I'm John Batsky with Nick Bunker.

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 it's very happy again to be on the road with his wife, Bess, 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 Atchison 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,

Truman had been trying to dismiss 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

...