Artifact: Object Made by Human Workmanship That Is of Importance to Archaeology Orhistory

Glossary

Acheson, Dean (1893-1971):Secretary of State under President Harry Truman from 1949-1953, Acheson carriedforth the policies of his predecessor, George C. Marshall, supporting the EuropeanRecovery Plan and representing the United States at the conference on the creation of NATO. After leaving his official duties in 1953, Acheson served in an advisory capacity to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.

Allied Powers (Allies): Nations that fought together in World War II. The major Allied Powers were Great Britain, France, the United States of America, and eventually, the Soviet Union.

artifact: Object made by human workmanship that is of importance to archaeology orhistory.

baby boom: Huge increase in the number of babies born during and after World War II.

Bass, Luther:American POW of Japanese who made aUnited States flag from parachutes thatdropped food and supplies into the camp where he was being held. The flag is ondisplay in the Presidential Years Exhibit.

Ben-Gurion, David (1886-1973): The first prime minister of the new state of Israel in 1948.

Benton, Thomas Hart (1889-1975): Internationally acclaimed artist who designed and painted the mural in the main lobby ofthe Truman Presidential Museum & Library. Benton was born in Neosho, Missouri, in1889, and died at his Kansas City residence in 1975.

Berlin Airlift (1948-1949):The power struggle between the democracies (U.S., Britain and France) and Russiafor control of Berlin resulted in a Soviet blockade of roads and railroad crossings fromEast Berlin to West Berlin. This meant that West Berliners would not be able to get the4,000 tons of food, fuel, and other supplies that they needed. Further, the Russians shutoff West Berlin’s electrical supply. Announcing that “We are going to stay—period,” Truman authorized the airlifting of food and other necessities to the people of WestBerlin. For the next 11 months, American, British, and French pilots would make more than 277,000 flights to deliver more than two million tons of supplies to West Berlin. Stalin was not able to weaken West Berlin as he had hoped. The blockade ended in May 1949.

blockade: A town or city that is closed off from others or isolated by enemy forces.

Byrnes, James (1882-1972):Truman’s secretary of state from 1945 until January 1947.Brynes began his politicalcareer in the House (1910-24) and in 1930, was elected to the United States Senate.A strong supporter of Franklin Roosevelt, he helped to push New Deal legislation through Congress.He was appointed to the United States Supreme Court by FDRbut resigned after one term to become the president’s economic advisor. Brynes waspresent at Yalta and his handwritten notes are the only verbatim record of Roosevelt’slast meeting with Churchill and Stalin. In his role as secretary of state, Brynes was given a great deal of latitude when meeting with foreign ministers after the war’s end. WhenTruman reasserted his control as the foreign policy chief, Brynes resigned rather thanaccept the role of subordinate. In the 1948 presidential campaign, he supported the Dixiecrat candidate, Henry Wallace. In 1950 Brynes was elected the governor of SouthCarolina. James Brynes retired from public life in 1955.

carhop: A person who waits on customers at a drive-in restaurant or movie theater serving foods

and beverages. Drive-ins were popular during the fifties and early sixties with teens as not only a place to eat, but to socialize.

cease-fire: A truce or temporary agreement by both sides in a conflict to stop hostilities in order totry to negotiate a settlement.

Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975): Leader of the Chinese Nationalist forces, Chiang struggled to gain control of the mainland of China. He and his followers were forced to flee to the island of Formosawhen Mao and the Communists took control of China in 1949.

checks and balances: Equal division of governmental powers among three branches. Each branch has amethod of restricting the power of the other two so that no one branch can become

more powerful than the others. Examples of checks and balances would be thepresidential veto, the impeachment power of Congress, and the right of the SupremeCourt to interpret laws passed by Congress.

Churchill, Winston (1874-1965): Prime Minister of Great Britain during most of World War II who, with his stirring words, inspired his countrymen as they stood alone against Hitler’s mighty war machine. Along with Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin, Churchill was one the “Big Three” leaders of the Allied nations. In 1945, President Truman, Churchill, and Stalin, met in Germany at the Potsdam Conference. It was at the invitation of President Truman that Churchill came to Fulton, Missouri, to WestminsterCollege where he delivered the famous “Iron Curtain” Address.

civil rights: Freedoms guaranteed to the people of the United States by the Bill of Rights, Amendments 13 and 14, and acts of Congress, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibited discrimination on the basis of gender or race.

Clay, Lucius (1897-1978): In 1944 Clay became deputy director of the Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion but left that position in 1945 to become deputy chief of the United States militarygovernment in Germany. He was named commander of America’s forces in Europe in1947 and as such, he directed U.S. military affairs during the Soviet blockade of Berlin.General Clay retired from the army in 1949; however, he returned to public service in

1961, serving as ambassador to Berlin for President Kennedy.

Clifford, Clark (1906-98):Special adviser to President Truman on matters of foreign policy, military affairs, andlabor issues from 1946-50. Clifford gave input on the Truman Doctrine and the bill thatwould ultimately lead to the creation of the Defense Department. He also was Truman’s1948 campaign strategist.

