I'm John Batsch with Nick Bonker.

The end of this story is a tragedy.

The sneak attack by North Korea in late June of 1950, June 25th, 26th.

However, building up to this, Harry Truman has a vision, he calls it the fair deal. It includes health care reform. It includes

housing all the things that are needed for a country that's returning to normal, but all the

veterans out there, all the people who were

in war industries are now spending money and there need to be consumer goods and

Harry Truman understands that and he's still

thinking of the future always the future not just thinking of Joseph Stalin.

There's a moment where he goes on the road and is very happy again to be on the road with

With his wife best and Margaret his daughter and they wind up in Chicago. I believe at the Blackstone Hotel.

At this point, how does Truman think of the struggles that Achinson is having with McCarthy?

And what does Truman make of McCarthy's ambition?

Does he think that he's a tool of Taft?

Does he think that he's a threat by himself?

Well, at first, when McCarthy began his campaign in late January, early February, 1950,

June had been kind of dismissed him. He didn't really take McCarthy very seriously.

And he thought that probably McCarthy could simply be dealt with if there was a kind of a phalanx of

Democratic senators who got up in Congress and refuged all his various allegations.

We didn't take McCarthy very seriously, to begin with.

But gradually as a week spent by, so it became clearer and clearer.

McCarthy was really getting traction with the American people.

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