This is John Batchelor, conversation with the author Evan Thomas. His book about the end of the war in the Pacific, Road to Surrender, includes all of the decision-making after the passing of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in April.

Harry Truman becomes president and inherits the cabinet and the war fighters that had served FDR so well.

And two of the contests are particularly challenging. One is Henry Stimson, the Secretary of War.

The other is the Secretary of State, which will leave to another matter.

However, the Truman-Stimson relationship is frosty at first, maybe continues.

And Evan Thomas here describes why.

1945.

Class.

Class is everything.

Here's Evan Thomas to explain. More of this later tonight.

It's complicated. Roosevelt brought Stimson in as a Republican to help give him bipartisan support in 1940 for building up a war effort, and ultimately to intervene.

And Roosevelt didn't always follow Stimson's advice.

For instance, Stimson wanted to, in his direct way, wanted to invade Europe right away,

1943, and Roosevelt, in his more dodgy but politically wise way, wanted to hold off,

and that's also what Winston Churchill wanted to do.

So Roosevelt does not always accept Stimson's advice, but they are of the same social class.

This actually matters then, maybe now, but certainly then. They come from the same world of elite,

wealthy, WOSP, New England, Protestants, and they can relate to each other.

They can talk to each other.

They sang the same hymns together in Chapel.

Now, when Truman comes in, it's a little different.

Truman ultimately comes to respect Stimson.

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