Great Britain was under attack.
The U.S. was not in it yet, but it was getting ready.
Back in Washington, Senator Truman was getting complaints about waste, mismanagement, and fraud. Without telling anyone, he climbed into his Dodge and headed south.
He stopped at army camps along the way and while asking questions, he observed hundreds of men standing around doing nothing, (but being paid), unused lumber, and trucks rusting away. Congress had authorized ten billion dollars for defense contracts in six months.
Truman feared the money was being squandered.
On Feb. 10, 1941, Harry purposed the formation of a committee to investigate the entire national defense program.
The white house didn't like this at all, but they thought they could control him. They were wrong.....
On December 8, America went to war, and Harry went after the corruption in the largest war machine ever assembled.
He didn't trust big business or Wall Street. He took on the most powerful men in America and the country's biggest industries along with them. He went after people selling shoddy goods, and people that were doing things that were clearly unpatriotic. In a hearing, he showed no fear, and made it clear he meant business....but they feared him.
The committee found waste, inefficiency, mismanagement, and profiteering. Harry's reputation soared. The committee became known as the Truman committee.
The sudden emergence of Harry Truman in the senate,
is a queer accident of democracy....Time Magazine.
Reporters named him one of the 10 most important men in Washington.
Even Roosevelt, who had no use for him, wanted some credit.
He said he appointed him in charge of the committee, didn't he?
Truman had put the Pendergast days behind him. He was finally accepted...you might say he now was one of the gang. His private life was also settling into a routine. Harry was happy....
