History Focus
November 1

(1884-1972)

Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri, on May 8, 1884, He was the son of a livestock trader and farmer. He served in France during World War I as an artillery battery commander. President Roosevelt chose him as his running mate in 1944. On the death of Roosevelt in April 1945, Truman succeeded to the presidency.

He became the 33rd president of the United and served from 1945 to 1953. He initiated the cold war foreign policy of containing communism and continued the welfare state established under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. His decisiveness and willingness to accept responsibility for difficult decisions contributed to the trend begun under Roosevelt toward the centralization of power in the executive branch.

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Truman Assassination Attempt

Two Puerto Rican nationalists, Oscar Collazo and Girsel Tor-resola, made an attempt on the President's life in Washington, D.C., today. Mr. Truman was unharmed, but one of his guards was killed and two seriously injured. Truman was in his private residence, Blair House, just across the street from the White House, when the two men made a foolhardy attempt to shoot their way in. The guard on the steps, Private Donald T. Birdsell, was shot by both men, but managed to return fire, killing Collazo. Torresola and Private Leslie Coffelt, who was on duty inside the house, shot and killed each other simultaneously. Twenty-seven shots were fired in the battle, which the president observed from an upstairs window until a security man shouted at him to take cover. It is believed that the would-be assassins were from the Independence party, dedicated to self-determination for Puerto Rico. "A President should expect these things," Mr. Truman commented later.

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