Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) succeeded to the presidency at a crucial time in American history. His administration developed the foreign policy the United States is still pursuing and his Fair Deal sought to preserve the New Deal reforms. Lee traces Truman's life from his rural Missouri background, through his connections with the Pendergast machine in Kansas City, to his occupation of the most powerful office in the world. Drawing upon new materials and the most recent interpretations, this revisionist biography presents a well-balanced interpretation of the postwar period and a presidency that many Americans remember with nostalgia.