Cold War: A term used to describe the tensions that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union after WWII.Their opposing political and economic ideologies led to a war of words and ideas causing great fear among their peoples that another deadly war was imminent

common good:The welfare of the majority of people in a state or nation; the national interest.

Communism: Official philosophy of the former Soviet Union that extols a belief in complete governmentownership of land and the means of production. A single party holds all of the powerand suppresses individual rights.

conservative: Politically speaking, a person who tends to oppose change favoring a small

federal government and opposes most entitlement programs.

Constitutional Powers: The specific actions that each branch of government can perform according to theUnited States Constitution.

containment: The idea that the United States and its allies would keep communism in check and

prevent its spread initiated with an official in the Department of State named GeorgeF. Kennan. Containment was the idea inherent in the Truman Doctrine, the MarshallPlan, and NATO and will be the cornerstone of America’s foreign policy for decades.

de facto: A condition or situation that exists in actual fact or reality.

demobilize: Process of disbanding or releasing from military duty.

Democratic political party:One of the two major political parties in the United States and the oldest. The Democratic Party of today was formed from the Democratic-Republican Party of President Andrew Jackson in 1828.

Dewey, Thomas (1902-1971): The Governor of New York who ran as the Republican candidate for the presidency in1948 against the Democratic candidate, Harry S.Truman.

discrimination: To show partiality or preference for one person(s) or group(s) over others.

domestic: Issues or concerns relating to one’s own nation.

duck and cover: A civil defense routine practiced by school children in the 1950s that supposedly would protect them in the event of a direct nuclear attack. Students were to take shelter under a desk or table, shield their eyes and cover their heads; in other words, “duck and cover.”

Eisenhower, Dwight D (1890-1969): President of the United States from 1953-1961 and Supreme Allied Commander ofAllied forces in World War II.

espionage: Spying on or gathering information about an enemy in a secretive manner.

executive branch: The branch of the United States government that enforces laws and oversees government departments. The president is the head of the executivebranch.

executive order: An order signed by the president that does not need Congressional approval.

Fair Deal: Truman’s 1948 campaign platform. Some of the programs Truman pledged to work for were civil rights, national health insurance, a higher minimum wage, and more federal money for education.

Ferdinand Magellan: Presidential railroad car used by President Truman in his 1948 Whistle Stop campaign.Traveling aboard the Ferdinand Magellan, President Truman covered almost 22,000 miles in 30 states making hundreds of speeches in his bid for the presidency.

foreign affairs: Relations between one country and another country or countries.

ghetto: An area in a town or city usually enclosed by a wall or fence, where minority groups are forced to live because of discrimination or oppressive measures by the majority rule.

GI: An enlisted person or veteran of the armed forces; abbreviation for “Government Issue.”

guerrilla: A member of an irregular army that uses the element of surprise to undercut an enemy

in an occupied region.

Handy, Thomas:Acting Army Chief of Staff in Washington, General Thomas C. Handy signed the final authorization to drop the atomic bomb on one of four targeted cities: Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Niigata or Kokura. The order specified that the bomb be dropped after August 3rd when weather permitted. The authorization was sent to Gen. Carl Spaatz, commander of the Strategic Air Forces to be carried out.

Harriman, Averell (1891-1986): Harriman served as ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1943-46 and was Commerce Secretary from 1946-48. He was the United States representative abroad for the Marshall Plan in 1948. From 1951-53, Harriman was head of the Mutual Security Agency which coordinated all military, economic, and technical aid to foreign countries.

Hirohito(1901-1989):Emperor of Japan who, on August 15, 1945, announced to his people that the time hadcome to “bear the unbearable” meaning that Japan was going to surrender to the United States.

Hiroshima:The first atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, August 6, 1945.Hiroshima was targeted by American military command because of its location and itwas a regional headquarters for the Japanese army. It is estimated that 130,000 people died from the initial blast and the effects of radiation. The impact of the bomb destroyed 4.4 square miles of the city.

Hiss, Alger (1904-1996): Accused by Whittaker Chambers in sworn testimony before the House Committee on Un-American Activities of being a Soviet spy, Alger Hiss’s guilt of espionage was neverconclusively proven at the time. But Hiss was convicted of perjury for lying to a congressional committee and sentenced to five years in prison. He served 44 months. In 1996, Soviet documents revealed information that gave support to the charge that Alger Hiss did pass information to the Russians. The Congressional investigation of Alger Hiss gave Richard Nixon the opportunity to advance to the national stage politically.

Holocaust:Highly systematic and extreme plan by the Nazi to exterminate the Jews and other groups thought to be undesirable.

