years are the hardest.

One night last week he went to a party...

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