President Harry S. Truman* was never meant to be President of the United States. He assumed office upon the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in April of 1945. Upon being summoned to the White House to hear the news and be sworn in, he arrived and greeted now-Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and asked her if there was anything he could do for her. Her response was incandescent, “Is there anything we can do for you? For you are the one in trouble now.”

President Truman’s first and most consequential decision of his terms in office, along with his lifetime was the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Unleashing this weapon upon the Japanese people effectively ended the war and led to the unconditional surrender of the Empire. But the terrible weapon would have horrific ramifications for a brewing Cold War and beyond.

Harry Truman’s decision to unleash the atom bomb upon the Japanese people has stood as a litmus test since then for what the responsibility of the Office of the President holds. It also speaks to the deep convictions that Truman had toward ending the war that had raged in Europe and Asia for years.

His Baptist faith and convictions in the global family were apparent in his policies, with his support in a confederation of nations that would become as the United Nations. The decisions that Truman was required to make despite the accidental nature of his presidency are both terrible and heroic. It is impossible to fully encapsulate the realities he grappled with during those grueling moments of consequence.

*The S. in Harry S. Truman does not stand for anything, but was rather added to make his name sound more political.