House Committee on Un-American Activities:Established in 1938 as a special Congressional committee, HUAC became a permanentgroup in 1948. The purpose of the committee was to investigate any person suspected of disloyalty to the United States of America. Many people would be falsely accused ofcommunist party leanings and suffered personally and professionally as a result.

hung jury: A jury that cannot agree on a verdict.

inflation: Thesteady rise of consumer prices resulting in a decline in consumer purchasing power.

isolationism: Policy of avoiding political, economic, or military alliances with foreign nations.

judicial branch: The branch of the United States government that interprets laws and judges the

constitutionality of laws.

Kennan, George (1904- ):A policy-planner with the Department of State, Kennan would become an importantadviser to Dean Acheson, Truman’s Secretary of State. In 1952, he was appointedU.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union but due to remarks that the Soviet governmentfound objectionable, he was quickly recalled. Kennan left public service in 1953 to accept a professorship at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, New Jersey, a position that he held until 1974. Kennan was the architect of Truman’s Soviet foreignpolicy—containment. The basic premise was to “contain” communism where it alreadyexisted and use U.S. strength to counter Soviet pressure to other countries. Kennanpublished his views in the prestigious Foreign Affairsin 1947. Containment became thebasis of America’s foreign policy decisions for decades.

LeMay, Curtis (1906-90):A bomber commander in Europe and the 20th Air Force in the Pacific during the World War II, LeMay became commander in chief of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) in1948.

legislative branchThe branch of the United States government that makes the laws by which we governor ourselves.

Leahy, William (1875-1959): Military chief of staff and the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for both FDR andHarry Truman. He urged Truman to give aid Iran, Greece, and Turkey in 1947.

liberal: In the political sense, liberal refers to attitudes, ideas, and policies that approve of reform, change, and toleration.

limited war: Military activity that is localized or contained in a specific area and does not involve theuse of nuclear weapons.

MacArthur, Douglas (1880-1964): Allied commander of the Southwest Pacific in WWII, General MacArthur was appointedCommander in chief of the United Nations forces in Korea by President Truman. Thedifferences between the President and the General over what kind of war to fight in Korea and MacArthur’s public criticism of Truman’s policies in the Far East, led to hisdismissal in April 1951. The firing of the popular war hero was one of Truman’smost controversial decisions.

McCarthy, Joseph (1908-1957):Republican Senator from Wisconsin, Joe McCarthy gained the attention of the Americanpublic when he spoke at the Ohio County Republican Women’s Club in Wheeling, West Virginia. He held up a piece of paper that he claimed had the names of 205 card-carrying Communists who worked in the State Department with the full knowledge of Dean Acheson. As McCarthy’s popularity peaked in the early fifties, his accusations became bolder. He referred to General George C. Marshall as a traitor. He called President Truman a drunk who should be impeached. In 1953, McCarthy was named chairman of the Government Operations Committee. Dozens of men and women were subpoenaed to testify about their political beliefs and affiliations. Many careers were ruined because of false charges made by McCarthy. When his committee hearings were televised in 1953, the American people were able to see the antics and ravings of the senator. McCarthy was censured by the Senate. He found himself deserted by his colleagues as his lies (no communists were uncovered) were revealed. He died of alcoholism at 57.

Mao Tse-tung (1893-1976): Leader of the Chinese Communist Revolution, Mao announced a communist government in China in 1949. His forces had successfully defeated the Chinese

Nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek. Chou En-lai was the premier and Mao headedthe communist party. Republican Congressional leaders accuse Truman and the State Department for the failure of the Nationalists and will use the “loss” of Chinain the 1952 presidential campaign.

Marshall, George C. (1880-1859): Army Chief of Staff during World War II, George C. Marshall served President Truman as secretary of state, president of the American Red Cross, and secretary of defense. Marshall proposed the European Recovery Program (the Marshall Plan) in 1947 ina speech at HarvardUniversity. Congress appropriated over $13 billion in aid tothe war-torn countries of Europe to enable them to recover. Marshall agreed withTruman that a limited war should be fought in Korea and that MacArthur should berelieved of his command in the Far East. In 1953 the Nobel Peace Prize was awardto General Marshall, the only military man to receive the honor.

materialism: Concern with or desire to acquire money and all of the things money can buy.

Menorah: A candelabrum with seven branches each is representative of a day of the Creation. A

Menorah may also have nine branches and be used in the celebration of Hanukkah.

Molotov, V.M. (1890-1986): A staunch supporter of Joseph Stalin, Molotov served in several powerful positions inthe Communist party before becoming Soviet foreign minister in 1939. After Hitler invaded Russia in 1941, Molotov was instrumental in securing aid from the Allies. He helped with the creation of the U.N. As a negotiator, Molotov rigidly and tenaciously upheld Communist party policies.

monopoly: One person or one group that controls a product or service.

Nagasaki:Thesecond Japanese city to be hit by an atomic bomb on August 9,1945, Nagasaki wasa heavily populated industrial center. Estimates put the death toll between 60,000 to70,000 people. On August 10, the Japanese government sent word via the Swissembassy that Japan would accept the Potsdam Declaration. Washington already hadthis information as the message had been intercepted by MAGIC.