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Discouraged by his lack of business success and without funds, Truman sought the help of friends. His farm background, his war record, his Masonic connections, his Baptist Church affiliations, and his genial personality recommended him to [[Thomas J. Pendergast]], the Democratic political boss of Kansas City and much of western Missouri. Pendergast, an Irish Catholic, had a strong base among the Irish Catholics and used Truman to reach out to Protestants, farmers and veterans. He made Truman the overseer of highways for Jackson County. Truman biographer [[David McCullough]] recounts:

Discouraged by his lack of business success and without funds, Truman sought the help of friends. His farm background, his war record, his Masonic connections, his Baptist Church affiliations, and his genial personality recommended him to [[Thomas J. Pendergast]], the Democratic political boss of Kansas City and much of western Missouri. Pendergast, an Irish Catholic, had a strong base among the Irish Catholics and used Truman to reach out to Protestants, farmers and veterans. He made Truman the overseer of highways for Jackson County. Truman biographer [[David McCullough]] recounts:

{{cquote|That gambling, prostitution, bootlegging, the sale of narcotics and racketeering were a roaring buisiness in Kansas City was all too obvious. Nor did anyone for a moment doubt that the ruling spirit behind it all remained Tom Pendergast. It was the Pendegast heyday.<ref>David McCullough, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=8fp1A2s6aQwC Truman]'' (Simon and Schuster, 2003, ISBN 0743260295), p. 237</ref>}}

{{cquote|That gambling, prostitution, bootlegging, the sale of narcotics and racketeering were a roaring buisiness in Kansas City was all too obvious. Nor did anyone for a moment doubt that the ruling spirit behind it all remained Tom Pendergast. It was the Pendegast heyday.<ref>David McCullough, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=8fp1A2s6aQwC Truman]'' (Simon and Schuster, 2003, ISBN 0743260295), p. 237</ref>}}

In 1922 Truman was elected a county judge; needing some legal knowledge he studied nights for two years at Kansas City Law School; it was his only education beyond high school, although he read history. In the 1924 GOP landslide he was defeated for reelection, but in 1926 he was returned to office as presiding judge of the court, the duties of which also involved administrative supervision of many county expenditures, including $60 million for public works; Truman put only Democrats from the Pendergast machine on the county payroll.<ref>Margaret Truman, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=qRUgzPQRRQcC Harry S. Truman]'' (Morrow, 1972) ISBN 0688000053, p. 67</ref> In 1924, Truman paid $10 (equivalent to more than $120 today) as a membership fee to join the [[Ku Klux Klan]], but withdrew when he learned that Pendergast, a [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]], would not support anyone who belonged to an anti-Catholic organization;<ref>David McCullough, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=8fp1A2s6aQwC Truman]'' (Simon and Schuster, 2003) ISBN 0743260295), p. 166</ref> the Klan then campaigned against Truman.

In 1922 Truman was elected a county judge; needing some legal knowledge he studied nights for two years at Kansas City Law School; it was his only education beyond high school, although he read history. In the 1924 GOP landslide he was defeated for reelection, but in 1926 he was returned to office as presiding judge of the court, the duties of which also involved administrative supervision of many county expenditures, including $60 million for public works; Truman put only Democrats from the Pendergast machine on the county payroll.<ref>Margaret Truman, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=qRUgzPQRRQcC Harry S. Truman]'' (Morrow, 1972) ISBN 0688000053, p. 67</ref> In 1924, Truman paid $10 (equivalent to more than $120 today) as a membership fee to join the [[Ku Klux Klan]], but withdrew when he learned that Pendergast, a [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]], would not support anyone who belonged to an anti-Catholic organization;<ref>David McCullough, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=8fp1A2s6aQwC Truman]'' (Simon and Schuster, 2003, ISBN 0743260295), p. 166</ref> the Klan then campaigned against Truman.

In 1933, with one call to Washington, Pendergast got the director of the federal reemployment service in Missouri fired, and his job given to Truman.<ref>David McCullough, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=8fp1A2s6aQwC Truman]'' (Simon and Schuster, 2003) ISBN 0743260295), p. 242</ref> In 1934, Pendergast tapped Truman to run for [[United States Senate|Senate]]. In the 1995 biopic ''Truman'', writer Thomas Rickman portrays the dialogue:

In 1933, with one call to Washington, Pendergast got the director of the federal reemployment service in Missouri fired, and his job given to Truman.<ref>David McCullough, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=8fp1A2s6aQwC Truman]'' (Simon and Schuster, 2003) ISBN 0743260295), p. 242</ref> In 1934, Pendergast tapped Truman to run for [[United States Senate|Senate]]. In the 1995 biopic ''Truman'', writer Thomas Rickman portrays the dialogue:

==Korean War==

==Korean War==

The [[Korean War]] began at the end of June 1950 when North Korea, a Communist country, invaded South Korea, which was under U.S.  protection, after Secretary of State Dean Acheson gave a speech to the National Press Club on January 12, 1950, excluding South Korea from the defense perimeter<ref>https://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/korea/large/documents/pdfs/kr-3-13.pdf</ref>. Without consulting Congress Truman ordered General [[Douglas MacArthur]] to use all American forces to resist the invasion. Truman then received approval from the United Nations, which the Soviets were boycotting. UN forces managed to cling to a toehold in Korea, as the North Koreans outran their supply system. A counterattack at Inchon destroyed the invasion army, and the UN forces captured most of North Korea on their way to the Yalu River, Korea's northern border with China. Truman defined the war goal as [[rollback]] of Communism and reunification of the country under UN auspices.  

The [[Korean War]] began at the end of June 1950 when North Korea, a Communist country, invaded South Korea, which was under U.S.  protection, after Secretary of State Dean Acheson gave a speech to the National Press Club on January 12, 1950, excluding South Korea from the defense perimeter.<ref>https://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/korea/large/documents/pdfs/kr-3-13.pdf</ref> Without consulting Congress Truman ordered General [[Douglas MacArthur]] to use all American forces to resist the invasion. Truman then received approval from the United Nations, which the Soviets were boycotting. UN forces managed to cling to a toehold in Korea, as the North Koreans outran their supply system. A counterattack at Inchon destroyed the invasion army, and the UN forces captured most of North Korea on their way to the Yalu River, Korea's northern border with China. Truman defined the war goal as [[rollback]] of Communism and reunification of the country under UN auspices.  

[[Image:KOREA50.JPG|thumb|380px]]

[[Image:KOREA50.JPG|thumb|380px]]