harry s. TrumanHarry Truman was born on 8 May 1884 in Lamar, Missouri. He left school and worked at clerical positions and farms. In 1917, he joined the US army to fight in World War I. After he returned he married Bess Wallace. In 1923, he became a judge in Jackson County. At the same time he studied Law at Kansas City Law School. Truman was then elected to senate in 1934 and re-elected in 1940. By 1944, he was chosen by President Roosevelt to become vice president, and when Roosevelt died Truman became president. He was immediately tacked with big decisions like authorizing the use of the atomic bomb, creating the United Nations, and planning the post-war affairs. The war ended shortly after Truman became president, although the US went into another war with the Soviet Union called the Cold War. Truman then published the Truman Doctrine, which justified the actions the US took to stop communism. He also enforced the Marshall Plan to help rebuild Europe, and the airlift of supplies to Berlin. In 1949, NATO was created from fear of spreading communism. In 1948, Truman won his second term in office, and in 1950 he authorized US military involvement in the Korean war. He retired in 1953 and died on 26 December 1972 in Kansas City. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/truman_harry_s.shtml)
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