Part 4 Chapter 11 Summary

The Great War was over, and so was America's honeymoon with their new President. Newspaper columnists and editorial writers became increasingly critical of Harry Truman's indecisiveness and choice of advisors, claiming the people he had around him were not qualified to run the government - they were Midwestern hicks. His approval ratings fell from a high of 87% to 64% in 1944.

Truman thought that the American people had demonstrated their ability to unify and work together when there was a high purpose and common cause. He saw no reason why a similar spirit could not keep going in times of peace. But people quickly became consumed with more selfish concerns. A popular movie of the era depicted a returning soldier saying, "We used to live to fight the Japs. Now we live to make money."

One of Harry's biggest concerns was that after...