This is CBS Eye on the World. Here's John Batchelor.

The quote from Bertrand Russell, 1949, at present, all except the most thoughtless live under the shadow of fear.

I welcome the historian Nick Bunker, his new book,

In the Shadow of Fear, America and the World in 1950.

These are the months between Labor Day, 1949,

and the North Korean sneak attack on South Korea in late June of 1950, in which everything changed for my life, for the life of the 20th century in America, and perhaps for the world, although there's unfinished business here, because what I learned from Nick is that everything was in place in that period

that we struggle with today in Asia, in Europe, questions about budget, questions about

personality, the presidency, all of that. I welcome Nick. Nick, it's a great pleasure to speak

with you again. We've had occasion to talk about your young Benjamin Franklin,

which is inspirational, and your empire at the edge, which is the story of right before the

revolution in the 18th century. Here we are now in the 20th century. We're getting closer to modern

times, Nick. And we're dealing with personalities that are well known if you've read this period,

but not if you're just watching the news reports in the 21st century. I want to begin with

the President of the United States, Harry Truman. He inherits the office at the death of Franklin

Roosevelt in early 1945.

He's aged considerably now as we meet him in the Labor Day in 1949.

What do we need to know about Harry Truman and his desire to be a good president, even to run for re-election?

Because he's eligible to run again

a surprise victory in 48. At that moment, what are his thoughts about his responsibility as

president? Good evening to you, Nick. Well, thank you, John. Thank you for having me. It's a great

pleasure to be with you, too. Harry Truman. My book opens in September

1949, and at that point,

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