With the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S Truman became President of the United States on April 12, 1945. He faced a host of challenges. First, he had to see World War I1 through to victory. Later, he had to oversee the economy's con- version to peacetime, promote a stable new world order, and contain Joseph Stalin's ambitions in Europe and the Mideast.
As it happened, these preoccupations coincided with a little-publicized development: The United States was suddenly no longer self-sufficient...