Ascent to Power

The fascinating story behind the most consequential presidential transition in US history, from Franklin Roosevelt to Harry Truman, and the legacy Truman struggled to overcome to lead America into a new, post-war world

In 1944, Franklin Roosevelt selected as his next running mate a hardworking, uncontroversial senator from Missouri named Harry Truman. On April 12, 1945, Roosevelt died, and Truman, after only 82 days as vice president, was thrust into the presidency, a turning point that generations of historians have inexplicably addressed as shocking. Yet Roosevelt’s failing health had been plain to staffers for at least a year. With the end of his life looming, FDR met alone only twice with his vice president, and failed to brief him on domestic issues or foreign affairs, most notably his intentions for ending World War II, including the existence of the atomic bomb program. It was, as author David L. Roll contends, one of the most irresponsible oversights in presidential history.

As president, Truman was woefully unprepared. He immediately faced the surrender of Germany, a continent in ruins, and the decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan. Most significantly, the Soviet Union, an ally during the war, was growing increasingly hostile towards US power. Truman inherited FDR’s hope that peace could be maintained through cooperation with the Soviets, but he would soon learn that imitating his predecessor would lead only to missteps and controversy.

Spanning the years of transition, 1944 to 1948, Ascent to Power explores Roosevelt’s post-war illusions, and the very real challenges faced by Truman as a supposed “accidental president,” including the revival of Western Europe, the reform of Japan, and the hotly-debated birth of Israel. Detailing the long shadow cast by FDR, this remarkable book reveals Truman’s struggle to emerge as a president in his own right, and how the decisions made during these years of transition changed the world.